RESTON, Va.SNM, the world's largest society for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine professionals, will host a number of sessions and activities to educate policymakers and regulators about advances in this evolving field during its 54th Annual Meeting June 26 in Washington, D.C.

"Our location in the District of Columbia provides an excellent opportunity for the molecular imaging and therapy community to get together with policymakers and regulators to discuss issues of shared concern," said SNM President Martin P. Sandler. "This year we have increased the number of educational sessions presented by representatives from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services," he indicated. "Additionally, there will be a session on radiation safety regulation moderated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and specialty workshops provided by representatives from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Cancer Institute," said Sandler.

"We are certainly going to 'capitalize' on hosting our Annual Meeting in the Nation's Capital," said SNM Technologist Section President Scott Holbrook. "In addition to offering many diverse government agency programs, SNM and SNMTS members will travel to Capitol Hill on June 5 to visit their respective legislators and talk about public policy issues," he noted.

Here are some of the government relations-related sessions and activities that are planned.

• National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Workshop: "Molecular Biology for Imagers," 10 a.m.5 p.m., June 2

• NIH/National Cancer Institute: "NIH/NCI Workshop: Use of PET/CT in the Clinic and Clinical Trials: Quantitation for Change Analysis," 10 a.m.5 p.m., June 2

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: "Reimbursement and Coding: Approaches to Pay for Performance and CMS Quality Ini
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