Act now and your future is sound, Dixon advises

Everybody loves to read about the future. We may not be too keen to admit it openly, but we all feel varying degrees of fear and apprehension about what lies around the corner. Getting some advance notice about what’s in store for us, in both our professional and personal lives, can help us to plan better and accept change a little more readily.

Before the annual meeting of Diagnostic Imaging Europe’s editorial advisory board at ECR 2010, we conducted a survey among the members, and one question focused on which topics should be covered in greater depth. The number one response, overwhelmingly, was “the future of imaging.” Nearly 90% of respondents ticked this item, whereas a much smaller proportion wanted more articles on management issues (53%), national news (47%), oncology imaging (47%), cardiac imaging (42%), radiation protection (42%), industry news (37%), developments in the U.S. (10.5%), and human interest stories (10.5%).

The outcome was pretty much the same in our last poll, two years earlier.

This research prompted us to ask a very highly respected, level-headed Englishman with a global perspective to do some crystal-ball gazing. For our interview with Prof. Adrian Dixon from Cambridge, U.K., please turn to the Big Picture column on the last page of this issue.

Dixon is surprisingly positive and upbeat about radiology’s future, and would not hesitate to recommend the profession to young doctors and medical students. He accepts that there are tough challenges and choices ahead, but, provided radiologists continue to develop their skills and display the right attitude, their prospects remain bright. He’s also got some quite specific practical advice for readers.

Continuing this theme of looking to the future, the RSNA congress-known simply as “The Big One” among our publishing staff-starts to loom large at this time of year, as does the JFR, les Journées Françaises de Radiologie, which takes place in Paris in late October. In the run-up to these important international meetings, we will be showcasing exhibitors' new products and services in our ever-popular Technology Update section (see page 14). Part 2 of our roundup is due to appear in the October edition.

I hope you enjoy this coverage and get some useful ideas and pointers for the coming weeks, months, and years. As always, please contact me, at philipward1@btconnect.com, with any feedback, comments, or suggestions. I am always keen to hear from you. '