About APDR

CHARLES F. LANZIERI, MD
APDR PRESIDENT 2009-2010

The APDR continued to confront and manage changes in graduate medical education as it has over the past decade. The year began as the ABR and ACR put the final touches on the restructuring plan that would move the qualifying exam toward the end of the training program and postpone the certifying exam until one year after the completion of residency.

Although the long established, beloved/hated/feared oral certifying exam continued to meet psychometric standards, the ABR remained the only medical board with the ability to certify trainees at the time of completion of the program. This left it an outlier. Other factors including the frenzy of board preparation during the training program and the logistic challenges created by oral exams convinced the ACR and ABR to act.

The action by the ACR and ABR was a bit like an act of congress and it fell to the APDR to draft the details of a new curriculum to meet the new standard and to develop guidelines for the transition from the old certification method to the new. It has actually taken several years to accomplish this goal and it will not be complete until 2013 when the first of the new exams is given. The APDR is proud to have taken the lead in making the substantive changes and deal with the many details of this transition. The APDR thus continues to serve a major role in keeping training programs compliant and innovative and to provide support for directors and coordinators.

The APDR had an opportunity to express its gratitude for the service of Doctors Arndt and Talner who each accepted the Achievement Award at the annual meeting in San Diego. The APDR also recognized the service of Murray Janower and Coralie Shaw as they announced their intention to pass their APDR leadership responsibilities as Small Programs Chair and Program Coordinator Chair on to others. These are two very important roles in the APDR board, and we thank Doctors Janower and Shaw for their long and tireless service.

It has been personally gratifying to serve as APDR President this year. I am relieved to yield the gavel and look forward to the coming years of success for the APDR.

APDR Achievement - Murray L. Janower, MD

Murray L. Janower, MD, has made major contributions to the field of radiology in patient care, resident and medical school education, research, academics, administration, and organized medicine. Murray has repeatedly exhibited the ability to be the first to identify a problem and then provide the leadership necessary to find optimal solutions.

Dr Janower received the Angus McLean Award for performing the most significant research by a medical student in his class at Wayne State University. After his 1st year of radiology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Murray joined the U.S. Public Health Service Bureau of Radiological Health. He established the bureau's research laboratory and held a national seminar, which resulted in the publication of his first textbook, Technological Needs for Reduction of Patient Dosage from Diagnostic Radiology. After discharge from the Public Health Service, he resumed his residency in radiology at MGH. His text, Radiology of the Colon, written with Jack Dreyfuss, is considered a classic. During his career, Murray has authored more than 90 published articles, and his many awards include the Gold Medal of the American College of Radiology in 2000. He was the founding chairman of the American College of Radiology's Committee on Ethics and served for 7 years as its chair.

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