The Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research (the Academy) and your American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) joined forces with a dozen other leading radiological societies on Tuesday, March 24 to radvocate for the future of the specialty during this year’s Medical Imaging Research Hill Day in Washington, D.C.
As ARRS Executive Council member and Membership Committee chair Darcy J. Wolfman, MD, noted, imaging is the “crux of medicine,” yet unpredictable federal funding makes long-term research planning nearly impossible. Dr. Wolfman and ARRS Executive Director Dale West, CAE, both contended that a “unified voice” remains essential to ensuring lawmakers understand that breakthroughs in imaging research improve patient lives and our health care ecosystem writ large.
The Big Picture: Rads of all practice types and at every level of training united with allied scientists for a multi-day radvocacy blitz designed to secure robust federal investment for fiscal year (FY) 2027.
- Debate Prep: Medical Imaging Research Hill Day kicked off the day before with intensive radvocacy best practices at Le Méridien Hotel to prepare participants for high-stakes meetings.
- Bicameral FaceTime: Radvocates then held face-to-face meetings with members from both chambers of the 119th Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill, sharing personal stories of research impact.
- #MedTech26: Later, in the Rayburn Foyer, the Academy and partner societies hosted a hands-on technology showcase demonstrating cutting-edge advances like custom 3D-printed solutions, opportunistic cardiac screening, AI-driven stroke recovery, and even wearables for neuroradiology.
By The Numbers: The day’s radvocates presented three critical asks to lawmakers for FY 2027:
- $51.3 billion for National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- $1.7 billion for Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
- $500 million for National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
The Academy’s radvocacy extended into Wednesday with a Research Roundtable, focused on two existential challenges for the field:
- AI Integration: Preparing infrastructure and governance alike for AI-forward imaging.
- Talent Pipeline: Developing strategies to support early-career investigators, who are all too often the most vulnerable to funding shifts.
For emerging researchers, especially, Medical Imaging Research Hill Day is more than mere lobbying; it is vital background work that safeguards the funding upon which they rely. Participation promises invaluable liaising with the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as agency introductions to NIH, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while learning the political process that powers scientific discovery.
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