The International Day of Radiology is a successor to the European Day of Radiology which was launched in 2011. The first and only European Day of Radiology was held on February 10, 2011 to commemorate the anniversary of Röntgen's death and was organised by the European Society of Radiology. Due to the success of the EDoR, the ESR entered into cooperation with the RSNA and the ACR to establish the International Day of Radiology. It was also decided that the date of the celebration should be moved from the anniversary of Röntgen’s death to that of his discovery of the x-ray. The day was officially confirmed by the three founding societies during the annual RSNA meeting in Chicago on November 28, 2011. On November 8, 1895 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered x-rays by chance while investigating cathode rays, effectively laying the foundation for the medical discipline of radiology. This discovery would grow to include various methods of imaging and establish itself as a crucial element ofmodern medicine. The 8 of November was eventually chosen as the appropriate day to mark the celebrations which are observed by radiological societies the world over.
Yearly Theme
In addition to the general recognition of radiology, a theme is chosen every year, focussing on various specialities and sub-specialities of radiology. These themes have included:
In and around November 8 of every year, international radiological societies all over the world celebrate the day with their own organised events. These celebrations come in the form of exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and social media campaigns which invite radiologists as well as the general public to participate and learn more about radiology. In 2018, various radiological and partner societies organised events to draw attention to radiology and that year’s theme of cardiac imaging. Examples include:
The Canadian Association of Radiologists hosted an event that encouraged radiologists from across Canada to meet with Members of Parliament on Parliament Hill to discuss key issues in medical imaging, relevant to patient care.
The Japan Radiological Society held a series of public lectures on cardiac imaging in Kumamoto, moderated by professors from Kumamoto University.
The Sociedad Española de Radiología Medica celebrated in Madrid by inviting cardiac imaging experts to be featured at talks on the history and future of the sub-speciality.
Publications
In further support of the day, the European Society of Radiology publishes a book every year on the selected theme. In 2018, the book, The HEART revealed, was published as a free pdf download on the IDoR website. The book, authored by professional radiologists, contains descriptions of various cardiac diseases where imaging is helpful in diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Other published texts addressing the yearly theme include:
2017 HELP, Emergency Medical Imaging
2016 Screening & Beyond, Medical imaging in the detection, diagnosis and management of breast diseases
2015 The Gentle Way, The Art of Paediatric Imaging
2014 Brainwatch, Detecting and diagnosing brain diseases with medical imaging
2013 Breathe Easy, How radiology helps to find and fight lung diseases
In addition to the themed publications, the European Society of Radiology in collaboration with the International Society for the History of Radiology published a three-volume series on the history of radiology, The Story of Radiology.
