Six months before their annual conference was set to resume at the end of November, the leaders of the Oak Brook, Illinois-based Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), have decided, faced with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to make their annual conference virtual this year. The RSNA Conference has been the largest annual medical conference in the world, regularly attracting between 40,000 and 50,000 or more attendees from countries all around the world.
On Tuesday, May 26, RSNA president James P. Borgstede, M.D. posted a message online announcing the change from physical to virtual conference. Dr. Borgstede wrote, on RSNA’s website, that, “As the convener of the world’s largest radiology meeting with over 50,000 attendees from 137 countries, our ability to conduct RSNA 2020 in Chicago is impacted by global public health considerations. With a mission that focuses on health and patient care, the primary consideration for RSNA is the health and safety of attendees, presenters, exhibitors, staff, and by extension, the global community. Therefore, we concluded it would be impossible to safely conduct RSNA 2020 in person and have decided to hold RSNA 2020: Human Insight/Visionary Medicine as an exclusively virtual event. The RSNA 2020 Virtual Meeting will be held completely online November 29 - December 5.”
As Dr. Borgstede wrote today, “While we are disappointed we cannot safely meet in Chicago this year, we continue to stand proudly in partnership with the many physicians, health care professionals, researchers, and companies doing their part to stop the pandemic and preserve public health, and we look forward to providing a successful virtual meeting.”
And he noted that, “Since the inception of our meeting more than a century ago, only twice in history — in 1943 and 1945 — have we been forced to cancel the physical meeting, and that was due to transportation and gasoline supply issues during and immediately following World War II. These truly are unprecedented times and it is an understatement to call this necessary decision disappointing. Fortunately, today we are privileged with digital technologies that allow us to hold a different, yet comprehensive and engaging meeting. Our Virtual Meeting will ensure the opportunity for participation for everyone impacted across the globe by institutional, corporate, or national travel restrictions.”
Later in the statement, Borgstede wrote that “While we will miss the opportunity to see each other in person in Chicago, as many of us have enjoyed for decades, we look forward to connecting with you virtually, and to delivering an outstanding RSNA 2020. Connecting medical imaging professionals from around the world is more important than ever during this time, and RSNA will do this in the best and safest way possible.”
This is a developing story. Healthcare Innovation will update readers as further developments emerge.
