RSNA President Dr. Umar Mahmood formally commenced the meeting, emphasizing the society’s shared purpose: “RSNA 2025 is a gathering that embodies the strength of our global community. Here, education fuels discovery, technology drives innovation, and collaboration connects us across borders.”
Honoring Excellence in Radiology
Dr. Mahmood highlighted the distinguished awardees who will be recognized at this year’s meeting. RSNA Gold Medals will be presented to Dr. Thomas Grist, Dr. Mary Mahoney, and Dr. Satoshi Minoshima, while RSNA Honorary Membership will go to Dr. Carlo Catalano, Dr. Fátima Matute, and Dr. Claudio Silva. He also acknowledged the Outstanding Community Impact Award recipient, Dr. Efrén Flores, and celebrated the 2025 Outstanding Educator and Researcher: Dr. Nestor Müller and Dr. Farrokh Dehdashti.
AAPM Strengthens Its Partnership with RSNA
In his joint address, AAPM President Dr. Mahesh underscored the long-standing collaboration between the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and RSNA. He noted AAPM’s global footprint, stating, “AAPM is a professional organization with nearly 10,000 members… we do have nearly 10% of our membership from over 89 countries.”
He highlighted AAPM’s meeting theme for this year “Coming together to forge ahead in medical physics” and emphasized the importance of shared educational resources such as the RSNA–AAPM physics modules. His invitation to the physics symposium, Together We Can Make a Difference, reinforced the growing relevance of physics in radiology and precision imaging.
Celebrating the Leadership of Dr. Umar Mahmood
Dr. Mahmood’s colleague Dr. Michael Gee delivered a personal and heartfelt introduction, detailing the RSNA President’s trajectory from his early years to his leadership roles at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and his upcoming appointment at Stanford.
Imaging the Individual: The Central Theme of RSNA 2025
In his presidential address, Dr. Mahmood introduced this year's theme, “Imaging the Individual,” linking it to the accelerating potential of precision medicine. He described radiology’s expanding ability to “illuminate a patient's unique biological and clinical characteristics” and guide targeted therapies. He emphasized this forward-looking ambition by highlighting that “incorporating the concepts of precision medicine into radiology will benefit our patients.”
The Future of Radiology: Precision Medicine, AI, and Theranostics
Dr. Mahmood outlined extraordinary advancements in CT, MR, PET, and ultrasound that now provide “high-resolution, high-fidelity images at a speed we would never have imagined.” He emphasized the role of molecular imaging, from PET tracers to receptor-based imaging, noting, “We truly are imaging the individual.”
He highlighted theranostics – “turning a diagnostic into a theranostic”—as a rapidly expanding tool that delivers targeted treatment based on molecular characteristics. Artificial intelligence, he argued, will be instrumental in managing the vast data behind precision care: “It isn't human versus machine, it's people plus AI to optimize the care of our patients.”
A Transformative Era for Patient Care
Dr. Mahmood closed by reflecting on decades of breakthroughs, including immunotherapy’s profound impact on survival for metastatic cancers: “These immunotherapy breakthroughs have offered the hope of cures for many cancer patients.”
As nearly 40,000 radiology professionals gather in Chicago, RSNA 2025 stands as a global catalyst for innovation, collaboration, and a shared commitment to advancing patient-centered imaging.
