Dr. Gholamali Afshang

Would you please start with your background and current positions?

I work in the Hines VA Hospital, affiliated with Loyola University in Maywood, IL. I had been working in different places in private practice. Three years ago, I joined the VA. I came to the United States in 1973 and I did one-year internship at Detroit Macomb Hospitals Association in Detroit. That was followed by one year of general surgery at the VA medical center in Dayton, Ohio and subsequent radiology residency at Wayne State University. I finished my residency in 1978, I returned to Iran for one year, came back to the US for one year and then went back to Iran for almost 11 years. I joined the faculty of University of Isfahan and practiced for almost seven years. I finally returned to the US in 1992 and did a two-year neuroradiology fellowship at Loyola University where I am currently a neuroradiologist and general radiologist.

How did you decide to become a radiologist?

At the beginning, I planned to become a surgeon. But my friends told me that radiology is better than surgery and they were right. In addition, my fiancée was working in Detroit and I was in Dayton. So I wanted to come back to Detroit. There was not any general surgery position in Detroit but there was a radiology position. I got the radiology position so that we could be together.

How did you become involved with NAIRS? What roles have you had in the Society?

in 1991. There are two important founders of the Society: Dr. Issa Yaghmai and Dr. Majid Rooholamini. Other leaders were Dr. Bonakdarpour, Dr. Taybi, and Dr. Fateh. NAIRS was established in California as a non-profit organization. After Dr. Issa Yaghmai unexpectedly passed away, Dr. Rooholamini remained in charge of the Society. Dr. Rooholamini was very proud of the Society and worked very hard to make it flourish until he passed away a few years ago. I, like most Iranian radiologists, knew him very well. Through the NAIRS he encouraged Iranian and non-Iranian professors to attend radiology conferences in Iran. I met many Iranian faculty members like, Dr. Mafee, Dr. Shirkhoda, Dr. Ghahremani, Dr. Azar-Kia, and Dr. Bonakdarpour at those conferences. NAIRS also provided journal subscriptions to those who had limited access to them. When I came to the US in 1992, I met Dr. Rooholamini and started attending NAIRS meetings. I have attended every NAIRS annual meeting for almost 24 years. I have been the meeting organizer and the Society’s Secretary for several years.

How has NAIRS grown in the past few years?

The Society has grown due the visionary leadership its presidents: Drs. Taybi, (Issa) Yaghmai, Bonakdarpour, Mafee, Shirkhoda, Raoufi, Eftekhari, Zamani, Jamshidi, (Vahid) Yaghmai, and now Motamedi. Although the Society initially had subspecialty sections, it has grown to a unified organization with the goal of promoting radiology. From the beginning, interaction among members has been a focus. Out of all members from 24 years ago, I am the only one left. Our focus has shifted to be more inclusive of members-in-training who are the future of our specialty.

What opportunities and challenges has NAIRS had?

One of the challenges has been finding a convenient place for our members to meet during RSNA.

We have been meeting at a venue in downtown Chicago since the Society started. However, meeting after hours at a venue that was not easy for everyone to get to was always a challenge. This year we were able to secure a meeting room at the McCormick Place. There might be some time limitations with McCormick place. We can’t be there for more than two hours. At the downtown venue, there was no time limit. People used to come, do networking before dinner and after dinner. That is going to be a challenge this year but, hopefully, ease of access will overcome that. Our goal is to be more accessible to new practicing radiologist.

How can being involved with NAIRS help members in training in their career?

NAIRS is very good for new radiologists and those interested in radiology as a career. It is a good way of meeting other peers. This is the reason most members attend NAIRS meetings. It is the best way to get to know people. Members in training pay a subsidized membership fee. The members in training, residents, fellows and research fellows have had free membership so they could attend for free. Another change that has happened is the award for best scientific abstract. This emphasizes the scientific goals of the Society. I think scientific missions and networking are both essential. They should be together, in my opinion.

How do you see the future of NAIRS and its members?

After Dr. Rooholamini passed away, we considered dissolving NAIRS and donating the remaining funds to charity. However, there was some opposition among leadership to dissolving. I was opposed as well.

We re-focused and encouraged members-in-training to join. And somehow NAIRS survived. We need more active members to be involved and serve as officers.

How do you think we can improve NAIRS?

I think we should invite our former members to come back more frequently. We need to continue to strengthen our membership. The abstract submission was a very good thing for people who wanted to strengthen their CV.

Any final words?

NAIRS almost dissolved once. But I was one of the people who opposed because I was a close friend of Dr. Rooholamini and really loved him and wanted the society to continue to flourish because he was very proud of this society. I hope that NAIRS will continue to be strong.