RESTON, Va., Jan. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American College of Radiology (ACR) has named William T. Thorwarth, Jr., M.D., FACR, chief executive officer (CEO), effective April 2014.  A practicing diagnostic radiologist with Catawba Radiological Associates in Hickory, N.C., Thorwarth has previously served as ACR President, chair of the ACR Economics Commission, member of the ACR Board of Chancellors and most recently on the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Board of Directors.  Thorwarth was also honored with the ACR Gold Medal in 2010.

"I am deeply honored to be chosen to help lead radiology forward during this time of great change in our health care system. I look forward to carrying on the tremendous leadership tradition at ACR and to helping radiology shape the future of medicine," said incoming American College of Radiology Chief Executive Officer, William T. Thorwarth, Jr., M.D., FACR.

The William T. Thorwarth, Jr., M.D., Award, which honors ACR members and staff who demonstrate excellence in economics and health policy, is named after Thorwarth. His medical and managerial experience is extensive. He began his career as an emergency room physician in New Bern, N.C., and later served as chair of the Frye Regional Medical Center Board of Directors in Hickory, N.C. He has been a private practice radiologist in North Carolina for nearly 30 years. He also chaired the American Medical Association (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel and served as the College's advisor to the AMA Relative Value Update Committee. 

"Dr. Thorwarth is an outstanding and widely respected leader. As we enter a new era in health care, the College is extremely pleased to have a CEO with such a breadth of experience to help radiology navigate the shifting medical landscape. We look forward to his energetic leadership for many years to come," said American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors Chair, Paul H. Ellenbogen, M.D., FACR.

Thorwarth succeeds radiology luminary and longtime ACR CEO, Harvey L. Neiman, M.D., FACR, who is retiring after more than 20 years of service to the ACR as board chair and later CEO. During his tenure as CEO, Neiman oversaw the successful launch of the ACR Education Center; the Radiology Leadership Institute^®; the ACR Dose Index Registry^®; the Journal of the American College of Radiology; the American Institute for Radiologic Pathology and ACR Informatics. The Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute™, launched in 2012, is named in his honor.

"I have worked closely with Dr. Thorwarth for many years. I know he cares deeply about the ACR, about radiology, about medicine and the patients that we serve. I applaud the board's choice. I will do everything that I can to ensure a seamless transition and help him lead this great profession into the future," said Harvey L. Neiman, M.D., FACR.

Thorwarth has held leadership positions in numerous medical organizations, including the RSNA, North Carolina Radiological Society and RSNA Research and Education Foundation. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School. He completed an internal medicine internship and a junior resident year at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., and his diagnostic radiology residency at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

The American College of Radiology (ACR), founded in 1924, is one of the largest and most influential medical associations in the United States. The ACR devotes its resources to making imaging and radiation therapy safe, effective and accessible to those who need it. Its 36,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians

SOURCE American College of Radiology

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