From the April 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

This year marks the 27th annual meeting of the Society for MR Radiographers and Technologists (SMRT). HealthCare Business News interviewed Titti Owman, the 2017-2018 president of the SMRT, about the society's origins and how its focus has evolved.

Titti Owman: Magnetic resonance is an examining modality that is relatively young, and so is our profession.

The need for a professional organization for MR radiographers and technologists was obvious due to educational needs and to find a way to develop and improve our professional conditions. SMRT was [started] in 1990 at a meeting mainly organized for radiologists and MR-physicists. SMRT began as a section of a larger MR organization, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and we are still a section.
ISMRM is our umbrella organization and we truly enjoy a well-functioning collaboration in many ways.

To create and organize MR education was one of the first and most important goals when SMRT was [started]. Education is still our main mission, and over the years we have developed many different ways to reach out and make a difference regarding MR knowledge and MR safety to an increasing network of colleagues all over the world. Our intention is to reach out globally to find adequate and appropriate ways to communicate and keep our members well-informed.

To improve educational possibilities, our yearly meeting has expanded from two into a four-day meeting. It is definitely the highlight of the year and starts Friday evening with a poster session where our members are presenting prizewinning scientific papers. A very popular two-day seminar is organized [for] Saturday [and] Sunday and the fourth day is a joint venture with ISMRM where radiographer/technologist-appropriate content is presented.

HCB News: How did you originally get involved with the organization?

TO: I have been involved with MR and research since 1983, and I attended several European and international MR meetings before I realized that there actually was an international MR radiographer/technologist organization connected to ISMRM. It was a fantastic moment when I also realized that this organization, SMRT, also arranged a terrific yearly seminar and educational opportunities with [a] special focus for our needs. The educational possibilities SMRT could offer in combination with a very welcoming and familiar atmosphere made a great difference to me and to my entire professional life. By then I had already started the first national MR education for radiographers in Sweden. It was a wonderful feeling when I realized the possibility to make a difference and contribute to improving MR knowledge and safety, not only in Sweden, but also globally. To be able to start this kind of collaboration with my new and skilled SMRT friends from different corners of the world was very tempting, so tempting that it was impossible to say no. Teamwork and dedication are keywords in our organization and I am extremely grateful for all [the] feedback and all [the] brilliant ideas and friendships that have been shared with me over the years.

April 2018 Magazine

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