Burton P. Drayer, M.D., Named RSNA President-Elect

CHICAGO — Burton P. Drayer, M.D., was named president-elect of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Board of Directors today at the Society's annual meeting in Chicago.

Dr. Drayer is currently executive vice president for Risk at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and the Dr. Charles M. and Marilyn Newman Professor and chairman of the Department of Radiology (1995-present) at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He also served as president of The Mount Sinai Hospital from November 2003 to September 2008.

As president-elect, Dr. Drayer is committed to advancing RSNA's efforts worldwide. "In addition to enhancing the effectiveness of the RSNA's preeminent annual meeting, educational programs, research support, scientific journals and information technology activities, I hope to expand our collaborations with other imaging and medical societies both in North America and internationally," he said.

Dr. Drayer received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 1971, he received his medical degree from the Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School and went on to complete an internship and neurology residency at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Dr. Drayer served his radiology residency followed by a neuroradiology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Drayer's academic appointments began in 1977 at the University of Pittsburgh Health Center. From 1979 to 1986, Dr. Drayer was at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., where he became professor of radiology and assistant professor of medicine (neurology). In 1986, he was appointed chairman of the Division of Neuroimaging Research-Education at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Ariz., where he remained until 1995. Dr. Drayer then moved to The Mount Sinai Medical Center where he practices today.

Since 1979, Dr. Drayer has been a manuscript reviewer for nine medical journals, including Radiology, and was editor of Neuroimaging Clinics of North America from 1991 to 2005. He has authored or coauthored nearly 200 journal articles, 41 book chapters and two books. He is also a sought-after lecturer both nationally and internationally, giving over 200 invited lectures and speeches. His major areas of research include brain iron, cerebral blood flow, contrast media safety, neurodegenerative disorders, brain infarction and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Drayer is the recipient of many awards and honors including the Cornelius G. Dyke Award from the American Society of Neuroradiology and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Board of Radiology. Dr. Drayer moderated the RSNA Image Interpretation Session in 2004.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Drayer has been active in many medical organizations and societies. He is a past president of the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR), as well as a founder of the Neuroradiology Education and Research Foundation of ASNR. In addition, Dr. Drayer was a fellow of both the American College of Radiology (ACR) and American Academy of Neurology, and a past president of the New York Roentgen Society. He is an active member in many organizations, including ACR, where he was chair of the Committee on Appropriateness Criteria's Panel on Neurological Imaging from 1994 to 2003. In 2009, he began a three-year term on the ACR Board of Chancellors.

An RSNA member since 1980, Dr. Drayer served as first vice president in 2003. He has been active on many committees during his membership, including the Public Communications Committee, Public Information Advisors Network and the Research & Education (R&E) Foundation's Public Relations Committee. He now serves on the board of the R&E Foundation. Dr. Drayer was elected to the RSNA Board of Directors in December 2003 and has acted as liaison for the annual meeting and technology and served as chairman of the board in 2009.