RAD Women (#RADxx) Launches Online Resource Center
Networking group sponsored by Ambra Health advances opportunities for women leaders in medical imaging
RAD Women (#RADxx), a networking group for the advancement of women in imaging informatics, announced a new online resource center for current and prospective members. RADxx is an initiative sponsored by Ambra Health (@ambrahealth) and led by industry leaders Dr. Geraldine McGinty (@DrGMcGinty) and Mini Peiris (@Mini_Peiris) to foster networking and mentorship opportunities for women leaders in radiology, informatics and IT management of Radiology systems.
The new RADxx resources hub will be curated by Dr. Kristina Hoque (@KristinaHoque) and Dr. Judy Wawira Gichoya (@JudyWawira) to bring together assets that will help advance learning, networking, and career opportunities for women in informatics. A live stream of current dialogue on the RADxx twitter hashtag was displayed along with upcoming events, including a reception in support of RADxx at SIIM — the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine’s annual meeting— that was held Thursday, June 1, 2017 in Pittsburgh, PA.
“The level of interest and activity for RADxx has exceeded all of our expectations and we’re pleased to continue to grow the initiative by providing a resource hub for women to connect with one another and advance their careers in informatics,” said Mini Peiris, RADxx Co-Founder and CMO of Ambra Health.
Since its founding at the RSNA Conference in November 2016, RADxx has grown to over 100 strong women and men interested in increasing diversity within the various disciplines related to medical imaging. The core founding team has been joined by leading practitioners, Dr. Amy Kotsenas (@AmyKotsenas) and Dr. Tessa Cook (@asset25), and is advised by Dr. Bernadette Keefe (@nxtstop1). RADxx was developed in response to the underrepresentation of women in radiology, and particularly imaging informatics.
In the American College of Radiology’s most recent annual Commission on Human Resources Workforce Survey, women were found to be less likely to pursue a career in radiology than men, with just 21% of practicing radiologists being women. The low percentage of women is not just an issue in radiology and radiology informatics, but maps to a broader trend across the technology and healthcare industries as a whole where women are underrepresented. According to the National Center for Information & Technology, women make-up just 25% of the computing workforce.
Dr. McGinty believes that diverse representation in radiology is critical to effectively addressing the needs of women and minority groups in healthcare. “It’s up to all of us to mentor and sponsor emerging leaders in radiology to close the gender gap within the field,” she said. Dr. McGinty recently highlighted the need for sponsorship and mentorship among women radiologists in a blog post, saying “While mentors and sponsors serve different purposes, their end goal is the same: to help you achieve your goals. We wanted to create an environment that sparked more of these sponsorship opportunities for emerging women leaders in informatics and digital health.”
To become a member of RADxx, visit the new resource center.
About Ambra Health
Ambra Health is a medical data and image management SaaS company. Intuitive, flexible, scalable and highly interoperable, the Ambra cloud platform is designed to serve as the backbone of imaging innovation and progress for healthcare providers. It empowers some of the largest health systems such as Memorial Hermann, Stanford Children’s Health and New England Baptist Hospital as well as radiology practices, subspecialty practices and clinical research organizations to dramatically improve imaging and collaborative care workflows. As expert partners, we listen to our customers, understand their needs, and apply our extensive knowledge to deliver innovative medical image management solutions for the future of healthcare, now.
