SHAMS IQBAL, MD

Dear NESIR Colleagues,

I welcome you all to a new and hopefully normal year. I'm honored to serve all NESIR members in the role of President 2021-22. My heartfelt thanks to those who supported my candidacy for the role of President. I am excited to announce Dr. Julie Bulman and Dr. Yan Epelboym have agreed to serve as Vice-Presidents and will further the work of NESIR Residents' & Fellows' Section (RFS).

Together with the NESIR Board of Directors, we have come up with a great series of lectures by leaders in the field which includes relevant topics like spine and pain intervention, liver directed therapies in the age of immunotherapy, prostate artery embolization, Emborrhoid Procedure, TIPS, and AV malformations. The complete list of lectures and speakers has been posted on the NESIR website.

Due to the COVID pandemic, the last season was far from normal.

We reached out to the IR community in the New England area, and felt the yearning for normalcy, and a desire to get back to routine business. With significant vaccination rates in the area, and professional sports teams offering 100% seating for games, we are inspired and offer a hybrid series where we will have a mix of in-person and virtual Zoom lectures. This is an attempt towards normalcy and I hope this works well for all.

We will start with in-person sessions at the Longwood Inn on Monday September 20th 2021, where we will be updated regarding "Spine Procedures and Pain Management" by Dr Josh Hirsch, a world renowned spine specialist.

The format will be similar to last year's where we will have a lecture followed by case presentation by residents followed by selection and award for the best case presented.

Now is the time to head to the website https://nesir.org to renew your membership and pay the 2021-22 dues. This ensures we keep serving your needs including CME credits, continue to work for the field of IR and bring the latest and the greatest to you. I am excited to mention that the membership for medical students and residents will remain free. Please follow us on Facebook at Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/NESIR-159752507547742] and Twitter [@NESIR84290842].

Feel free to reach out to me with any queries, comments, or suggestions. I look forward to seeing you all in person on September 20th to learn more about spine procedures.

Shams Iqbal MD FSIR