RadioGraphics Celebrates 40 Years

OAK BROOK, Ill. (May 4, 2021) — The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its journal, RadioGraphics. The leading education journal in diagnostic imaging, RadioGraphics provides high-quality continuing medical education (CME) materials to the radiology community worldwide.

Each issue of the journal features 15 to 20 articles focused on a variety of radiologic subspecialties – including imaging physics, informatics and diagnostic imaging – and CME opportunities to promote lifelong learning. The journal has a strong impact factor of 4.967. Impact factor is calculated based on annual citations received and reflects the journal’s relative importance in its field.

Christine “Cooky” Menias, M.D., RadioGraphics editor since January 2021, intends to build on the journal’s already strong reputation with expanded participation opportunities and an optimized digital experience for today’s audience.

“My vision is to ensure RadioGraphics meets the needs of all our current readers by leveraging both conventional and novel digital platforms,” Dr. Menias said. “RadioGraphics will focus on increasing opportunities for involvement by medical students, residents and fellows, supporting international authors’ and reviewers’ participation, and innovating the user experience by expanding the journal’s digital platform.”

Launched in 1981, RadioGraphics was originally conceived by the RSNA Board of Directors and inaugural editor, William Tuddenham, M.D., as an opportunity to highlight educational materials from the RSNA annual meeting. In 1990, William W. Olmsted, M.D., began his 22-year tenure as editor of RadioGraphics with the intention of establishing itas the premier education journal in diagnostic radiology. In 1991, RadioGraphics became the first radiology journal to offer CME credit for its educational content.

In 1999, a seventh annual issue was introduced as a yearly monograph. The first monograph issue focused on women’s imaging. Monographs continue to be released every October highlighting a single subspecialty or a crossover topic of interest to multiple subspecialties.

“It is really wonderful to see the growth and success of RadioGraphics as a very important educational journal for our specialty,” Dr. Olmsted said. “The rise in RadioGraphic’s impact factor in recent years and the important RSNA Education Exhibits presented in the journal are a real tribute to Dr. Tuddenham’s original dream of 40 years ago.”

In 2012, Jeffrey Klein, M.D., currently RSNA Board of Directors liaison for publications and communications, became editor of RadioGraphics. During Dr. Klein’s nine-year tenure as editor, the journal grew to its current offering of 15 to 17 AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits in each issue and introduced a resident and fellow section to offer additional educational materials for trainees.

“The privilege of leading our society’s education journal by following in the large footsteps of longstanding editor Dr. Bill Olmsted has been the greatest honor of my career as a radiologist,” Dr. Klein said. “RadioGraphics continues to offer a broad array and format of education materials under the creative leadership of Dr. Cooky Menias, who has brought many novel and important new initiatives to the journal.”

Read more about the history and editorial evolution of RadioGraphics at RSNA.org/RG.