Melissa Pergola: This is The Rad Position with ASRT CEO and Executive Director Melissa Pergola, a podcast for medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals.
Welcome to The Rad Position podcast. I'm your host, Melissa Pergola, ASRT CEO and executive director and CEO of the ASRT Foundation. If you've stumbled on this podcast, you might be wondering, what is the ASRT? ASRT stands for the American Society
of Radiologic Technologists. We are the world's oldest and largest medical imaging and radiation therapy professional association.
We represent all medical imaging and radiation therapy modalities and have nearly 157,000 members. If you are a medical imaging or radiation therapy professional, welcome, and thank you for the incredibly important work that you do. If you aren't
one of these professionals, you've probably met us if you've ever had an x-ray, CT, MRI, a mammogram, a bone densitometry exam or a nuclear medicine study.
If you've ever had an ultrasound, a vascular intervention or even a cardiac cath, you've met us. If you or a loved one have had to undergo radiation therapy, you may have met one of our dosimetrists or radiation therapists. And if you've had a procedure
in radiology, like an arthroscopic knee injection, one of our midlevel providers — our radiologist assistants — may have performed your procedure.
Nearly every person will be touched by a medical imaging or radiation therapy professional throughout the course of their life. I am excited to host this podcast to uplift our medical imaging and radiation therapy community, to talk about the ASRT
and how we are working every day for these health care heroes, and to provide information to general listeners about medical imaging and radiation therapy.
Today, I'm interviewing the ASRT President Dr. Heather Moore. She will be talking about her vision for the ASRT. She will also talk about her amazing presidential initiatives, and she will even give advice on how to get involved and take the first
step to volunteering. So, with all that said and done, I'm super excited to get started.
Let's start the interview. Tonight, our guest is Dr. Heather Moore. I'm so excited to have Dr. Moore on. Dr. Moore is a professor in the radiologic technology program and the academic unit head of the Allied Health Department at the University of
Cincinnati, Blue Ash College in Ohio. Dr. Moore completed her radiography education at Rhodes State College in Lima, Ohio.
She then earned a Bachelor of Science from Ohio State University and a Master of Education and doctorate in educational studies from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Moore's research interests include things like holistic admissions practices and
ways to diversify health care professions. She is passionate about helping others climb the career ladder to reach their goals.
Dr. Moore is active in the ASRT and currently serves as the president of the Board of Directors. Dr. Moore enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, Doug, and their two rescue dogs. Dr. Moore, thank you for coming on with me tonight.
Heather Moore: Thank you, Dr. Pergola. I'm very excited to be here and to take on the role of president of the Board of Directors. It's the most important professional role that I've been given the privilege to hold, and I plan to
serve the ASRT with all of my heart. Being a volunteer with this organization is very fulfilling, both professionally and personally.
Melissa Pergola: Yes, Dr. Moore, we are so excited to have you as president. It was very exciting to see you installed and to hear your speech about the amazing things that you're going to do. And we're going to talk about that in
a minute. But can you tell me first, as president of the ASRT, what is the role? Sort of tell our listeners what this role entails.
Heather Moore: Certainly. So, the president of the ASRT is the voice of the profession. That means that the president speaks for the organization and supports all medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals, regardless of
membership status.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. And you know, we often hear that people really don't understand. They have misconceptions of what national representation means from our national societies. So, can you spend a little time educating us on what
the board of directors of a society, such as the ASRT, is responsible for?
Heather Moore: Yeah, sure. So, the first thing I want to say is that the Board of Directors are all volunteers. And so, I often get asked, you know, what's it like working for the ASRT? Did you have to move to Albuquerque? And none
of that is true. I'm a volunteer. I still live in Cincinnati. I still work for the University of Cincinnati. So, I have my day job where I'm paid. And then this position is a volunteer position. You know, we're not employees. We're responsible
for guiding the ASRT on decisions that affect the organization and the profession. So, simply put, the Board provides the vision, then the ASRT CEO — that's you, Melissa — and your team operationalize the vision. It's with a great
deal of trust, oversight and synergy that this combination works very well.
