Pooja Voria, MD, MBA, President, WSRS
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I am honored to serve as the new President of the Washington State Radiological Society, and to represent 881 radiologists in our Evergreen State. I’d like to extend an enormous and heartfelt thank you to our immediate past president, Dr. Eric Stern, for leading our organization for past two years. I sincerely appreciate his mentorship during my years as President-Elect, and I look forward to his wise counsel during my term as President.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our Executive Director, Debra Alderman, as well as our executive board, officers, and committee members. Please welcome our new Vice President, Dr. Ruben Krishnanathan, Treasurer, Dr. Sammy Chu, and Secretary, Dr. Kathy Choi-Chinn. I look forward to partnering with my new leadership team, as well as each of you.
The healthcare environment is rapidly changing. It is an exciting time with many unknowns. Our society will continue to be at the forefront of these changes and I will strive to be a strong advocate for our members at the state level and national level, through the ACR. The board plans on revisiting and updating the strategic plan, which was developed two years ago, so that our goals remain in alignment with the changing business and political landscape.
As President, I would like to grow our society by engaging our membership, particularly the younger generation including the residents, fellows, and young physicians. The board is considering expanding to include 2-3 seats for young physicians. If you are a physician recently out of training or have any recommendations, please contact me. To facilitate member engagement, we will be sending out a survey to gather your feedback and suggestions on future member activities, topics of interests, etc.
We have already kicked off 2017 with another successful Annual Advocacy Day in Olympia on January 26. As always, meeting with the legislators and their staff provided us with a “face” and increased our visibility. We were able to facilitate discussions on balanced billing and breast density legislation. Thank you to our members, including residents and fellows, who attended this important event.
Later this year, we will host our annual meeting in conjunction with the WSMA annual meeting on October 14, 2017. We are looking forward to joining forces this year. In fact, our very own radiologist, Dr. Shane Macaulay, is the current WSMA President. Please save the date!
This is a unique time in our history where our direct involvement is critical in advocacy efforts, payor relations, and governmental/regulatory affairs. I encourage you to reach out, contribute, volunteer and get involved. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. I look forward to two exciting years ahead.
Warmest regards,
Pooja Voria, MD, MBA, President, WSRS, 2016-2018