Mission
The mission of RISE is to facilitate the career advancement and leadership of underrepresented and underresourced persons in academic medicine. With generous support from the Radiology Department, RISE initiatives are designed to promote research careers in a diverse population of investigators. RISE offers career support, seed grants, and recognition awards. RISE programs are open to all genders, races, and ethnicities. By involving all faculty, trainees and staff, RISE embodies the department’s commitment to enabling creative innovation by promoting a diverse and inclusive environment in our academic programs.
Initiative
The Department of Radiology is pleased to announce the Radiology Initiative to Support Inclusive Excellence in Research (RISE) program. This program, open to all department members, provides funding to support the advancement of of underrepresented and underresourced persons in academic radiology. Proposals should include activities that benefit the careers of faculty, staff and trainees in the department and for which there are no alternative sources of funding. Examples include but are not limited to participation in conferences and workshops, career and leadership coaching, enrollment in certificate programs, purchase of materials or equipment, preliminary data generation or statistical support for research, proof editing support for publications or grant submissions, and any other activities that could advance career enhancement in radiology research. These grants are not intended to fund routine conference attendance or research presentations unless there are no other funds available. Applications should include up to 1 page description of the proposed activity and an NIH-style Biosketch. The application process is open to any eligible member of our Radiology department (faculty, trainees, staff). The suggested range for requested funds is between $500 and $5000 but can be lower or higher. If funding is requested for a conference, special consideration is given to conferences focused on professional development, inclusion and equity, or global health, and partial funding can be requested. Please forward broadly to potentially interested applicants.
Preference is given to those who have not previously received funding from this mechanism and have no other source of support for the proposed activity. Applicants should attach a copy of their application form with a filename labeled RISE-[Last Name]-[First Name]-[2-digit Month]-[4-digit Year] and email their materials to RISE@pennmedicine.upenn.edu, a template is attached.
Review criteria include:
- How meaningful is the award in advancing the professional development of underrepresented and underresourced persons in the department?
- Is there another source of funds for the proposed activity (e.g., limited access to resources)?
- Has the applicant overcome adversity and/or lack of opportunities in research?
- Does the applicant have lived experiences that will broaden and enrich the scholarly field?
Download Application
Testimonials
Ameena Elahi, CIIP, RT
IS Application Manager of the Medical Imaging Management (MIM) team
Thanks to the Radiology Initiative to Support Career Enhancement (RISE), I had the chance to network with industry experts and participate in enlightening discussions at RSNA 2023, gaining valuable insights into the newest trends in radiology. As an imaging informaticist, my goal is to continually implement best practices to enhance diagnostic accuracy, streamline workflows, and improve patient care at Penn Medicine. I delivered two talks during the conference: Best Practices for AI Model Deployment and Connecting Imaging Systems, Workflows. My presentation on best practices for AI deployment led to an invitation to collaborate on co-authoring a manuscript with my fellow panelists. Additionally, it resulted in an invitation to be one of the keynote speakers at the Engineer meets Physician conference, EmP2024, 'Tech Unleashed: AI Applications in Healthcare Support,' in Brussels this May. RISE benefits women and minorities in our department by opening doors to opportunities and access, promoting an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and utilized, and empowering individuals who might otherwise encounter obstacles to their advancement. The EmP2024 conference will mark my first keynote and in-person international talk, a milestone I could have missed had it not been for RISE.
Jae W Song, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Radiology
The coaching sessions focused on enhancing my leadership skills to identify and maintain respectful relationships with collaborators and team members. We also worked on how to motivate and inspire lab members based on their role. Strategies include fostering open but clear communication, asking about and verbalizing each other’s expectations, providing regular feedback, generously showing appreciation and recognition, and aligning team goals with individual interests and aspirations.
Kate Hartmann, MD, PhD
Penn Diagnostic Radiology(DR) Resident
Due to funds supplied by the RISE grant, I was able to attend and speak at a cancer biology conference in Nigeria on imaging genomics. As a female trainee, this served as an important event for the development for my own career. It is my goal to build research efforts in imaging genomics and this provided a means by which to present my ideas as to how this might be done and obtain feedback. I was also able to interact with physicians and scientists throughout Africa and build several collaborations which are still ongoing. It is my hope that in time these collaborations will lead to the development of a cancer imaging biobank in Nigeria. They have already contributed to two publications which are currently under review. Furthermore, while at the conference, I participated in several career development sessions for young African researchers in which I was able to provide advice, guidance, and insight to more junior trainees. I believe these cross cultural and trainee to trainee exchanges are critical to the successful development and support of all trainees, perhaps most notably women and minorities.
Chantal Chahine, MD
Penn Diagnostic Radiology(DR) Resident
I am a Lebanese medical graduate and a current DR resident, class of 2025. In 2023, I was able to secure funding to attend an implementation science summer institute through a RISE award. I took to the coursework and that was my initiation into a new discipline. Since then, I have taken on a leading role in an collaborative project where I can apply my learnings and build on these new skills. In awarding me the necessary funds, the RISE committee enabled me to overcome a financial barrier to professional development, and greatly enriched my academic journey. This underscores the vital role of the RISE grant within our department. By investing in initiatives like these, Penn radiology fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion, facilitating a path for impactful contributions from all members of the scholarly community.
Leadership Team