The Accreditation Council in Imaging (ACI): A 4-year journey
The Accreditation Council in Imaging (ACI): A 4-year journey
On March 7, 2015, an agreement to create the Accreditation Council in Imaging (ACI) was signed between the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes (UEMS).
One of the most important aspects of this collaboration is that the incoming ACI Scientific Director will be appointed by the EBR Shareholders’ Board at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) for a fixed period of two years. Candidates from the two entities (the EBR and UEMS Radiology Section), will hold the position of ACI Scientific Director on an alternating basis. My predecessor, Dragos Negru, did a fantastic job setting out the basis and the most important aspects to be considered for effective performance, which have now been established.
Today, radiology—together with oncology and cardiology—is one of the medical subspecialties with the largest number of applicants. More than 450 applications have been submitted and accredited since 2016 thanks to the excellent work of the Reviewing Committee, which is led by my colleague Christian Loewe. A key to this success lies in the work performed by the members of the Policy Committee and the Reviewing Committee, as well as the staff, who are in charge of the administrative part.
Through our two surveys, arranged by Milos Lucic, Chairman of the Policy Committee, we wanted to anticipate future requirements and define areas where work is needed, so that we can offer the service that radiology and imaging deserve. We are all very keen on live events, but e-learning and webinars are the future.
After the upcoming ECR and for the following two years, Milos Lucic was appointed as the new ACI Scientific Director. Thanks to him and the team he will be leading, I am sure we will have e-learning material and webinars that are well-placed among the applications processed.
Paolo Ricci is an Associate Professor of Radiology at the Department of Radiological Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Prof. Ricci is the President of the UEMS Section of Radiology, the Chairman of the UEMS Grouping 3 “Multidisciplinary”, and a Member of the UEMS Enlarged Executive Committee.
He is the Scientific Director of the Accreditation Council in Imaging (March 2017-March 2019).