ISMRM 2023 Highlight

Posted on June 2023

The 2023 meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) took place from June 3 to June 8 in Toronto, Canada.  

This year’s ISMRM is the first since the pandemic where all scientific sessions will be in person, though virtual attendees can view sessions with streaming.

 “Through careful planning we’re very fortunate that we’ve actually been able to reduce both registration and membership fees,” said Scott Reeder, MD, PhD in an interview published this June in the Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Highlights magazine. Sustainability was another important factor. By choosing Toronto, a central location relative to ISMRM membership, air travel (and therefore, carbon footprint) could be minimized. 

“It took a lot of effort and conversation to come to this decision but I think it’s a good decision and one that we’ll continue to evaluate moving forward for future meetings,” Dr. Reeder added in the same interview. Access the magazine digitally here and read the full interview (which includes Dr. Reeder’s reflections on his history with the society and his hopes for the future) on pages 20-22. 

Throughout the meeting, members of UW-Madison’s Department of Radiology gave talks, presented abstracts, and moderated sessions. Take a look at the full schedule below:

In addition to these presentations, Thekla Oechtering, MD (alongside Emory University’s Grace McIlvain, PhD) organized the 2023 Secret Sessions. The Secret Sessions initiative has been a tradition since ISMRM 2017. The off-program sessions are informal, explorative, and tailored to early-career researchers. This year, the Secret Sessions program included: 

• “How To Get the Most Out of ISMRM” on Monday, June 5 from 1:45-2:45 

• “Chatbot for Literature Review, Are We There Yet?” on Tuesday, June 6 from 9:15-10:15 AM  

• “Mentor Speed Meeting” on Tuesday, June 6 from 3:45-6:00 

• “Juggling Without Struggling: How Women in Academia Navigate it All” on Thursday, June 8 from 1:45-2:45 PM 

A photo from the “Mentor Speed Meeting” session on June 6. (Photo courtesy of Thekla Oechtering)

Additionally, three Department members were selected as ISMRM Junior and Senior Fellows on Monday, June 5. This award is given in recognition of rising stars and role models, respectively, in the field.

• Rianne van der Heijden, MD, PhD was selected to be a Junior Fellow. 

• Oliver Wieben, PhD and Howard Rowley, MD were selected to be Senior Fellows 

We’re proud to highlight all of our Department members’ contributions to the society’s annual meeting – and to the field as a whole! To stay up-to-date about upcoming conferences, follow us on Twitter