Interventional radiologists receive honors from SIR Foundation

SAN DIEGO, March 22, 2014 -- Ziv J Haskal, M.D., FSIR, an interventional radiologist and editor-in-chief of the Society of Interventional Radiology's (SIR's) flagship publication, the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR), will receive the Leaders in Innovation Award from SIR Foundation during the society's Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego.

Haskal, professor with the department of radiology and medical imaging at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, will be recognized for his pioneering body of work, which includes research into the development of the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt or TIPS, dialysis access and embolization procedures.

"Ziv Haskal is one of the most creative, innovative interventionalists of our generation who combines the best out-of-the-box thinking with formidable intelligence and insight," said John A. Kaufman, M.D., M.S., FSIR, chair of the SIR Foundation board of directors. "He doesn't see the horizon, he sees over it," added Kaufman, professor and Frederick S. Keller Chair of Interventional Radiology at the Dotter Interventional Institute in Portland, Ore.

Haskal's early research in TIPS led to the creation of the TIPS endograft, a device used by the majority of doctors worldwide, resulting in markedly improved patient outcomes and reduced symptoms and need for reintervention. His work in the use of access stent grafts proved them to be the first therapy superior to angioplasty, and his research was subsequently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award
Instituted in 1990 to recognize excellence in academic research for SIR members early in their careers, the Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award, named in honor of the founding editor of JVIR, spotlights the importance of the young investigator in developing interventional solutions for the future.

This year's award will be presented to Muneeb Ahmed, M.D., director of interventional services in radiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School (BIDMC), Boston, for his manuscript, "c-Met Receptor Inhibition Can Suppress Radiofrequency (RF) Ablation-induced Stimulation of Distant Subcutaneous Tumor Growth." Ahmed's current research centers on how secondary systemic effects of tumor ablation affect distant tumor growth. Ahmed, who is also director of BIDMC's vascular and interventional radiology fellowship, has co-authored more than 40 original research studies and 16 invited reviews and book chapters in the field of tumor ablation.

Dr. Constantin Cope Medical Student Research Award
SIR Foundation's Dr. Constantin Cope Medical Student Research Award recognizes outstanding achievements in research and innovation. The 2014 awardees are

• Yan Yan, M.D., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, "Effect of Central Venous Angioplasty on Hemodialysis Access Circuit Flow"
• Mikhail Silk, SUNY Downstate Medical College, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, N.Y., "Clinical Outcomes of Nondiagnostic Percutaneous Liver Biopsies in a Tertiary Referral Cancer Center"
• Tan Zehao, Duke University of Singapore, "Effect of Plantar Arch Integrity and Number of Crural Vessel Runoff on Limb Salvage Rates"
• Dorissa L. Gursahaney, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, "Exothermic Neutralization of Valproic Acid: Combination Thermochemical Ablation With Drug Therapy"
• Kevin Bohn, University of Colorado, Boulder, "Repeat Large Volume Paracentesis Versus Tunneled Peritoneal Catheter Placement for Malignant Ascites: A Cost-minimization Study"
• Melissa Asmar, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, "Should Adrenal Venous Sampling Precede Cross-sectional Imaging in the Evaluation of Primary Aldosteronism?"

Resident/Fellow Research Awards 
SIR Foundation's Resident/Fellow Research Awards recognize high-quality research by trainees and provide radiology residents and interventional radiology fellows an opportunity to attend and present their scientific research at SIR's Annual Scientific Meeting. This year's research award recipients are Juan Camacho, M.D., Emory University, Atlanta; Zlatko Devcic, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.; and Muhammad Naeem, M.D., Rhode Island Hospital, Providence.

Frederick S. Keller, M.D., Philanthropist of the Year Award
This year's recipient of the Frederick S. Keller, M.D., Philanthropist of the Year Award, which honors an individual, family, corporation, patient or volunteer who demonstrates outstanding commitment to SIR Foundation, is William C. Culp, M.D., FSIR. A clinician, educator and researcher, Culp is professor of radiology, surgery and neurology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Culp learned firsthand, as he moved from clinical practice to research and teaching, that one of the most significant challenges for anyone beginning a career in academia was getting outside funding for research. His experience led him to establish, and fund, SIR Foundation's Academic Transition Grant, which provides resources and training for interventional radiologists over the age of 40 who have recently begun academic careers. To date, the grant has been awarded to six individuals, several of whom have gone on to receive additional funding from other sources and see their research published.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation
SIR Foundation is a scientific foundation dedicated to fostering research and education in interventional radiology for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge, increasing the number of skilled investigators in interventional radiology and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. Visit www.SIRFoundation.org.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology
Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. Using X-ray, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, such as in an artery, they treat disease at the source internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. Visit www.SIRweb.org. Follow SIR on Facebook and Twitter and use #SIR2014 to keep up with news from SIR 2014.