Scottsdale, AZ- worst weather city on the planet!

THE Mayo Clinic (Scottsdale, AZ)

When SAR member Cooky Menias invited me to speak at Mayo Scottsdale this fall, it was hard to resist. 1) They have a great Abdomen Section; 2) It’s the epicenter for our Society’s journal, Abdominal Imaging, which former SGR president and current Mayo Chair Dan Johnson (2011-2012) runs; 3) It’s a beautiful facility teeming with SAR members and some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet; and 4) It should have been the perfect place to watch the October 8^th total lunar eclipse. In fact, the chance of having bad weather in Phoenix/Scottsdale in October is somewhere between the chance that monkeys will fly out of my butt (slightly more likely) and the likelihood that Fox News will endorse Hillary Clinton for president (much less likely). After all, October in Scottsdale normally boasts 88% sunshine and about 0” of rain. In reality, however, Phoenix turned out to the worst place in the entire country from which to watch the lunar eclipse. I might as well have been at an ARC meeting in Kauai. Phoenix took a direct hit from the remnants of tropical storm/hurricane Simon, bringing 3 days of clouds and rain that perfectly spanned the duration of my visit. As a result, the 30 pounds of camera equipment I hauled with me laid unused in my backpack, and I had to warn my gastroenterologist to expect flying monkeys when he does my screening colonoscopy next month (my insurance won’t pay for a screening CTC, and if you see flying monkeys on a CTC, you can’t remove them).

The satellite image around the time of the eclipse looked like this.

Weather aside, it was a great visit. From the meticulously groomed cactus garden near the entrance to the orchestral music filling the lobby, Mayo Scottsdale exudes class. And speaking of class, they just spawned their first class of radiology residents, both of whom I treated to a morning conference on CT of abdominal pain. I didn't mind the small audience, as Mayo provided enough fruit and breakfast muffins for 30 people. Eventually, the Scottsdale residency will host 4 residents per year, after carefully culling the top of the applicant pool and sending the scraps to the other Mayo programs.* After a brief photo shoot (the halls of the radiology department are graced with the visages of many SAR member speakers), I presented my talk on renal cell carcinoma to a larger audience of residents, fellows, and faculty.

The future of Mayo Scottsdale radiology: Kristen (left) and Courtney (right)

I spent the evening before my talks in the company of members of the SAR and Mayo’s Abdominal Imaging section, including Cooky Menias, Amy Hara, Fred Chen (section Chief), Al Silva, and Scott Kriegshauser. I learned more about the Mayo way of doing things, including their unique system of rotating leadership (section heads and chairs are rotated on a regular basis, although the rumor is that Dan Johnson plans to declare himself “Dictator for Life” as the first stage of his ultimate stratagem to unify the entire Mayo system under his banner*). I expected to learn that the Mayo system was fully IT-integrated, so I was surprised to hear that, like so many other large healthcare entities, parts of their EMR were not consistent across the enterprise. I was also surprised to hear that Mayo Rochester’s only purpose is to serve as a “farm team” to provide a steady stream of top talent to Mayo Scottsdale. According to their Scottsdale colleagues, those who don’t make the cut are “condemned to live out their remaining days in a frozen wasteland somewhere in Minnesota”. I asked them about Mayo Jacksonville, but they were unfamiliar with that particular entity.*

The totally hip members of the Abdominal Imaging Section at Mayo Scottsdale

Cooky was an amazing host, and watching her work, it became clear how fortunate Mayo was to have enticed her away from her beloved Mallinckrodt (Don’t worry Mallinckrodt, she still has a huge soft spot for you). As expected, the case mix at the hospital was diverse and challenging, but the Mayo group was more than equipped to handle it. I was also impressed by the sense of comradery among the abdominal imagers, a hugely important factor in job satisfaction.

Cooky waits with me at the Scottsdale Space Port (airports are so yesterday)

The bottom line… Mayo Scottsdale really is an awesome place with great people, but I hereby declare Phoenix/Scottsdale the worst weather city on the planet!

*The preceding statements are for entertainment value only, are possibly fabricated, and are not necessarily reflective of the opinions or values of Mayo Clinic or its employees. 

