SIIM 2008 chooses a city full of lakes in which to build its bridges

Practice meets theory at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2008 Annual Meeting, May 15-18, in Seattle. The SIIM meeting has always provided a collegial environment for practical education and demonstration combined with the latest research and science in imaging informatics. This year, the meeting will incorporate new hands-on sessions that will give attendees the chance to get up close and personal with some of the latest technologies.

This year's SIIM scientific and didactic programs include the return of favorite topics such as workflow, productivity, PACS/RIS replacement, DR, and an imaging informatics professional (IIP) survival guide, as well new elements illustrating this year's theme: building bridges.

The SIIM program continues to bridge the gap between radiology and other clinical specialties that incorporate medical imaging. The program features several sessions that reflect an enterprise imaging focus, including a SIIM U session on enterprise integration strategies and a hot-topic session drawing similarities and outlining contrasts between image management issues inside and outside of radiology.

Exhibiting vendors at the SIIM Annual Meeting continue to represent a broad spectrum of products and services and the latest trends in imaging informatics. Many exhibiting companies will feature new workflow management and connectivity solutions for enterprise interoperability, multiple PACS, and PACS archive migration control.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

SIIM brings a new level of practicality to the 2008 Annual Meeting with hands-on sessions, including learning labs and a chance to investigate open source options.

Learning labs on three topics will give attendees the chance to preview and use some of the latest technologies and tools. These small, classroom-style labs will be offered several times throughout the meeting on DVTK (a DICOM validation toolkit), Nagios open source software and wikis, and the XIP (execute in place) file system. Attendees can bring their own laptops and plug in.

Also new this year is an Open Source Plug Fest, where some of the most successful open source projects used in imaging informatics will be on display. Representatives from many of the open source communities will be available to help attendees understand and get started using these powerful programs.

At the conclusion of the May 14 preconference Imaging Informatics Professional (IIP) Symposium, a road map geared to the learning needs of IIPs will be discussed with the educational sessions of particular interest highlighted within the SIIM 2008 Annual Meeting. Certified IIP (CIIP) study groups offer another chance for attendees to benefit from personal interaction with colleagues: these informal gatherings will provide an opportunity to come together with other attendees for peer-to-peer interaction and to learn, share knowledge and resources, and find out how others are studying for the certification exam.

GENERAL SESSIONS

SIIM 2008 general sessions bring together some of the most respected names in medical imaging informatics and several pioneers in the field.

Ronald Arenson, M.D., will deliver the opening general session keynote address and provide a bridge from the past to the future. Arenson is a founder of the RISC/SCAR (Radiology Information Systems Consortium/Society for Computer Applications in Radiology, SIIM's previous name) project and one of the inaugural SCAR/SIIM fellows, as well as one of the most intuitive and provocative thinkers in the field.

At the closing general session, an impressive panel of industry luminaries, led by moderator Eliot L. Siegel, M.D., and including PACS administrators, physicians, and vendors, will answer questions posed by SIIM members. Prizes such as an iPOD touch, Amazon Kindle, IBM ThinkPad, and Garmin nuvi GPS will be awarded to the most interesting and provocative questions selected for use during the session (entrants must be present to win). No doubt the questions will be thoughtful, compelling, and controversial. Submit your questions today on the SIIM web site (www.siimweb.org).

The Live Workflow Demonstration is back with a new panel this year after an extremely popular debut at SIIM 2007. This session will demonstrate the use of postprocessing tools in clinical practice using specific, case-based examples.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

Featured abstract presentations are a highlight of the SIIM 2008 scientific program. Six authors whose abstracts were highly ranked by peer reviewers have been chosen to give extended presentations of their papers during the scientific sessions.

The program includes 86 abstracts presented both as papers in 10 scientific sessions and as posters and demonstrations. The 8th Annual SIIM Research & Development Symposium rounds out the scientific program. The symposium features presentations on the findings and results from SIIM research grants issued during the previous year. This year's R&D symposium also includes an update on the ongoing SIIM TRIP (Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process) compression study.

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

The popular SIIM University sessions focus on the nuts and bolts of imaging informatics, while hot-topic sessions cover in-depth, specialized learning opportunities on cutting-edge subjects not typically included in SIIM U.The 2008 SIIM U program has 12 sections covering topics such as communicating results, 3D and advanced visualization, basics of imaging informatics, and PACS operational policies and procedures, among others. Ten hot topics address such issues as imaging center PACS, 24/7 radiology, downtime horror stories, and digital dashboarding.

As always, the SIIM Annual Meeting provides plenty of new learning opportunities in addition to fun networking and social events. In between sessions and visits to the exhibit hall, attendees can attend a virtual tour of the University of Virginia radiology department and provocative debates on the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) versus Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Who Owns PACS?

Attendees will not have to leave Seattle without a visit to the Space Needle; the welcome reception is always a popular event for relaxation, networking, and camaraderie, and this year it's set against the backdrop of the Seattle skyline atop the world-famous Space Needle.

SIIM expects a total attendance of approximately 3000 and a sold-out exhibit hall. For complete program details of the 2008 Annual Meeting, visit: www.siim2008.org.

Ms. Wilson is the SIIM director of publications and media.