Melissa Pergola: And I feel very lucky to have the Board that I do and the trust that we have. And I think that really is a testament to the great things that everyone is seeing happening right now. I'll tell you a quick, funny story
because you mentioned that the ASRT Board of Directors are not employees. When I was president of the Board of Directors, I had not one, but a few people, ask me if they went to Albuquerque, could they come see me in my office. So, you’re
right, oftentimes people think that the Board of Directors are paid employees.
I'm not sure if anybody's ever asked you to come see your office, but they probably will. So, you talk about the fact that your volunteers and our volunteers are so important, and we need experts and we need new, young technologists like SLDP; we
need everyone to help volunteer for us to truly move the organization forward. So, what is your recommendation for those who want to get started volunteering in the profession?
Heather Moore: Absolutely. You know, I think everyone who wants to get started should definitely get started. And I think that the best place to start is at the local and state professional societies first. I think that's the best
place to start.
That's where you learn what that local or state professional society does for you, does for the profession, does for all of the professionals in it, but you also learn what the ASRT does for that affiliate society and what the ASRT does to support
and serve the profession. So, the other thing that you learn when you're just starting out is, like, what sort of opportunities exist for volunteers.
Because there's a large amount of opportunities. There are all sorts of different foci that you can work on. And it really depends on what your interests are and where your strengths are. And with volunteering anywhere, I think that's what you need
to consider is your strengths. And you don't have to go big at first.
You don't have to jump in with both feet, but, you know, just get your feet wet until you're comfortable and you're ready to move forward with a position that may hold larger responsibilities. And then as that, you know, momentum starts to build and
your comfort level starts to build, and you meet more people who mentor you and help you move into those higher-level positions, like, that's where you just keep going.
Melissa Pergola: So, Dr. Moore, I'm curious, what was your first volunteer position with the local affiliate?
Heather Moore: Yeah. My first position was I was a quiz bowl volunteer for my state affiliate society. So, we have a quiz bowl competition for students at our annual meeting. And one of my co-workers was the chair of that committee.
And she said, “Hey, why don't you come help me? You'll be on this committee with me.” And it's, like, that's where it just started. You know, I loved it so much and I met so many wonderful people and they just kept saying, “Hey,
why don't you try this?” “Why don't you try that?” “Hey, let's go do this together.” And then suddenly they're like, “Hey, why don't you run for the board?”
I'm like, oh my gosh. But you know, it's like, you do those things, and you think I'm never going to be ready to do this, but you are. And then there's a whole group of people who surround you with their support and their guidance; people who have
come before you, mentor you, and they don't let you screw up.
They don't let you stumble. You know, you might feel uncomfortable, but you know, they help you and they support you. And I really feel like that's what's really important with this professional society, the ASRT, and the state affiliate societies
is that there's a large group of people very passionate about serving the profession and they don't let you fall down. They help keep you upright.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. Yeah. The mentors are so important. And I know I've told my story a lot, that the reason why I am involved at the level I am is because my program director required us — she made us — attend the
state meeting and the student educator meeting. And I remember my first meeting as a student, she actually told me I needed to get up at the business meeting and I needed to say that there needed to be student representation on the board, and
we needed to have a student council.
And I remember feeling like: OK, I hear her. She's my mentor. I need to do this. But I also remember my knees shaking and my hands shaking. And I stood up there. I think probably everyone in the room could see me shaking, speaking as a student, but
it led to me being seen. And just as you said, my first volunteer position was with the annual conference and it was because I stood up and because I had that mentor, really, that pushed me.
And so, our mentors are significantly important to help get our volunteers involved. So, thank you for telling me that story.
Heather Moore: Yeah, absolutely.
We'll be right back after this short message.
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asrt.org/StructuredEducation.
Melissa Pergola: OK, so now I'm so excited because as you mentioned, the Board sets the strategy, and then as CEO, it's my job to help that vision become a reality. And when we first had the discussion about your presidential initiatives,
I think I got a little emotional and I was really, really excited about your vision. So, can you tell us about each of your presidential initiatives and what you hope to accomplish with them?
Heather Moore: Yes, of course. I would love to talk about my initiatives. My first initiative is to build pipelines into the profession. This aligns with Danny Gonzalez's Be Seen public awareness campaign and Brandon Smith's community
recognition initiative.
