This week at the Open Medical Institute, we hosted our annual radiology seminar in partnership with Weill Cornell. 35 fellows from 30 different countries joined us at Schloss Arenberg to learn more about imaging techniques and present cases from their home countries.
The course this week was led by Dr. David W. Trost, who is celebrating his notable 28th time attending this program as a part of our faculty! He has been teaching at our seminars since 1997, including our radiology course held last year in Hanoi, Vietnam. He was joined by co-course director Dr. Gerlig Widmann from the Medical University of Innsbruck. It was their second year leading the seminar together, which made for a vibrant and engaging gathering.
For the rest of the faculty, we had a lovely mix of new and returning faces! We were joined by multiple members of faculty from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York: Dr. David A. Boyajian, Dr. Andrew D. Schweitzer, and two new OMI faculty members, Dr. Bradley B. Pua, and Dr. David Jones (a current neuroradiology fellow at Cornell). Dr. Jones was able to attend the seminar due to a fund set up by long-time OMI faculty member and friend Dr. John Tsouris, who sadly passed away last year. This endowment serves to allow one junior radiologist to join the Cornell faculty in Salzburg in the future.
We were pleased to welcome Dr. Suzanne E. Anderson (Bern), Dr. Florian A. Huber (Zurich), Dr. Armeni Jengojan (Vienna), Dr. Petra Steyerova (Prague) as well as OMI newcomers, Drs. Anna Katharina Stock and Felix Troger (both from Innsbruck). Remarkably, Dr. Steyerova started her journey with us as a fellow back in 2012, before she returned as a faculty member in 2022, and also has led a couple of OMI satellite symposia abroad. Her story serves a great inspiration for our current fellows!
Dr. David Boyajian, who joined us for the fifth time as part of the Diagnostic Imaging faculty, had this to say when asked to describe why he continues to return to the OMI:
“I have been privileged to serve as faculty for the OMI seminars several times over the past 15 years, and it truly has become a highlight of my career. I have witnessed the enormous impact this program has had in strengthening medical knowledge and practice, and in empowering leaders of the profession throughout the world. It is an effective and unique initiative that continues to inspire and invigorate the fellows and the faculty.”
This week, the fellows were able to learn all about the ins and outs of using imaging tools such as MRIs and ultrasounds to diagnose conditions affecting the entire body. Course director Dr. David W. Trost gave some more insight into the seminar content, stating:
“This year the seminar covers a wide range of topics including cardiac, abdominal and neurological imaging. Some of the lectures involve new uses of AI for assisting in diagnosis and therapy. This seminar is not a one-way exchange of information; information exchange is truly bidirectional. We learn a great deal each year from the fellows. I look forward to many more years as course director because it is truly an important and rewarding endeavor.”
While lectures provided a stimulating environment to learn and discuss overarching imaging techniques, there is nothing truly like applying that new knowledge hands-on. That is why a hugely successful part of the week was the practical ultrasound workshops led by Dr. Florian A. Huber and Dr. Suren Armeni Jengojan. Dr. Huber described these workshops as follows:
“As a crucial element of the program, we offered hands-on ultrasound sessions. While Dr. Jengojan shared his expertise in high-resolution ultrasound of the peripheral nerves, I taught the basics of ultrasound-guided soft tissue intervention, including core needle biopsy. An additional station featured advances in quantitative imaging and workflow optimization, among them multiparametric liver analysis and AI-based nerve tracking. We demonstrated the future of distant ultrasound supervision, using Samsung’s novel software for remote controlling of the ultrasound devices.”
Because the field of radiology is so hands-on, it’s only fitting for these fellows to have lots of practical training during their time in Salzburg. Participants were able to practice their skills using state of the art equipment from SMD Medical Österreich under the guidance of expert faculty members and trained vendors, Marco Giovanettoni and Michaela Zechmeister. Being able to get live feedback from experts during workshops and after case presentations was an invaluable experience for the fellows studying here, so they can bring the most up to date information back home.
Huge thanks again to SMD Medical Österreich for providing us with equipment to make these workshops a great success!
Iulia Tatiana Lupascu, MD, BA
OMI fellow from Romania
Suzana Lukoo, MD
OMI fellow from Tanzania
“My time at the OMI has been amazing. From the clinical workshops and case debates to chats over coffee, every day offered something valuable. The faculty were very approachable, creating an environment where asking questions and sharing our local clinical realities felt natural. The social events added incredible depth to the program. I am returning home with sharp clinical insights, lifelong friendships, and renewed motivation to refine my practice and teach my team.”
Tshering Yangdon, MD
OMI fellow from Bhutan
“Meeting Dr. Suren Armeni, an incredibly warm and inspiring personality, was one of the highlights of the seminar. What I particularly enjoyed was the opportunity to see high-resolution nerve imaging firsthand. His enthusiasm for the field and the way he shared his knowledge made the experience truly memorable.”
