Toronto, Canada, June 16, 2009 – SNM and Siemens Healthcare today announced the winners of the Siemens Award for Excellence in Practice-Based Research at SNM’s 56th Annual Meeting in Toronto. The purpose of the award is to encourage clinicians and researchers to create studies that demonstrate the economic value of molecular imaging, including nuclear medicine, in the daily patient management process. This is especially important as many emerging applications and techniques are limited in their adoption. Cooperative efforts to encourage research studies hold potential to drive down the overall cost of healthcare by increasing the quality and accuracy of the information gained using these types of imaging techniques and bolsters efforts for generating evidence for increased reimbursement.
The award recognizes an investigator for originality, scientific methodology, and practical applications. Submitted abstracts needed to contain scientific examination on the economic value of practice- or evidence-based research in the field of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and Therapy.
“A key initiative for SNM has been to evaluate the effectiveness of PET-CT and other molecular imaging tests,” said Robert W. Atcher, Ph.D., M.B.A., 2008-09 president of SNM. “The body of research clearly shows that molecular imaging procedures can lead to better detection, earlier diagnosis and improved understanding of the best way to tailor treatments for individual patients. One of the most exciting aspects of this award is that it will allow researchers to directly study the benefits of molecular imaging for improving patient care.”
The winners of the 2009 Siemens Award for Excellence in Practice-Based Research are:
“Siemens is honored to work with the SNM since the inception of this award in 2007 to recognize researchers and their tireless work to demonstrate the economical benefits of molecular imaging procedures. As innovation within our industry continues, we need to revisit the efficacy of today’s imaging protocols to diagnose and manage disease and consider revising them to include imaging studies that provide more information. The type of studies that are encouraged by this award will help clinicians as they determine the best treatment paths for their patients,” said Michael Reitermann, chief executive officer, Molecular Imaging, Siemens Healthcare. “This research can also help bolster evidence needed to convince legislators and payers to increase R&D funding and reimbursement of molecular imaging.”
To be considered for the award, the papers needed to contain research objectives and/or results that evaluate the potential for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) and other molecular imaging-based technology, including:
The Siemens Award for Excellence in Practice-Based Research is an SNM initiative with Siemens acting as the official grantor. SNM intends to seek, evaluate, publish, and, subsequently, present to an international audience, innovative practice-based investigations concerning the economic pressures and potential business solutions explored via scientific research.
The SNM Scientific Program Committee was responsible for evaluating the content of submitted abstracts to determine their eligibility for this award, and consequently selected the winning presentations. A committee selected the key papers, and identified the award winners after the oral presentations were made.
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world’s largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare is the first integrated healthcare company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. Siemens Healthcare delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care – from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care. Additionally, Siemens Healthcare is the global market leader in innovative hearing instruments. The company employs around 49,000 people worldwide and operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2008 (Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare reported sales of €11.2 billion, orders of €11.8 billion, and Sector profit of €1.2 billion. Further information can be found by visiting http://www.siemens.com/healthcare.
About SNM
SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated. SNM's more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit www.snm.org.
