RSNA Establishes New Neuroradiology Research Award

OAK BROOK, Ill. — Funded with a donation from Kuo York Chynn, M.D., the Board of Directors of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has established the Kuo York Chynn Neuroradiology Research Award—an annual award for the top neuroradiology research paper presented at the RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting.

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Kuo York Chynn, M.D.

A longtime RSNA member, Dr. Chynn is an internationally known neuroradiology expert who has authored more than 30 papers and two textbooks and holds a patent for his invention, the Painless Chynn Myelography Needle.

In the 1950s, Dr. Chynn came to the U.S. with little money and rose to become an international expert in his field. He hopes the new research award will pave the way for other medical students traveling that same path.

"I was able to persevere and work hard, eventually rising to prominence," Dr. Chynn said. "I would like to give back to the field of radiology, specifically my subspecialty of neuroradiology."

Born in Shanghai, Dr. Chynn graduated from National Tung-Chi University Medical School in Shanghai in 1949. He pursued his post-graduate training in the U.S., completing his radiology residency at St. Louis University Hospital in 1954.

After two years in private practice, Dr. Chynn accepted a position as an assistant professor at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Because neuroradiology was in its infancy in the 1950s, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiated a grant to train neuroradiologists in advanced medical centers abroad. In 1959, Dr. Chynn accepted a one-year NIH grant to study in London and Stockholm.

After returning from Europe, Dr. Chynn established neuroradiology departments at both Cornell and St. Luke's Hospital Center, affiliated with Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, serving as division head for both hospitals. He retired in 1994 as Emeritus Professor.

In the 1970s, Dr. Chynn's invention was the focus of research presented at the RSNA annual meeting, and in 1973, his research, "Painless Myelography: Introduction of a New Aspiration Cannula and Review of 541 Consecutive Studies," was published in Radiology.

Dr. Chynn chose to offer the grant through RSNA because of the Society's dedication to funding research and advancing the science of radiology. The first award of $3,000 will be presented at RSNA 2016.