NEWS AND VIEWS JANUARY 2015

Welcome to the January installment of News and Views Happy New Year! I’ve just had a preliminary look at the programme for the Spring meeting and there's plenty to look forward to. As usual bootcamp will kick things off on Sunday. The focus for clinicians this year is squarely on PET/CT. This year there will be an additional stream running for part of the afternoon with a more practical emphasis aimed at technologists. The format for the conference proper has also been refreshed with a series of master class sessions covering the breadth of nuclear medicine in the main room. The abstracts and young investigators prize will of course be running in parallel in the smaller rooms. I will bring you more details as the programme gets finalised. If you’re quick there is still time to submit your abstracts for the conference, just follow the links on the BNMS website (www.bnms.org.uk). Brighton is a great venue for the spring meeting, for those of you who haven’t been before, or those of you looking for a little inspiration on somewhere new to catch up with old friends, the visit Brighton website (www.visitbrighton.com) has plenty of suggestions for places to get a bite of food as well as accommodation to suit all budgets. This month I am pleased to introduce Dr Andrew Scarsbrook to our monthly interview series. Q: How did you first get interested in nuclear medicine? A: I first became interested in Nuclear Medicine during my Radiology training in Oxford. At that stage SPECT-CT and PET-CT were only available in a handful of centres in the UK and it was rapidly becoming evident that hybrid imaging had huge potential. My interest to that point was related to cross-sectional imaging but the potential addition of functional and molecular imaging really struck a chord and it was whilst at the annual RSNA meeting in 2003 that I made a conscious decision that I would really like to get involved in an exciting area and I returned to the UK to plan how to achieve this. Q: Where did you train and specialise? A: I received specialist training in Clinical Radiology in Oxford. Subsequently I undertook Year 6 training in Nuclear Medicine and PET-CT in Oxford and at St. Thomas’s Hospital in London. Q: What is your current role in healthcare? A: I am a dual-certified Consultant in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Lead for PET-CT at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust where I have been a Consultant since October 2006. I contribute to all aspects Nuclear Medicine and oncological imaging at one of the largest Radiology departments in the UK. I am also academically active and have a major research interest is the role of functional and molecular imaging in oncology. I hold an Hononary Clinical Associate Professor title at the University of Leeds. Q: How do you help to promote nuclear medicine? A: Over the past 8 years, I have made significant efforts locally, regionally and nationally to increase expansion of PET-CT involving mentored training to underpin service expansion; education of clinicians and key stake-holders; co-author of national guidelines on indications for PET-CT which have been adopted by Commissioners; contributing to clinical governance of PET-CT nationally as an auditor of clinical reports; clinical advisor to NHS England and member of the PET-CT Clinical Reference Group. I was Chair of the Royal College of Radiologists Radionuclide Radiology Sub-Committee from 2011 until earlier this year, and a member of the Inter-Collegiate Standing Committee on Nuclear Medicine from 2011–2014. I was formerly a member of the Specialist Training Committee in Nuclear Medicine. In addition I have contributed to a Molecular Imaging Steering Group convened by the Royal College of Radiologists and through these roles have been heavily involved in shaping and promoting Nuclear Medicine, Molecular Imaging and PET-CT in the UK. Q: What do you see as the greatest challenges and opportunities currently facing nuclear medicine in the UK? A: I prefer to look at the glass as being half full and I think Nuclear Medicine presents great opportunities for providing high-quality patient care through the improved accuracy of hybrid imaging in multiple clinical domains and the clinical utility of radionuclide therapy, particularly in the treatment of malignancy. The prospect of personalised medicine and tailored treatments is heavily reliant on Functional and Molecular Imaging of which Nuclear Medicine forms a substantial component. The (greatest) challenges are financial constraints and a relatively small workforce. Q: What advice would you give to someone starting out in nuclear medicine in the UK? A: You are in control of your own destiny; get as much experience as you can, get involved locally and if you have time/interest contribute nationally through BNMS committees etc. Hybrid imaging is here to stay and the full potential of these techniques is only just being realised. Time spent undertaking research is worthy of serious consideration and opens more options for future employment in these uncertain times. Nuclear Medicine provides ideal opportunities for undertaking academic studies as part of or as an adjunct to your training. Q: What book have you recently read? A: Higher Ground by Martin Moran. An inspirational account of a life spent in the Mountains of Scotland, The Alps and the Himalaya by an ex-Accountant who gave up the 9 to 5 life and trained as a Mountain Guide in the 1970s. The book is a fascinating glimpse into what lies beyond conventional working life and is a perfect form of armchair escapism. Q: What is your favourite country? A: I don’t have a favourite but can highly recommend Canada having spent 2 weeks in British Columbia for our family summer holiday this year where we spent time in Vancouver, Whistler and Vancouver Island all of which were fantastic. North Yorkshire is pretty good too if you haven’t been! Q: What are you most proud of in your professional career? A: A difficult one! I think probably thing I am most pleased about is being involved in the development of PET-CT in Leeds from first inception to the present day where it is now one of the busiest centres in the country. It’s been a roller-coaster journey with a fair share of challenges, not unlike bringing up a small child. It’s been a privilege to have been there from day 1 and see the service grow and mature into adulthood. I’ve learnt a lot along the way and benefited from having a fantastic team of colleagues to work with. Meetings in the UK RCR Breast Cancer Meeting 2015 Date: 10 February 2015 Venue: Royal College of Radiologists, London BIR BNMS 4th SPECT/CT Symposium Date: 23 February 2015 Venue: Royal Society of Medicine, London Position Emission Tomography (PET) Technology & Application Date: 20 April 2015 Venue: Kings College London BNMS Annual Spring Meeting 2015 Date: 26–29 April 2015 Venue: Brighton Conference Centre, Brighton International meetings ANZSNM 45th Annual Scientific Meeting Date: 8–9 April 2015 Venue: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia 12th Panhellenic Congress of Nuclear Medicine Date: 30 May–1 June 2014 Ioannina, Greece The Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) 2015 Annual Meeting Date: 6–10 June 2015 Venue: Baltimore, USA 3rd International Medical Olympiad Date: 2 October 2015 Venue: Thessaloniki, Greece A list of events can also be found at the BNMS website Website: http://www.bnms.org.uk

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