AUR Frequently Asked Questions

General

1. What are the different affinity groups and special interest groups, and which should I join?

    a. Affinity Groups:

  • ACER Alliance of Clinician Educators in Radiology
     A forum for clinician-educators to exchange ideas and to learn new skills, including generating programming for the AUR meeting targeted towards the needs of clinician-educators, developing opportunities for networking, and promoting educational research relevant to clinician-educators.

  • AMSER Alliance of Medical Student Educators in Radiology
     AMSER Is the only national organization for academic radiologists focused on medical student education. Its goals include promoting excellence in medical student education, and developing a standardized curriculum for all medical students, and promoting Radiology as an essential component of the medical student curriculum. 

  • RRA Radiology Research Alliance
     RRA encourages interdisciplinary research in radiology and the radiological sciences by proving a variety of supports including helping departments improve their research programs, organizing symposia at the AUR, and encouraging innovative interdisciplinary approaches to research at all stages of career development.

  • RASHR Radiology Alliance for Health Services Research 
     RASHR promotes health services research and education through establishment of educational programs in health services research, establishment of forums and encouragement of the development of careers in health services research.
     
  • A3CR2 American Alliance of Academic Chief Residents in Radiology
     American Alliance of Academic Chief Residents is dedicated to developing the leadership skills of chief residents and fostering collaboration among chief residents and with leaders of academic radiology.

     b. Special Interest Groups (SIG)

  • ADVICER Alliance of Directors and Vice Chairs of Education in Radiology 
  • ALAAR Alliance of Leaders in Academic Affairs in Radiology
  • LADIR Leaders in Advocating Diversity and Inclusion in Radiology
  • MSK Musculoskeletal
  • VCOQ Vice Chairs of Operations and Quality

     c. How is the AUR related to the affiliated societies (APDR, APDIR, SCARD)? 

  • The Association of Program Directors in Radiology (APDR), the Association of Program Directors of Interventional Radiology (APDIR) and the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD) all meet at the AUR meeting and provide targeted programming related to educating the next generation of radiologists and developing leadership skills. These are separate organizations with separate membership requirements and dues.

    2. How do I join an affinity group?

    To join an affinity group, you can sign up online at the time you pay your annual AUR dues. If you want to sign up for an affinity group but have already paid your dues, please contact aur@rsna.org for assistance. There are additional fees for joining affinity groups. 
     
    3. How do I join a special interest group (SIG)? 

    To join a SIG, send an email to aur@rsna.org. There are no fees to join SIGs. 

    4. How do I get involved on a committee? 

    Each spring, AUR sends a survey requesting members indicate their interest to serve on committees. Affinity groups generally recruit committee members at the AUR Annual Meeting. Appointments are generally made once a year, but you can contact aur@rsna.org at any time with specific questions.  

    5. What is the AUR Research and Education Foundation? 

    Donations to this Foundation support the educational and research endeavors of AUR members through two main grants -- AUR Venture Grant (July submission deadline) and the Strategic Alignment Grant (January submission deadline).   Details can be found on the AUR website.

    6. Who should I contact if I have questions regarding membership, registration for the annual meeting, special programs, or anything else? 

    Feel free to contact staff in the AUR office by calling 630-368-3730 or emailing at AUR@rsna.org.

 

Annual Meeting

    1. The meeting program offers many sessions, many of which seem to be associated with certain affinity groups.  Which sessions can I attend? 
    Nearly all sessions at the annual meeting are open to attendees.  The only exceptions are a few special programs -- the AUR Faculty Development Program, Radiology Management Program and the AUR Radiology Resident Academic Leadership Development (ARRALD) Program – and some A3CR2 programming. Any closed sessions are marked as such in the program.
     
    2. What are the different tracks at the annual meeting? 
    In order to make it easier for meeting attendees to focus their learning, there are several distinct tracks designated in the program – education, leadership, research, trainee and administration. You may attend sessions from any track. 

