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By Lori Ann Burns
Over 25 years ago during his AHRA presidency from 1988-89, Howard Schwartz, MBA, M.Ed, FAHRA introduced the idea of forming the AHRA Education Foundation. During the 1989-90 years, Howard and AHRA Legal Counsel Dewey Hollingsworth presented and published the concept and initiative to the general membership in an issue of Radiology Management. The AHRA Board of Directors then approved the concept, and the AHRA Education Foundation was created, effective 1990-1991. The Mission statement of the Education Foundation was (and is): “The AHRA Education Foundation (EF), in cooperation with the AHRA, obtains and provides resources to enhance the effectiveness of imaging and healthcare disciplines.” Today this mission still holds true, thanks to the support of our donors and the AHRA and EF boards of directors.
Since its inception, as a separate but related entity from AHRA, the EF has raised millions of dollars and created multiple programs, projects, products, and services specifically designed to promote ongoing applied management education for imaging leaders. As the healthcare market continues to change, the EF will continue to support the AHRA and its mission by every means possible.
This year at the 2015 RSNA Annual Meeting, we were delighted to kick off our yearlong celebration to honor those who started the EF, as well as our past and current board members. The EF is a thriving entity due to the support of the AHRA membership and our generous corporate partners who believe that ongoing education is an important component in our profession.
We hope that our Annual Appeal for donations, starting in March 2016, will surpass all previous years. This committee works so hard to raise money from you, our members. We need your help! When you see our emails, please take a moment to read them and learn more about how the EF helps you and your peers. We would love as many members as possible to be a part of this special anniversary of the organization we are all so proud of!
p.s. If you made a donation this year – thank you! With tax season just around the corner, remember that you can access a donation receipt in your AHRA member profile for tax deduction purposes.
Lori Ann Burns is the 2015-2016 Education Foundation Chair. She is the MRI manager at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ. She can be reached at l-burns@mail.holyname.org.
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