Radiological Society of New Jersey Resident and Fellow Section
Has a Bright Future

Radiological Society of New Jersey
Resident and Fellow Section Officers
President: Ajay Sood, M.D.
Vice president: Sunil Gujrathi, M.D.
Secretary-treasurer: Ravi Prasad, M.D

“I have some great news for all current and future radiology residents and fellows in the state of New Jersey.” So began an October 2002 announcement from Ajay Sood, M.D., about the formation
of the Radiological Society of New Jersey Resident and Fellow Section (RSNJ RFS).

It was indeed a welcome announcement. New Jersey has eight residency programs, a few fellowship programs and more than 100 radiology residents and fellows, reasons enough to improve service and
representation for residents and fellows in the state. As the future of the specialty, the RSNJ and the ACR, radiology residents and fellows have always been an important priority to the RSNJ. The formation of the new RSNJ RFS is an acknowledgment that residents and fellows deserve a forum in which to voice their needs and concerns. “There are a lot of issues unique to residents as a group, and a well-functioning resident section should be able to address them with the support of the state radiological society,” says Sood, resident representative to the RSNJ.

It was with this goal in mind that Sood took it upon himself to pursue the idea of forming an RFS last spring. He initiated a conversation with the executive committee of the RSNJ to discuss the importance and feasibility of doing so. Together with Mark DiMarcangelo, D.O., past president; Albert Tedeschi, M.D., president; and Resident Section Liaisons Judith Amorosa, M.D., and Robert Graziano, M.D., he formulated a 3-part development plan.

One part of the plan was to establish a database of all residents and fellows in New Jersey. The RSNJ automatically recognizes anyone in training in the state as a complimentary member of the society, so there was no need to have residents and fellows fill out applications. Since the ACR follows the same policy and also collects information on residents and fellows from all training programs annually, it was able to provide the RSNJ with information about the residents and fellows in New Jersey.

The second part of the plan was to improve the resident section of the RSNJ Web site, www.rsnj.org/residents. It now includes information about the section, upcoming meetings and New Jersey training programs as well as links to educational resources such as the RSNJ Web-based “Case of the Month.”

The third part was to spread the word about the formation of the RSNJ RFS and generate interest. Sood understood that it would take the support of all residency programs in the state to make the RSNJ RFS successful. With this in mind, he began by eliciting support at his own training program at Cooper Hospital/University Hospital Center in Camden, N.J. Conversations with colleagues produced favorable responses, as did early informal conversations with radiology residents across the state. Sood expanded his efforts last fall, contacting every program director and chief resident in the state to promote the initiative. At that time he asked each program to nominate one resident to serve as a liaison to the RFS. Every program agreed to participate, and Sood was then ready to move on to the challenges of planning the first meeting, electing a governing committee and developing bylaws.

Hoping to incorporate into the RSNJ RFS the features of successful resident sections around the country, Sood took a careful look at the resident sections in states such as Massachusetts, New York, Michigan and Florida. While attending the 2002 annual meeting of the ACR RPS as a delegate from New Jersey, he talked to other leaders of chapter resident sections. He also referred to How to Establish an ACR Chapter Resident Physician Section, a resource guide available on the resident section of the ACR Web site. The model bylaws outlined there served as a model for those developed for the RSNJ RPS. Armed with this information and encouragement, plans began for the first meeting of the RSNJ RFS.

The meeting took place on Jan. 14, 2003, in New Brunswick. In attendance were resident representatives from six training programs as well as three program directors. Participants ratified bylaws, elected a governing committee and began developing an agenda. According to Sood, an initial project is to survey the residents and fellows to determine their needs and interests. The governing committee will then use the survey results to develop resources and programs that best meet the needs of New Jersey residents and fellows. The RSNJ RFS also plans to coordinate efforts with other regional and state resident and fellow sections to share ideas and expand opportunities for everyone involved.

For more information about the RSNJ RFS, visit its Web site at www.rsnj.org/residents.

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