In 2013, Dr. B Dustin Pooler received the American Roentgen Ray Society’s (ARRS) Residents in Radiology President’s Award—despite the fact that he will not even officially be a resident until July. His latest award, though, shows that he’s already very valuable to the UW SMPH Department of Radiology.
Pooler has begun his career in radiology by taking a leadership role in research. Twice in 2012 he won a Young Investigator Award, once each with the International Society for Clinical Densitometry and the Society of Computed Body Tomography and Magnetic Resonance.
For his ARRS award, Pooler’s research on “CT Colonography Reporting and Data System (C-RADS): Benchmark Values from a Clinical Screening Program” secured him the honor. In fact, Pooler has been able to lead several important projects, including more than 20 presentations and 13 publications.
Dr. Perry J. Pickhardt, Pooler’s mentor, notes, “Over a 2-year period, he has indeed accomplished a great deal.” Pooler attributes his involvement to the support from his mentors to pursue his interests.
“The key to my being able to publish has been presence of faculty who … have been willing to mentor me, “he said. “I’ve had the flexibility to attach myself to a number of projects that needed some work… and [I] have tried my best to take on different roles required by different projects.”
Already making an impact through research, Pooler hopes his work will raise the standard of care to the level UW strives to maintain. “The primary focus of my research was virtual colonoscopy.” he said, “[It] would serve as a great option for many patients but is not yet a national standard, [although] patients in our local area already benefit… Our hope is that continued research in the field will allow us to fill in the gaps in knowledge.”
And, says Pooler, his recent ARRS award is the perfect place to start. “[The award] highlights the UW’s commitment to producing research that draws interest at the national and international levels,” he said. “I’m happy to be a part of that.”