    3. What networking and mentorship opportunities exist in relation to the meeting? 
    Members are invited to sign up for formal one-on-one mentoring in conjunction with the meeting (in person or virtually), and there are often other opportunities for coaching or speed mentoring for different groups.  At every meeting, there are multiple opportunities for informal networking during breakfast and evening receptions. 

    4. What suggestions do you have for new member to meet leadership within the AUR? 
    New members should not hesitate to reach out to any of the current leadership of AUR or its affinity groups or affiliated societies.  AUR’s greatest strength is its networking, and we are always looking for more people to become engaged with our work.  

    5. How do I become faculty at the annual meeting? 
    Every spring, the AUR planning committee invites AUR members to suggest speakers and topics for the annual meeting. You can also contact the President-Elect directly with your suggestions.

 

Career Benefits for Faculty

    1. Does AUR offer any special programming specifically targeted to early- or mid-career radiologists? If so, what are my options?
      a. AUR Faculty Development Program -- a one-day program at the annual meeting that brings together early-career faculty for a full day of education and networking. More information is available at: https://www.aur.org/annual-meeting/faculty-development-program

      b. Radiology Career Advancement Lectureship Program (RCALP) – Selective program that provides early and mid-career faculty the opportunity to deliver a national visiting lecture and to receive feedback on teaching effectiveness. Further information can be found at: www.aur.org/resources/RCALP

      c. Radiology Management Program – a targeted educational program for up to 30 mid-career faculty and administrators held at the annual meeting that focuses on leadership training using case-based methods.  Further information can be found at: 

      d. https://www.aur.org/annual-meeting/radiology-management-program

    2. What opportunities exist for developing your skills as an educator? 
    AUR offers multiple sessions at the annual meeting. In addition, there are also focused programs, such as the AUR Faculty Development Program and the Inclusion Diversity, Equity and Allyship (IDEA) Scholar Program.

      1. What programs exist for the development of research skills?

        a. ACR-AUR Research Scholars Program -- A one-day program in conjunction with the annual meeting that brings together residents and fellows who have a background and interest in scientific, health services and health policy research with seasoned academic radiologists.

        b. Radiology Alliance for Health Services Research (RAHSR) – Several on-line resources can be found on the website, including a webinar series on biostatistics.

        c. Radiology Research Alliance (RRA) – participate in a task force for inter-institutional collaboration in research publications

        d. Alliance of Clinician-Educators in Radiology (ACER) – Several on-line resources can be found on the website, including a webinar series focused on educational scholarship.

        e. AUR GE Radiology Research Academic Fellowship (GERRAF) Award – a highly competitive grant that supports U.S. and Canadian faculty within 5 years of completing residency training to undertake clinical and health services research projects. Contact GERRAF@rsna.org for more information.

    3. What AUR resources are available for members on the website?  
    Multiple educational and career development resources are available on the AUR website including:

        a. Professionalism and ethics curriculum. 
        b. Templates for letters of recommendation. 
        c. Meeting resources: Past meeting presentations and minutes from affinity group and special interest group meetings.  
        d. Where’s Waldo-Helping mid-career faculty stand out from the crowd (Webinar Series located on the AUR YouTube page). 
        e. Educational Scholarship webinar series
        f. Biostatistics Primer
        g. AUR Grand Rounds – bimonthly webinars

         

Career Development for Medical Students and Residents:

    1. What educational resources are there for radiology trainees? 
    At the annual meeting, A3CR2 offers dedicated programming geared toward trainees.  All meeting programming is also open to students and trainees.  There is also opportunity to submit abstracts for papers and posters.  

    2. Are there mentorship and leadership development opportunities for residents? 
    Yes! The AUR Radiology Resident Academic Leadership Development (ARRALD) Program provides focused mentorship, leadership, and academic development for a pre-selected group of second-year (PGY-3) radiology residents in order to better prepare for their transition into successful careers as leaders in academic radiology. 

    In addition, the annual AUR mentoring program and other mentorship opportunities offered in conjunction with the meeting are open to residents. 

Special thanks to AUR members Sarah Averill, Ann Jay, Pina Sanelli, and Priscilla Slanetz for their work in compiling this document.