Plenary Session

Virtual

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

Plenary Faculty(s)

• 

  Saher Sabri, MD, FSIR

  Chief of Interventional Radiology
  MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, United States
• ML

  Mark 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 Choe

  Student
  Rush University Medical Center, United States
• 

  Aesha Patel, MD

  Resident Physician
  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 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)