Radiographer’s AI work wins European research presentation award • City, University of London

Gemma Walsh has been awarded the prestigious Radiographer Research Presentation Abstract Award by the European Congress of Radiology

By Mr George Wigmore (Senior Communications Officer), Published Thursday, 21^st March 2024

Gemma Walsh, a Research Assistant and Visiting lecturer in the Department of Radiography at City, University of London (City), has received the prestigious Radiographer Research Presentation Abstract Award for her European project on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on radiographers’ careers and professional identities.

The prize is one of only four available for radiographers at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR). The ECR is the biggest European conference of medical imaging and it took place in Vienna between 28^th February and 3^rd March 2024.

Funded by the Society and College of Radiographers, the primary investigator of the project was Dr Christina Malamateniou, Reader in Radiography at City. Gemma and Dr Malamateniou also worked closely with Mr Nikolaos Stogiannos, an Honorary Research Fellow at City, Professor Mark McEntee from University College Cork in Ireland, and Professor Yiannis Kyratsis from Erasmus University in the Netherlands.

Speaking about receiving the award, Gemma said:

Thank you to the judges of ECR 2024 for the award. This project is the work of a strong, collaborative team from across Europe, and I’m honoured to be able to accept this award on behalf of the team, and present the findings of the project in Vienna.

Gemma Walsh (left) and Andrew England, President of the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS).

Dr Malamateniou said:

“I am delighted that Gemma has won this excellent award. There are more than 15,000 participants at this conference annually, and only a handful of awards, so this award is very prestigious and competitive.

“This project involved more than 30 collaborating radiography researchers in Europe, more than 2,100 participants, and was endorsed by the European Federation of Radiographer Societies. We are also grateful for the funding of the Society and College of radiographers that made this study possible. It is as if the whole of Radiography in Europe united behind this project, to give us an idea of what the impact of AI would be on the future of the radiography profession, so we can prepare adequately for AI implementation. It also demonstrates the impact of our work as a Department, School and University amongst a very wide European audience.”

Chris O’Sullivan, Co-Head of the Department of Midwifery and Radiography and Senior Lecturer (Radiography) in the School of Health & Psychological Sciences, said:

“As a Department we are proud that Gemma’s work on the impact of artificial intelligence on the careers and professional identifies of radiographers has been recognised with such a prestigious award at the European Congress of Radiology. We are proud of Gemma’s research and I believe this award reflects not only Gemma’s hard work and commitment to the profession and this area of research, but also reflects the importance of collaboration across many countries and organisations with respect to the effective implementation of AI within radiographic services.”

Gemma is continuing to focus on research that explores careers and leadership in AI for radiographers, and she hopes to continue with a PhD at City on this topic. This project will produce insightful research outputs over the next two years, and the whole team is now intensely working on further data analysis and scientific papers to ensure this happens.

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