As our ongoing goal is to increase the visibility of the profession, we're going to introduce middle and high school students and their guidance counselors to medical imaging and radiation therapy. We're going to build relationships with national
school, career, and workforce development organizations and participate in their conferences, meetings and special events to highlight the profession.
So, by highlighting this wonderful profession to the younger generation, we will raise our profile among the public, and that really should result in a larger pool of potential technologists and radiation therapists and also ASRT members.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah, that is so exciting. So, we know that we are at the largest shortages that we've seen, right?
As long as ASRT has been tracking them, at least 20 years. So, I think that this initiative is so critically important and is going to make such a difference in figuring out how do we message this amazing profession to that younger generation. Can
you talk about your other initiatives?
Heather Moore: Yes. My second initiative focuses on assisting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I've been a supporter of the Special Olympics and individuals with Down syndrome for many years. So, what
we're going to do is create new continuing education opportunities that support medical imaging and radiation therapists to learn about the special considerations needed when imaging or providing care to people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities.
So, this resource will be available to all medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals. Additionally, I will collaborate with ASRT staff as we build on our current inclusive design principles to ensure that people with disabilities have representation
on our web, marketing and continuing education content.
So, I really hope that this pathway works in both directions. That as we reach out to organizations and as we start making sure that those with intellectual and developmental disabilities are seen through our promotional activities, marketing, web
and continuing education, that they'll recognize us as well, and they'll see us as professionals. And so, I'm hoping that this will be a nice partnership with groups and also just raise awareness in both directions.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah, that's absolutely amazing. We as professionals want to make sure that we're providing the highest quality care. And like you said, I was excited about all your initiatives, but in this one, I do see that sort
of multidirectional partnership and raising the visibility, but also assuring that we're providing the absolute best possible care to our patients.
So, tell us about your third.
Heather Moore: Okay. So, my third one is with an organization that I've been part of for over 20 years. I've been a mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and I feel like that is another group that would benefit from our interventions
with their little brothers and little sisters, but also would raise the visibility of the profession to the younger generation.
So, this goes along with the middle and high school outreach, right? This reaches a group of individuals who may not have any idea who we are. But not just, you know, reaching those young people, but also their parents and their siblings and their
other family members. Of course, I hope that more people will want to volunteer as a big brother, a big sister, as part of this.
So, as we do our community outreach and do some promotional activities with Big Brothers Big Sisters, I hope that both of those things are the results. So, we're going to offer tours of the ASRT Museum and Archives to the Big Brothers Big Sisters
organization in Albuquerque. And so the participants will learn about ASRT, its history, and get a good overview of the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession.
And again, hopefully, ASRT members will learn more about the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and maybe want to get involved. And what's really exciting to me is that before I even announced these initiatives, your team already started working
on this particular initiative and has already attended an event and had a great, great response from the attendees who were there.
So, we've already done steps to increase the visibility of the profession as we specifically reach out to these new groups and of people. So, I'm excited about that.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. And I want to thank you personally, Heather, because I had not been involved with the organization, but because of your initiative and the fact that the team has started interacting with and gone to events,
I got invited to an event that was really for corporations in Albuquerque to come learn.
And I shed many tears while I was there, they had a lot of little brothers, little sisters, big brothers, big sisters speak about how this organization has made a difference in their lives. And what stood out to me when particularly the little brothers
and little sisters spoke, they talked about how it shaped who they became and also what careers they chose.
And so, you know, it inspired me to want to get involved. And also I see your vision and the direct connection of the difference that we can make as individuals if we volunteer, but also exposing young students to this amazing profession. I think
this, and all three of your initiatives, are really gonna have an impact not in the short term, but really on the long term of raising our visibility and also really fixing this pipeline issue.
So again, I just want to thank you for your vision. And I know the ASRT team really looks forward to continuing to work with you throughout the year and beyond on making these initiatives come to life.
Heather Moore: Excellent. I certainly hope so. And I know that your team has put a lot of effort into this, and I really look forward to what we're going to continue to do for the next year and beyond.
We'll be right back after this short message.
