Hello all,
I would like to take this opportunity to officially introduce myself to our collective membership, to alert you to some incredible work that has been going on in our chapter, and to invite you to
become more involved yourself! My name is Melissa Snody, and I am thrilled to be serving as your President of the CCSNMMI-TS for 2023-2024. I have been a technologist in Michigan for over 20 years and have had the good fortune to have witnessed some incredible advancements in Nuclear Medicine over the course of my career thus far. I have worked primarily for Corewell Health (formerly Beaumont Hospital) in Royal Oak, MI in both general Nuclear Medicine and PET/CT and have recently made the jump to industry as a Medical Imaging Specialist with Telix Pharmaceuticals. I am a strong advocate for our field and believe we have only begun to scratch the surface of how nuclear medicine can positively impact patient management and outcomes. I am so excited to see how our field continues to evolve moving forward!
The Central Chapter has a long history of supporting technologists. Our Chapter has a multitude of resources available to technologists to encourage engagement and career advancement. A few exciting things that have happened within out chapter over the past year include:
- 4 Central Chapter Technologists being sent to the Leadership Academy in San Francisco, CA in January, 2023.
- 6 Central Chapter Technologists sent to “Hill Day” in April, 2023 to meet with representatives and advocate for the FIND act in Washington, DC.
- Over 30 student representatives from the Central Chapter sent to the first ever Student Leadership Academy held in conjunction with the SNMMI Annual Meeting in June, 2023 in Chicago, IL.
- Many awards and significant scholarships have been awarded to members of our chapter so far this year.
- Hundreds of dollars were awarded for research and abstracts that have been produced by students and technologists within the Central Chapter this year.
- Hot Homework webinars for students have produced and run by the Central Chapter Student Liaison committee engaging students from across the nation and a providing valuable board exam preparation and early career tips to students.
- An original Nuclear Medicine podcast produced by the chair of our Student Liaison Committee.
- One new Fellow designation (FSNMMI-TS) awarded to one of our Chapter members.
The Central Chapter supports the largest membership of any of the Chapters in the nation. It is my mission over the remainder of my term to focus on Outreach and Advocacy within the Central Chapter. I would like to further engage our established membership and allow for the continued encouragement of students entering the field. I would also like to make Advocacy a key focus of our chapter’s year through effective communication and education of our membership on the issues the advocacy committee is trying to tackle and making it clear how everyone can assist in forwarding these efforts. I would like everyone in the Chapter to know who your TAG is for your respective state and how to get a hold of them if you have questions or concerns or simply want to help. We have been working toward passing the FIND act for years, and I would love to make this the year we finally get there!
So here is my ask… I would like to ask each of you if you have ever considered getting more involved at the Chapter or National level of the SNMMI? Would you like to learn more about the opportunities available within the society? Would you like to feel more connected to the Nuclear Medicine community at large? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I want to hear from you! Please, reach out to me anytime! Our Chapter is only as strong as its membership, and I want to hear more about what is important to you, how to best represent you to the society at large and how we can work effectively together. Keep watching your emails and social media. I am excited to see what we can accomplish together this year!
Kind regards,
Melissa Snody, BS, CNMT
CCSNMMI-TS President
Michigan State TAG