Strasbourg, France

I just returned from Radiology International’s CME meeting in Strasbourg, France. Founded by radiologist Beatty Crawford and now run by Operations Director Denise Mora, Radiology International organizes CME meetings at interesting venues around the world. This meeting is distinguished by a remarkably high repeat attendee rate which I attribute to the combination of quality locations, accessible and friendly faculty members, great tours, and the strong bond between attendees that has developed over the years. The attendance per attendee ratio is one of the highest in the industry, meaning that the meeting room was full every day despite perfect fall weather and tempting menagerie of amazing sights and tastes that beckoned from the old city.

With Radiology International's founder Beatty Crawford and SAR members Paula Woodward and Joe Collins 

Strasbourg is an interesting border city in the Alsace region of France, having alternated between French and German “ownership” several times. It is the official seat of the European Parliament, and the old city was classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988. The last day of the meeting, it seemed that Germany was once again trying to take possession of the city employing an army of tourists armed with cameras. Strasbourg is strategically located near the Alsace wine trail that features many cool little towns and other attractions. 

The town of Obernai on the Alsace wine trail

Mont Sainte-Odile Abbey along the Alsace wine trail

The crown of Strasbourg is the Notre Dame cathedral, and the jewel of that crown is the astronomical clock found near the front of the sanctuary (the third clock on that site dating from 1843). While the automata displays on the quarter hour were underwhelming, the clock is no less a visual feast and engineering marvel.

The astronomical clock of Strasbourg

 If ever you happen to visit Strasbourg, be sure to climb the 332 steps to the cathedral platform for a panoramic view of the old city. As my wife predicted, it is a favorite roosting site for pigeons, providing a less than flattering (i.e. spattering) patina. In 1439, the cathedral was the tallest building in the world.

The view from the cathedral platform

A statue tries to fend off a pigeon

Climbing the cathedral steps would have been easier without a week’s worth of fine Alsatian cuisine under my belt. Because the best I could do with the local language was to laugh with a French accent, I didn’t always know what I was going to get when I ordered food. Regardless of species and organ system (in many cases uncertain) or preparation (usually with a white sauce or sauerkraut), the food was awesome.  I’m determined to learn some travel French before I travel to Paris for ESGAR in June. While it’s hard to get used to the idea of wasting all those perfectly good consonants, I’d like to avoid reenacting the French restaurant scene in National Lampoon’s European Vacation.

This trip was unique in that my wife, Mary, could join me (along with her college friend, Heidi who lives in Switzerland- yes that’s her real name). It’s always more fun to travel with someone.  One of the highlights of the trip was a canoe trip down the Ill river that bisects the city. I expected to see a plethora of artists and young couples in love (and maybe a mime and/or accordion player or two) lounging on the river banks with long crusty baguettes and bottles of wine strewn about. Well, there were plenty of people on the banks, but they were mostly preoccupied with their cell phones. I’m pretty sure some were hoping to capture future YouTube footage of capsizing canoes.  They almost got their wish, as SAR member Paula Woodward (Univ. of Utah) and her companion narrowly escaped being capsized by a large tourist boat, because they apparently didn’t know the words for “keep left” in English.

Waiting for the lock to open on the Ill river. A large tourist boat awaited us on the other side.

Speaking of Paula, the SAR had a small but powerful presence at the meeting. Paula and I were joined by SAR member Joe Collins from Mayo Scottsdale. Paula and I each gave 6 talks over 5 days on a wide range of genitourinary and gastrointestinal topics. If you haven’t had the privilege of hearing Paula speak, I suggest adding it to your bucket list, because her talks are as entertaining as they are informative. As an aside, Paula also plays a mean accordion.

Joe Collins didn’t speak at this meeting but will be a featured speaker at the next meeting in Holywood, Northern Ireland. Go to radiologyinternational.com for information on that meeting and show your support for your fellow SAR member by joining Joe on the Emerald Isle. Like me, Joe is an amateur astronomer, so the next time the SAR annual meeting is in Arizona, we’ll have to organize a “star party” in the desert (bring your snake repellent). More on Mayo Scottsdale and Arizona to follow…