Dr. Cherukuri recently was selected as the winner of the first Annual "Leaders on the Horizon" RSNA Resident Program, sponsored by Bracco Diagnostics.
Applied Radiology
asked each of the two award winners to comment on his
experience participating in the Bracco "Leaders on the Horizon"
RSNA Resident Program.
Ravi Cherukuri, MD
The program overall was a tremendous educational experience for
me, from attending the week-long RSNA conference in November to
researching and writing the paper.
The program allowed me to extend my education beyond the
traditional radiology residency curriculum. It gave me the
opportunity to explore a set of topics that are innovative, rapidly
evolving, and somewhat controversial. Residents spend so much time
during training trying to master the vast body of knowledge that's
already out there that it becomes difficult to pursue topics that
are of special interest to us and that we believe will play an
important role in the future of radiology. This program was, for
me, a perfect opportunity to fill that void.
At the RSNA meeting, I attended numerous seminars and lectures
by radiologists who pioneered percutaneous spine interventions, and
I combined this learning experience with my own review of the
literature and the input of my mentors to try to create a practical
introduction to this growing field for the
Applied Radiology
readership.
This was my first national radiology meeting, so the opportunity
to attend lectures on cutting-edge topics was very enlightening and
exciting. Also, it gave me an idea of the level of quality that
research, posters, and other presentations must reach to be
accepted at national meetings, and this will be useful for me down
the road.
For residents who wish to participate in this program in the
future, I recommend that they try to choose a topic that interests
and excites them--one that, although underemphasized in today's
radiology residency, will be elemental in tomorrow's radiology
practice.