NYC Gazette

Robert A. Lookstein, MD, FSIR, has taken office as the president of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) for the 2025–2026 term. The announcement was made on April 1 during the SIR 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting in Nashville. Lookstein, an interventional radiologist and professor of radiology and surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, expressed the Society's commitment to "empowering our members to provide the highest quality care to the broadest segment of the population."

Lookstein highlighted the importance of embracing a longitudinal clinical practice model to improve patient outcomes and aims to promote this model globally. Additionally, new SIR officers for the 2025–2026 Board of Directors were named. President-elect Saher S. Sabri, MD, FSIR, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C., Secretary Kelvin Hong, MD, FSIR, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, and Immediate Past-president Robert J. Lewandowski, MD, FSIR, Northwestern Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, will join Lookstein in leading the Society.

The Board also welcomed several other appointees, including Raymond W. Liu, MD, FSIR, as Treasurer, Mark L. Lessne, MD, FSIR, as Director of Private Practice, Constantino S. Peña, MD, FSIR, and Constantinos T. Sofocleous, MD, PhD, FSIR, as Directors at-large.

On the SIR Foundation front, Clifford R. Weiss, MD, FSIR, was appointed as the chair of the SIR Foundation Board of Directors. Weiss, who is a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, shared his insights, stating, “We are experiencing a transformational period in the funding and conducting of medical research, and organizations like SIR Foundation are increasingly pivotal to ensuring consistent support for IR research efforts.”

SIR Foundation also announced the appointment of Shellie C. Josephs, MD, FSIR, as Vice Chair, Suresh Vedantham, MD, FSIR, as Secretary, and Dara L. Kraitchman, VMD, PhD, as a scientist.

Founded to represent interventional radiology professionals, SIR continues to support its members through its Annual Scientific Meeting and other initiatives. The mission of the SIR Foundation complements this by advancing research and education to improve patient care and quality of life.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Lookstein's academic home, is known for its research and educational programs, being ranked 11th nationwide in NIH funding. The institution is part of the Mount Sinai Health System, a significant academic health system in the United States.