RSNA Press Release

OAK BROOK, Ill. (August 1, 2011) — The Ralph Schlaeger Charitable Foundation has donated $1.5 million to the Research and Education (R&E) Foundation of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) to endow research grant awards.

Ralph Schlaeger, M.D., was a member of RSNA for 50 years. He spent most of his career as a radiologist at Presbyterian Hospital and a professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He passed away in 2007.

Dr. Schlaeger specialized in gastrointestinal radiology and was highly esteemed by his colleagues who trusted his keen eye and straightforward manner.

"Ralph was extremely well-respected," said Philip O. Alderson, M.D., former chair of the Department of Radiology at Columbia University. "He was very accommodating with clinicians and always took the time for courteous consultation, which is too often missing from rushed healthcare practices today."

The Ralph Schlaeger Charitable Foundation endowment will be used to support Research Seed, Fellow and Scholar grants for young researchers beginning their careers in radiology.

"This truly remarkable gift will be a lasting tribute to Dr. Schlaeger's passion for radiology and service to the profession," said Theresa C. McLoud, M.D., chair of the RSNA R&E Foundation Board of Trustees. "What greater gift could a radiologist leave, than to enable future generations to contribute to the research and educational endeavors in this great specialty?"

Projects funded by R&E Foundation grants have an impact on research and clinical outcomes and cover a wide range of research and education topics. Every dollar awarded to a grantee by the R&E Foundation generates more than $30 in subsequent funding from sources including National Institutes of Health, government agencies, corporations and private foundations.

Since its inception in 1984, the R&E Foundation has awarded more than $34 million in grant awards to over 900 investigators and educators, enabling more than $1 billion in additional research.

RSNA is an association of more than 46,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to excellence in patient care through education and research. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)