Scholarship fund for interventional radiology fellows

Society of Interventional RadiologySep 24 2009

Planned-gift donation to fund future scholarship for interventional radiology fellows; New donor web site launches

The Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation recently received a $1 million planned-gift donation to create a future scholarship fund for interventional radiology fellows to pursue this medical profession. SIR Foundation is dedicated to advancing the clinical needs of interventional radiology by specializing in developing investigators trained in conducting pivotal basic and clinical trials research.

"This enormously generous gift supports the future training of interventional radiology fellows, helping to bring new talented clinicians to the field. In this way, interventional radiology will continue to improve patient care and to change the face of modern medicine," said Michael D. Darcy, M.D., FSIR, SIR Foundation chair. "This type of focused support is critical to the future of interventional radiology," added the interventional radiologist who is the chief of interventional radiology at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, Mo.

"We want to make certain that SIR Foundation, an organization we've believed in and supported, will still be doing its job long after we're gone. So, we decided it was time to start making definite plans to help ensure interventional radiology's future as well as that of our family," said Michael E. Edwards, M.D., FSIR, an interventional radiologist with Imaging Associates of North Mississippi in Corinth. He contributed the planned-gift donation with spouse Sherri Edwards.

SIR Foundation has launched a new Web site that makes contributing focused and general planned-gift donations easy. With the SIR Foundation Plan-a-Gift interactive gift-planning service, individuals can find information on popular giving arrangements through will planning, retirement plans, appreciated securities, life insurance or personal property donations.

"SIR Foundation has created this incredible Web site as a resource for SIR members who are considering making a contribution. We talked to our financial advisers and decided to include SIR Foundation in our will," said Edwards. "Whether you make a donation for generalized support of the Foundation's efforts or make a more focused gift such as ours, your support is critical to the future of interventional radiology," he added.