HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Huckman, M. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Huckman, M. S.

Jerry P. Petasnick, MD, President Radiological Society of North America, 2001¹

¹ From the Radiological Society of North America, 820 Jorie Blvd, Oak Brook, IL 60523

Index terms: Radiological Society of North America • Special communications

Jerry P. Petasnick, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the Rush-Presbyterian–St Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, Ill, since 1988, was installed as the 86th President of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) on November 30, 2000, at the Society’s 86th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting in Chicago. It represents another milestone in a distinguished career of service to organized radiology at all levels.

View larger version (130K): [in this window] [in a new window] [Download PPT slide]   Figure 1. Jerry P. Petasnick, MD

While an intern at the University of Illinois Research and Education Hospitals, Dr Petasnick envisioned a career in internal medicine but gradually opted for radiology with an eye to radiation therapy. The years 1963–1970 were spent as a resident and junior staff member in the Department of Radiology at the University of Chicago, which was chaired at that time by Robert Moseley. Moseley was a likable sort who guided his residents into academic careers. Jerry was a "renaissance radiologist" in those years, gaining valuable experience in temporal bone radiology from Galdino Valvassori and in angiocardiography from Klaus Ranniger.

In January 1965, Barbara gave birth to twin daughters, Sheri (Mrs Alon Panovka) and Laura. This necessitated a move from Evanston, Ill, to a larger home in Northbrook, Ill, where Jerry and Barbara reside to this date.

In 1970, Richard Buenger, newly named chair of radiology at Rush Medical College, hired Jerry to head the Section of General Radiology. Under Dr Buenger’s tutelage, he developed expertise in translumbar aortography, a procedure then much in vogue.

Over the years at Rush Medical College and at the Rush-Presbyterian–St Luke’s Medical Center, he has served on committees that oversee academic freedom, educational resources, courses of study, faculty promotions, patient-care information systems, bylaws development, and the role of the medical staff. His career in organized radiology has seen him serve as president of the Chicago Radiological Society and the Illinois Radiological Society. This past year, the Chicago Radiological Society awarded him its Gold Medal.

During his career, Dr Petasnick has been a reviewer for the American Journal of Roentgenology, Investigative Radiology, and Radiology. He has authored or co-authored nearly 50 articles on subjects ranging from spleen scintigraphy to temporal bone radiography to computed tomography of the extremities and aortic dissection.

From 1986 to 1988, he chaired the RSNA Technical Exhibits Committee and served on the Society’s Educational Council. From 1992 to 1993, Dr Petasnick was on the Committee for Meeting-related Publications. He became a member of the RSNA Board of Directors in 1994, serving as the Liaison for Education and, thus, Chairman of the Educational Council. He was Chairman of the Board in 1999, after which he became President-Elect.

A devoted family man, he takes great pride in the accomplishments of his daughters and wife. He maintains close ties to his brother, William, president of Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, Wis, his sister Lois (Mrs Earl Nudelman), and his nonagenarian father, who still occupies the ancestral home in Sheboygan.

He and Barbara have doubled the size of their home and delight in entertaining large groups of residents and colleagues. For the past 15 years, they have hosted a legendary New Year’s Day party, which draws guests from all over of the country. Three televisions carry the bowl games, and Barbara does all the cooking. The spread is a virtual glossary of ethnic foods from around the world. Golf is Jerry’s warm-weather passion, and in addition to membership in the Eastern "Radiological" Society, he belongs to several local weekend foursomes. A lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, he is one of the few members of his department smiling on Monday mornings during football season.

Jerry Petasnick loves radiology. He is a rarity among chairmen, reading more than his fair share of studies and taking a fair share of night and weekend call duties. He administers a department while sitting in front of a view box or terminal, fielding phone calls, dictating, injecting contrast material, and reviewing outside images. He sets a fine example of being able, affable, and available for the many residents who have passed through his department. As his presidency of the RSNA begins, members of the Society can rest assured that he will keep alive the traditions of his predecessors, stressing the importance of education, research, and high professional standards that have made the RSNA a beacon to other medical societies.

This Article Figures Only Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Huckman, M. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Huckman, M. S.