Tuesday Plenary Session: The future of IR: Workforce, economics, and the debate that will shape the specialty

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET

Location: Exhibit Hall F

Plenary Faculty(s)

Saher Sabri, MD, FSIR

Chief of Interventional Radiology
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, United States

Moderator(s)

ML

Mark L. Lessne, MD, FSIR

Vascular and Interventional Radiologist
Charlotte Radiology, United States
Constantino Pena, MD

Medical Director of Vascular Imaging, Interventional Radiologist
Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, United States

Panelist(s)

Estefania Gonzales (she/her/hers)

Medical Student
UNC School of Medicine, United States
Joanna J. Choe

Student
Rush University Medical Center, United States
Aesha Patel, MD

Resident Phyisican
Rush University Medical Center, United States
C. Matthew Hawkins, MD, FSIR, MBA

Professor of Radiology
Emory University School of Medicine, United States
Bulent Arslan, MD, FSIR

Professor and Inaugural Chair
Rush University Medical Center, United States
Alan H. Matsumoto, MD, FACR, FSIR, MA

Professor, Department of Radiology & Medical Imaging
University of Virginia, United States

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 plenary 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)