ASRT Ad: National Radiologic Technology Week® is Nov. 3-9. Get ready to celebrate the vital work of medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals in patient care and safety. This year's official theme is “Always on
the Front Line of Health Care. It's Time for Us to Be Seen.” Visit asrt.org/NRTW for a wealth of resources, including official products and celebration ideas.
Melissa Pergola: So, when we talk about the next year and beyond, I want you to tell me what your vision is for how you want to see the ASRT grow while in your role.
Heather Moore: Okay, so, I really think this all boils down, like, to patient care, right? When there is a workforce shortage, we feel the pressure, we feel the heat, but our patients also can suffer from it, right?
And so, I think that the most important thing with this is that we find ways to enhance the already amazing patient care and safe practices that we provide to find ways to see membership grow, so we can continue to advocate for patients and the profession
and also find more ways to reduce the workforce shortage. So, it's all tied together. We are working to find ways to repair that and build that. And I think that we have a really big responsibility and opportunity right now to see that growth
and that improvement in patient care and safe practices happen.
Melissa Pergola: Yes. Yes, I agree. So much work is done on a daily basis, but so much work to be done, right?
Heather Moore: Absolutely.
Melissa Pergola: So, Dr. Moore, while I still have you, I know that we're sort of coming to the end, but what else do you want the listeners to know about you or about the ASRT?
Heather Moore: Yeah, I really want the listeners to know that the Board of Directors is working for you every day. So this might not be our full-time job, but we communicate almost daily on things.
We have text messages and emails and phone conversations every week and almost every day there's something, even if it's just a, “Hey, hope you're all having a happy Friday,” something; your board is working for you. They are very cohesive
and they are smart, dedicated people. And the other thing I want you to know about the organization is that this staff and your leadership team at the ASRT is an amazing group of professionals. And what people might not know is that many employees
of the ASRT are actually medical imaging and radiation therapy technologists themselves.
And so it's really good to have our own people, our own professionals, like, on this team, working with the ASRT. It really brings the passion and the energy to the forefront, I feel, so the staff there, whether they're technologists or therapists
or not, they are all fully vested in supporting members and in keeping the organization running at the highest level possible, but also with an eye towards the future. And I think that that, to me, has been the biggest eye opener with serving
on the Board of Directors because I really didn't see that, you know, from the outside. I really didn't see what everyone did and just really how hard the staff and the leadership team at the ASRT worked until I was kind of in the middle of it.
I'm like, wow, this is amazing. It really, really is amazing. And so I appreciate everything that you, your leadership team and all of your staff members do for the profession and the professionals that are in it.
Melissa Pergola: Thank you, Heather, and thank you for saying that. It is hard, right, because so much is happening on a daily basis and there's only so much communication and mediums for communication that we can get out, that oftentimes,
members, nonmembers, it doesn't matter, but medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals don't realize the amount of work that is being done.
So, I appreciate you. I appreciate the Board of Directors, and I appreciate ASRT staff. And again, I just want to say thank you for pointing that out. And I really want to thank you for coming on with me tonight and want to tell you just how excited
I am, again, that you are the ASRT president and that we're going to work hand in hand to make your presidential initiatives become a reality.
Because as I said, I think that your vision and what you hope to accomplish is significantly important and that it'll make a difference, not only now, but into the future for our professionals and for our patients. So, thank you so much. And I look
forward to the year to come.
Heather Moore: Excellent. You are very welcome and thank you for everything.
I think it's going to be a great year, and I really look forward to it. And to our members, stay tuned. There's more to come. So, I think that you're going to see a lot of great things from this organization this year.
Melissa Pergola: So, this has been an amazing and excellent first episode of The Rad Position. And again, Dr. Moore, I want to thank you so much for being our first guest as the president of the ASRT.
Heather Moore: All right. You're very welcome. Have a great night.
Melissa Pergola: You too.
Thank you so much for listening to this first episode of The Rad Position podcast. If you're a medical imaging or radiation therapy hero, I would love for you to email me at [email protected]. I want to
know the stories behind how you found this amazing profession. If you're a patient, I would love to hear stories about the interactions that you've had with our health care heroes and the difference that they've made in your life. So, thank you
for listening to the first episode. And I look forward to continuing to spend time with you as we uplift this amazing profession.