Elevating Leadership in Imaging: Reflections From CLIMB 2025

Each year, AHRA’s Conference for Leadership in Imaging Management and Business (CLIMB) brings together medical imaging professionals from across the country to sharpen their leadership skills, exchange ideas, and explore the future of imaging management.

Among this year’s attendees were two recipients of the Royce and Paula Osborn Scholarship, which honors the legacy of Royce R. Osborn, FAHRA — a World War II veteran and pioneering radiology administrator — and his wife, Paula. The scholarship supports AHRA members, including military professionals, in advancing their leadership through education.

This year’s Osborn (CLIMB) Scholarship recipients are Lisa Walling, CRA, and Kim Zimmerman.

In the reflections below, they share their experience at CLIMB 2025, offering insights and takeaways.

Lisa Walling: “CLIMB 2025 was an incredible experience that really gave me the chance to step back and reflect on my own leadership journey. The biggest takeaway for me was the reminder that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about creating a community to help find those answers. I left with a renewed focus on being intentional — listening more deeply, asking better questions, and making sure my team feels supported and valued. This perspective is something I know will continue to guide me in my day-to-day practice. 

What made CLIMB so special was the community. Being surrounded by peers who are navigating similar challenges was both validating and inspiring. The conversations in between sessions were just as powerful as the presentations themselves, and I walked away not only with practical tools, but also with new connections and encouragement. If someone is on the fence about attending CLIMB, I’d say it’s an opportunity to invest in yourself as a leader and come back re-energized with ideas and relationships that can truly make a difference. 

I am deeply grateful to AHRA and the Osborn Scholarship for making this opportunity possible. Their investment in supporting emerging leaders in imaging is something I don’t take for granted, and I feel fortunate to have been given the chance to learn, grow, and bring back these lessons to my team and organization. That support made my CLIMB experience not just educational, but truly meaningful.”

Kim Zimmerman: “I am a new manager of Imaging. I learned about AHRA from another member of Imaging in our organization, and she recommended it. I became a member and then started exploring the site and all it has to offer. I came upon the CLIMB conference and discussed it with that same mentor. She recommended I attend if I could. With the budgetary season already approved, it would have been difficult to attend without the scholarship. This allowed that opportunity.

I had so many choices of sessions and intermingled between the Aspiring Leaders as well as some of the Established Leader sessions. The ones I have found most useful thus far, and that have changed my processes, have been around staff performance and patient experience. I must say that all the sessions I attended were powerful for a new leader, and I absorbed so much from listening to the speakers. I appreciate the effort that went into the speakers and their topics, as it truly encompassed so much of the imaging world and what we do. I would also like to acknowledge the opportunity to go back and revisit these sessions at a later date and view ones that were missed, as I attended a different one.

I highly encourage all leaders, new or not, to participate in these offerings. Thank you to the AHRA committee for selecting me for this scholarship and allowing the growth and learning to continue for me.”

Save the Date: CLIMB Online 2026 is Coming!

CLIMB Online 2026 will take place on March 19-20, 2026. The call for speakers opens Monday, Sept. 22, and proposals will be accepted through Friday, Oct. 31. If you’re interested in sharing your insights or leading a session, we encourage you to submit your proposal.

Registration is expected to open around mid-November and will remain open through the event — stay tuned!