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By Tricia Trammell, CRA RT(R)(M)(QM)CN-BI
Thinking about attending AHRA’s 2016 Spring Conference? From my personal experience, I can tell you that it is an amazing opportunity to hear great speakers and make meaningful connections with other professionals. Last year I had the amazing opportunity to serve on the Spring Conference Design Team and speak in the Advanced Track. I was interested in volunteering after I attended the 2014 Annual Meeting and became friends with one of the advanced track speakers, Terry Bucknall. The relationship I developed with Terry is what AHRA is all about! She has become my long distance mentor and professional confidante. She happened to be the 2015 Spring Conference Design Team Chair, and when I told her I wanted to get involved, she graciously extended me the opportunity to serve.
Last year’s Spring Conference was amazing! One of my favorite memories is teaching the members of the design team some simple choreography to a rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” re-written to honor our vendors, and performing it at the vendor reception. I also enjoyed singing with the amazing piano stylings of Doug Sprague, another design team member.
The Spring Conference affords a warm, social environment that cultivates relationships. You can walk away with many new connections, both personal and professional. I left Florida last year with many new professional connections, vendor relationships, acquaintances, friends, Facebook friends, and Trivia Crack playmates, not to mention some great memories. I am excited to see what this year’s conference brings, and I can’t wait to see everyone in Chicago!
Tricia Trammell, CRA, RT(R)(M)(QM)CN-BI is the manager of Virginia Clay Dorman Breast Care Center at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth in Fort Worth, TX. She can be reached at triciatrammell@texashealth.org.
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Hopefully we can make Chicago just as fun
Tricia is being seriously modest. She has an amazing voice. And for those of you who like to sing – you must visit the Red Head Piano Bar while in Chicago (which is just a stones throw away from The Palmer House). During RSNA, the Red Head is a major gathering spot for people looking to connect with old friends and industry colleagues.
Register now and get to Chicago for the Spring Conference. The design team has put together an amazing program including inspirational keynote speaker and author Jan Fox. Check it all out at http://www.ahraonline.org/springconference.
So very well said and written, Tricia!! What a wonderful tribute and testimony to our associating and the wonderful networking that can be shared among colleagues at a national meeting like this last Spring meeting. I’m so glad to have met you last year at that Spring conference and become better acquainted with you during your volunteerism leadership at that conference. You and others like you are the future of the AHRA and I commend you for your willingness to step up and continue to improve our association. Well done!
Dave Fox