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Plenary sessions*

The plenary sessions will take place on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday mornings. These large forums welcome everyone and are led by high-profile IR speakers who discuss topics central to the IR and healthcare field. 

Sunday Opening Plenary Session with Gold Medalists, Leader in Innovation Awards and Dotter Lecture 
April 12, 10:30 a.m. - noon

   

Monday Plenary Session: The future of Interventional Radiology — independence, integration, and impact; perspectives from leadership and established IR models
April 13, 11 a.m. - noon

 

Moderators: Bulent Arslan, MD, FSIR and Robert A. Lookstein, MD, FSIR

Interventional radiology is at an inflection point. As hospitals, health systems, and private practices redefine their structures, IR leaders worldwide are making strategic decisions that will shape the specialty’s future identity, visibility, and impact.

This plenary brings together influential voices from academic medicine, private practice, and international health systems to explore why IR departments are evolving — and what those changes mean for patient access, operational success, and long-term sustainability.

Anchored in the SIR 2026 theme, “Creating Communities, Transforming Care,” this session highlights how structural choices can strengthen collaboration, elevate IR’s role within the care continuum, and build the communities required for transformative, patient-centered practice.

Panel insights:

• Hospital leadership perspectives on why IR is positioned for departmental independence
• Operational and cultural transformation following separation from DR
• Financially viable IR-only private practice models
• Academic benefits of an independent IR identity
• International approaches to IR departmental structure, efficiency, and workforce development

This session provides a foundational understanding of IR’s current trajectory — and sets the stage for deeper discussions on workforce, economics, and the future structure of the specialty.


Guest keynote: Omar B. Lateef, MD, President and CEO of Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center

      
Panelists: John A. Kaufman, MD, FSIR, Luke E. Sewall, MD, FSIR, Bien Soo Tan, MBBS, FSIR, Geogy Vatakencherry, MD, FSIR

Tuesday Plenary Session: The future of IR: Workforce, economics, and the debate that will shape the specialty
April 14, 11 a.m. - noon

 
Moderators: Mark L. Lessne, MD, FSIR and Constantino S. Peña, MD, FSIR

As the next generation of IRs enters the field with new expectations, and as hospitals navigate unprecedented financial pressures, IR’s future depends on how we train, support, and structure our community.

This second plenary builds on the Monday one by shifting the spotlight to workforce voices, economic realities, and the defining debate about where IR should live within the healthcare system — within DR or as an independent department.

Grounded in “Creating Communities, Transforming Care,” this session centers on the people, economics, and strategic decisions that will influence IR’s long-term vitality.

Highlights include:

• Voices of the future – perspectives from trainees

Panelists: Estefania Gonzales, Joanna Choe, Aesha Patel, MD

• Financial landscape: IR economics in 2026 and beyond

Panelist: C. Matthew Hawkins, MD, MBA, FSIR

• Debate: Where should IR live?
   

Participants: Bulent Arslan, MD, FSIR and Alan H. Matsumoto, MD, FSIR

*Please note that any educational content is subject to change.