SIO Publications Committee Co-Chair, Dr. Christos Georgiades of Johns Hopkins University, shares his perspective on his career in IO, his committee work, and the importance of SIO as the field grows.
Dr. Georgiades has an engineering and nuclear physics background before he was trained in Diagnostic and then Interventional Radiology at Johns Hopkins. He's been practicing at Hopkins since 2003, with a 3 year stint in Europe. Over the years Dr. Georgiades' focus has been primarily on HCC and RCC.
What motivated you to focus your career on IO?
"A combination of great mentoring and supportive academic environment was crucial in my decision to focus on IO. My early experience with HCC and RCC patients solidified my choice. Oncology is a rather slow to progress discipline, from an outcomes point of view. Despite celebrated discoveries, patient survival has remained stable or marginally improved. Systemic treatments are introduced with fanfare, yet the survival benefit is measured in weeks to month. Considering this, the survival advantage of TACE in HCC is nearly unparalleled in Oncology. Hardly anything more rewarding, than adding years to a patients life, or even offering them a chance for cure with transplant after down staging. The ability to cure early stage RCC without surgery has been another strong motivator for me."
What is your perspective as chair of the Publications Committee?
"Experience brings with it the responsibility to teach the next generation. I hope that whoever wisdom i have accumulated, I will transmit to the next generation so they can in turn, build a better Society and provide better service to our patients."
What is an important goal of your committee?
"The main goal of our Publications Committee is to enhance the ability of SIO to disseminate knowledge. Using journal(s), online publications, non-peer review textbooks, social media, etc we seek to keep our readership up to date and stimulate our members to contribute to the SIO's scientific armamentarium."
Is there a current project you'd like to highlight?
"There are four main projects that the committee is currently pursuing:
1.Case Spotlight: Streamline the process of case submission and provide CME credit to our authors
2.Website/Patient information materials: Develop a patient-friendly site
3.IO Insights: A weekly briefing of worthy news/developments to keep our readership up to date
4.Social Media/Blog: Harness the power of social media to increase SIO's exposure to other specialties, other physicians and patients alike."
Why is SIO membership important?
"I found that joining societies, attending conferences, volunteering for committee service, generates a sense of kinship and brotherhood among the participants. It gives me a sense of safety and provides support and advancement opportunities. For younger physicians the society can be a tremendous resource for building academic excellence and clinical competence. For physicians who are advanced in their career, membership can provide a rewarding way to transmit one's accumulated wisdom and affect others careers and lives for the better."
What is one of the best parts of your day?
"Morning rounds with trainees. When traditional clinical discourse trumps bureaucracy and electronic medicine."
To volunteer with SIO and join Dr. Georgiades and other committee leaders in their efforts, visit: http://www.sio-central.org/page/call-for-volunteers