Shawna currently is the Chief Research Radiographer at The Florey, based at the Austin campus in Heidelberg.
“First, I would like to say that I feel extremely honoured and humbled to have been elected as President of the most important organization for MRI Radiographers and Technologists around the globe. I see it as an opportunity to both give back to all those that have supported and mentored me throughout my career and to pay it forward to those who will become the future leaders of our profession,” said Shawna.
As president for the 2019-2020 term, Shawna will continue to empower MR Radiographers and Technologists around the world through SMRT educational offerings to actively bridge the gap between scientific advances and clinical translation.
“I believe as Radiographers and Technologists, we are uniquely positioned to help facilitate this, as we often have both the technical and clinical knowledge within our individual areas of expertise. I am privileged to be serving alongside the esteemed ISMRM President Professor Lawrence Wald, who also advocates strong collaborations between the ISMRM and SMRT and believes in the importance of fostering collaborations between PhD’s, M.D.s, MRI Radiographers and Technologists.”
Shawna will focus on strengthening SMRT’s alignment with the ISMRM because they share the common interest of the ongoing translation of scientific advances to improve patient care.
“Improving patient care is ultimately the reason why so many MRI Radiographers and Technologists around the world are so passionate about our profession. And this is why we are so personally invested and committed to our ongoing professional education.”
– Shawna Farquharson
Shawna’s priority objectives will be to establish a monthly ‘Virtual Meeting Education Program’, which will be freely available to SMRT members – and will include live presentations given by MR experts focusing on a wide range of MR topics.
She also aims to develop ‘Online Education Packages’ specifically for our SMRT members to improve global access to advanced education and training programs, and increase support and identify opportunities for local educational meetings by implementing an SMRT National Chapter & Division organizational structure which has been designed to help grow SMRT membership in all regions around the globe.
As President, Shawna says she is privileged to be in the position of helping steer the SMRT organization into the next decade whilst preparing the organization for the challenges ahead.
I am fortunate to embark on this challenge with the support of an extremely strong leadership team and Policy Board – for which I am already grateful. I will be continuing to work closely with the SMRT Past President – Chris Kokkinos, the SMRT President-Elect – Nancy Beluk, and the SMRT Associate Executive Director – Kerry Crockett, to ensure there is continuity and strong leadership whilst we develop and transition to our new strategic plan.”