Presidential address

Raju Sharma

Thank you, Dr. Mohanan for the heart warming introduction and thank you to the dignitaries on the dais and off the dais for your benevolent presence.

At the outset I would like to congratulate Team Chandigarh IRIA 2019 for organizing this successful and simply sublime conference for our radiology fraternity.

Now, I would like to extend my earnest gratitude to my team, my supporters, and above all the association for electing me and bestowing me with honor of becoming the President of this illustrious association. I thank all office bearers for their staunch support and past presidents for their guidance and blessings.

It truly is a privilege to become the President of the association of the most challenging and dynamic medical branches of our time, a branch which forms the crux of clinical diagnosis, a branch which is the frontrunner in technological facets, and a branch which constitutes the creamiest of folks and the most intellectual minds of not only medicine but also of the world. It is a genuinely humbling moment for me and I hope to live up to my promises, and more importantly to your expectations.

The members of this fraternity are my family and I want to make a dream home, that is, a dream association for all of us, where ideas, academia, and leadership will flourish and thrive, a place which will be a haven for radiologists and radiology.

With your support, during my presidential administration and tenure, I would like to accomplish feats for our association which shall take it to new heights. The main motives during my presidency will be unity, expansion, and dominance of our association. And to achieve the same, my agenda shall comprise the following things among others:

1. IRIA Research and Education Foundation

”Education is the most important weapon to bring about change”

-Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

This initiative aims to improve radiology education, training, and oration, and to promote journals and research projects in radiology through the means of radiology seminars, funding grants and awards, enhancing radiology outreach programs, making academic passion universal in our field. This will, in turn, manifest as upliftment of medical services, patient care, and public health of India.

2. Sono Summit

This unprecedented meet, which will be organized in June of this year, will be a place for radiologists to share and inoculate their ideas and vision and learn “ultrasonography” discipline in more depth. This meet will also help address the PC & PNDT act issue on a new and broader magnitude. The PC & PNDT act, which was enforced in 1994 to curb female feticide and sex determination, has proved to be a bane for our radiological society. Not only that, it has negatively impacted innocent radiologists, rather than actually punishing the true culprits. It is a grave issue which has been addressed for many years. Now it is high time, we make tangible amends to the PC & PNDT act. We as IRIA will get through this challenge. But our efforts to empower the girl child will be stronger than ever by aggressively escalating the RAKSHA project which was launched last year. RAKSHA aims to provide goodwill to girls especially from the lower economic strata with earnest inputs on our behalf. At the same time, to reduce perinatal mortality in India, we are launching SAMRAKHAN Mission. SAMRAKSHAN will address Fetal Radiology and perinatal fetal health.

3. Technology

Technology is as imperative to radiology as radiologists themselves and we all know that; in the past 5 years there has been a draconian revolution of technology in our field. It is daunting and thrilling to see the introduction of these gizmos in our field. Together, we will explore this new era of AI and diagnosis with open mind and intellectual curiosity. A good news is we are launching AI forum which will keep close watch on this new kid on the campus. We will incorporate role of IRIA for development of AI in most structured fashion. We are sure we will stay ahead of time and grab appropriate opportunities.

We will also stay ahead on the digitization front. Most advanced website, IRIA app, and introduction of online forums are just a few examples.

4. Collaborations

“I can do things you cannot,

You can do things I cannot,

Together we can do great things.”

-Mother Teresa

Collaborations and alliance with international associations and radiological fraternities hold the key to broadening the horizons of Indian radiology. This year we are organizing India presents at Radiology Society of North America which is a grand feat in itself, and in addition to that we also have India meets European Congress lined up in 2021.

We will join hands with international radiology societies to deepen our knowledge and academia.

5. Youth Wing of Radiology

“Youth is a gift of nature but age is a work of art.”

While it is the responsibility of the invigorated young guns to take this association forward, it is even more of a duty for the seniors to guide them along the right path and show them the true light. And together take this association ahead. We are launching the Youth Wing of Radiology which will be exclusively working for the welfare of the postgraduate residents and young radiologists. I see marvellous feats in store for the association. For when radiology is united, it is unstoppable.

I would like to thank my “kafila, “that is, the Gujarat state chapter for their zealous and steadfast support in my journey, it truly means a lot; and above all my wonderful friends for being here and my family, which has been my backbone and my strength, my beautiful wife Nirali for her unconditional love and for always being my pillar in bad times and good times, and my loving children Shibiraj and Anokhi, I love you.

In Conclusion,

Let me share my dream with you, I have a dream, a dream to make IRIA among the top 5 radiology associations of the world. I urge every member of our association, from every state of this country, to join me in that cause.

I request all of you, all the members of IRIA, to feel free to contact me with any inputs for the betterment of our esteemed association.

I thank you. Lots of Love.

LONG LIVE IRIA!

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