Dr Nick Dowell from BSMS looking at posters at the BIC-ISMRM conference

BSMS hosted the 30th Annual Meeting of the British and Irish Chapter of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (BIC-ISMRM) from 9–11 September, welcoming more than 120 attendees from more than 25 universities, research institutes and hospitals across the UK and Ireland.

The meeting began with a one-day workshop on advanced in vivo MRS methods for studying metabolism, physiology and cytomorphology, led by experts from the UK and abroad. This was followed by two days of 60 cutting-edge talks and poster sessions showcasing the breadth of MRI science. Sponsorship of the meeting was provided by 13 companies, enhancing the wide range of interactions between academic research in MR and product development in the industry.  

Congratulations to Ed Caddye, Clinical Research Fellow in Imaging at BSMS, who won 2nd prize for best poster presentation titled ‘Age-dependent lactate responses in the anterior cingulate cortex during cognitive-emotional challenge.’ Ed is pictured with Dr Nick Dowell from BSMS and Prof Laura Parkes from University of Manchester (on behalf of the winner, Olivia Jones).

In a unique turn of events, Prof(Emeritus) Paul Tofts of BSMS attended the meeting, and together with the BIC-ISMRM Board established a new prize for Best Presentation on Quantitative MRI. Prof Tofts is a distinguished researcher with life-long contributions to quantitative MRI research, including works he published while being a BSMS faculty. The book was co-signed by the co-editors, Prof Mara Cercignani from Cardiff University and Dr Nick Dowell from BSMS. 

Prof Itamar Ronen, Head of CISC and lead organiser of the conference, said: “The conference was an unprecedented success, showcasing the outstanding scientific level and the collaborative spirit of MR research groups across the UK and Ireland. Thank you to everyone involved in delivering the event, with special thanks to the CISC team, the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, and BSMS Communications and Operations teams.”