Robert H. Wagner, MD, MSMIS to Receive Central Chapter – SNMMI’s Gold Medal
Chicago, IL - The Central Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging(CCSMMI) will honor Robert H. Wagner, MD, MSMIS, FACR, FACNM, Professor of Radiology and Director, Section on Nuclear Medicine for Loyola University with the presentation of the Steven M. Pinsky, MD Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor the CCSNMMI can bestow upon a member. The Distinguished Service Award or Gold Medal will be presented to Doctor Wagner at the March 5-6, 2016 CCSMMI Annual Spring Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, to recognize his outstanding leadership in organized medicine and community relations and his many years of dedicated service to radiology and nuclear medicine.
Doctor Wagner received aBachelor’s Degree in Chemistry in 1978 from Ripon College in Wisconsin and his Medical Degree in1984 from Rush Medical College in Chicago. After three years of residency in general surgery at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center (now Rush University Medical Center) he completed his residency in nuclear medicine in 1989 from Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. In 1998 Doctor Wagner pursued a Masters Degree in Management of Information Systems with MBA concentration at Illinois Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, receiving a MSMIS Degree in 2000.
Remaining at the Loyola University Medical Center following his residency, Doctor Wagner began his career as an Instructor in Radiology from 1989-1990, then became an Assistant Professor of Radiology from 1990-1999, Associate Professor of Radiology from 2000-2006 and earned full Professor of Radiology in 2006, a position he holds today. From 2006 to the present he has also served as Director, Section of Nuclear Medicine. He has been Vice Chairman of Radiology – Informatics from 2000 to 2011 and served as Interim Radiation Safety Officer from 2014-2015. He is also on the radiology staff at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, a sister facility to Loyola.
On the staff of Loyola University Medical School, Doctor Wagner has been part of the Physician Mentoring Program, and for several years presented the Clinical Clerkship Lecture for 3rd year medical students the Annual Organ System Lecture in Oncology. He also lectures monthlyon the fundamentals of radiation for Students Rotating in Radiology. He is currently the chairman of the Loyola Radiation Safety Committee and the Laser Safety Committee. He is also an active member of the Institutional Review Board for the protection of HumanSubjects, the Technology Transfer Committee, the Radiology Resident Selection Committee, and the Radiology Quality Committee.
Doctor Wagner joined the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging in 1989 and has been active in the Society at the National and Chapter Level ever since. For the SNMMI, he has been a member of the Government Affairs Committee, the Committee on Practice Guidelines, the Committee onRadiobiological Effects of Ionizing Radiation, the Commission on Health Care Policy and Practice’s Committee on Coding and Reimbursement, the Committee on Continuing Education and Course Approval, and the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement Radionuclide Bone Imaging. He is currently a member of the Coding and Reimbursement Committee and the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) Committee for the Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy Workgroup.
At the Chapter Level, Wagner served on the program committee and as the CME Coordinator. He became a member of the Board of Governors in 1994, becoming Secretary-Treasurer in 1996, and President in 1998. He has been a consistent contributor to the educational content for the CCSNMMI Annual Spring Meeting and the Fall Educational Symposium, including having given the D. Bruce Sodee, MD Memorial Lecture in 2010 and the James Quinn III, MD Memorial Lecture twice, once in 2011 and one in 2013. He also drafted the instruction manual for an Audience Response System that was donated to the Central Chapter by Siemens.
Doctor Wagner has been equally involved with other medical associations including the American College of Nuclear Physicians, the Academy of Molecular Imaging, the American College of Radiology, The Illinois Radiological Society and the Chicago Radiological Society, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, and the Radiological Society of North America.
A prolific writer and speaker, Wagner has authored or co-authored many publications,presentations, abstracts and displays, and has patented two devices. Actively involved in several phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials, he believes that the future for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and Therapy is brighter than ever with many new tracers and techniques on the nearby horizon. For opportunities to participate in the future growth of Nuclear Medicine, one only has to look to the Central Chapter of the SNMMI which has a long history of welcoming new technologists, scientists and physicians. You won’t find a more welcoming group of professionals or mentors to help you develop your career. All you need to do to get started is to ask someone “How can I get more involved?”
Doctor Wagner and Cynthia, his wife, have three children, Michael, Kathryn and Mary Elizabeth, who have pursued successful careers themselves in business, education and technology. Wagner recognizes that none of his achievementscould have been possible if not for the continuoussupport of his wife for the past 29 years.
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