HealthCare Business News spoke with Professor Paul M. Parizel regarding the challenges his organization will face in 2017 and beyond. In addition to his leadership of the European Society of Radiology, he is the chairman of the Antwerp University Hospital department of radiology and a full professor of radiology at the University of Antwerp.

HCB News: Please give your American counterparts who may not be that familiar with the European Society of Radiology (ESR) a little bit of background on the society.
PP: ESR was founded in 2005 by merging the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) and the European Association of Radiology (EAR). The ESR is an apolitical, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying European radiology. The ESR is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and has offices in Barcelona, Spain; Brussels, Belgium; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Bogota, Colombia.

The ESR currently has more than 69,300 members from 157 countries. As such, it is the largest radiological society in the world. Its primary mission is to organize the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) which is held in Vienna each year in March. The ECR is the leading annual radiology meeting in Europe. Other tasks of the ESR include the harmonization of teaching programs throughout Europe, the maintenance of the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR), the coordination of teaching activities within, as well as outside, Europe [ESOR — European School of Radiology] and assistance in raising training standards and the level of radiological services throughout the world. The ESR works closely with national radiological societies and subspecialty societies across Europe and beyond. The ESR also monitors developments on the European Union which could have an impact on research and practice in radiology.

HCB News: We understand this is the first year the presidency of the ESR and ECR is held by the same person. What prompted this change?
PP: It is a great honor, and also a huge responsibility, to assume this new position of ESR president and chairperson of the ECR Programme Planning Committee. The ECR is well established as the foremost congress in radiology in Europe. Until a few years ago, nominations and elections for the ‘cursus honorum’ of the ECR and ESR took place independently of each other. This implies that we have had brilliant presidents of our society, who never became president of the congress, and vice versa.

As both the society and the congress were getting bigger, it was decided to re-evaluate and re-tune the strategic plan so that appointments were fully integrated, instead of running on parallel tracks. This means that after the one-year term as ESR president, who presides over the ECR, you automatically become chairperson of the ESR board of directors and thus the decision-maker for all society-related matters. Bringing the congress and the society under one umbrella better utilizes our human, political and financial resources. I am convinced that this will improve communication with our members, enhance our international standing and facilitate relationships with other societies.

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