Agfa HealthCare announces today it has renewed its commitment to support the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research & Education (R&E) Foundation and its bright researchers with a $500,000 commitment to be awarded over five years. The generous funding will continue to enable initiatives that include the Research Resident Grant program and Research Scholar Grant program. Agfa HealthCare has donated more than $2 million to the R&E Foundation since 1988.

"Ongoing research in medical imaging is critical to continually identifying and providing better methods, better treatments and ultimately improvements in patient care. Agfa HealthCare is committed to funding these endeavors through the RSNA Research & Education Foundation," said Michael Green, President and CEO Americas, Agfa HealthCare.  "We commend these researchers for the work they do, and look forward to a long future supporting the RSNA R&E Foundation and the innovative and industry-changing research being conducted."

The RSNA R&E Foundation awarded the 2012 Agfa HealthCare/RSNA Research Resident Grant to Theodore Marentis, M.D. and the 2012 Agfa HealthCare/RSNA Scholar Grant to Jonathan Dillman, M.D. The grants are made possible by Agfa HealthCare's support of the RSNA R&E Foundation.

Theodore Marentis, M.D., University of Michigan, proposes the development of a new blood pressure sensor which can be visualized and measured noninvasively on radiographs to measure restenosis. This tool would provide a quick and easy bedside solution to identify when a stent is about to fail. This innovative development could significantly improve patient management using readily available imaging equipment.

The Agfa HealthCare/RSNA Research Resident Grant is designed to give residents an opportunity to gain insight into a research career by providing dedicated time for research projects.  The grant award is $30,000 for a one-year study.

Jonathan Dillman, M.D., University of Michigan, will conduct a comparative effectiveness trial on evaluation of pediatric small bowel Crohn Disease using MR enterography and ultrasound elastography. The study will be the first of its kind on humans and results from assessing utility, resource utilization and patient/parental preferences could cause an important paradigm shift in the radiologic assessment of Crohn Disease.

The Agfa HealthCare/RSNA Research Scholar Grant is designed for emerging leaders in radiology research. This career development award develops young faculty into independent investigators and prepares them for NIH funding. The grant award is $75,000 per year for a two-year study.

"Agfa HealthCare's generosity will support innovative research and fund the future of radiology," said James P. Borgstede, MD, Chair of the RSNA R&E Foundation Board of Trustees. "The research and education projects undertaken by our awardees will benefit our specialty and, most importantly, will make a significant difference in the lives and health of the patients we serve." 

About Agfa

The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world’s leading companies in imaging and information technology. Agfa develops manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), for the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare), and for specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials). Agfa is headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries around the globe. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 2,948 million euro in 2010.

About Agfa HealthCare
Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading global provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions.  The company has nearly a century of healthcare experience and has been a pioneer on the healthcare IT market since the early 1990's.  Today Agfa HealthCare designs, develops and delivers state-of-the-art systems for capturing, managing and processing diagnostic images and clinical/administrative information for hospitals and healthcare facilities, as well as contrast media solutions to enable effective medical imaging results. The company has sales offices and agents in over 100 markets worldwide. Sales for Agfa HealthCare in 2010 were 1,180 million euro.  For more information on Agfa HealthCare, please visit www.agfahealthcare.com