The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) has announced the four winners of this year’s I Am the Gold Standard program. The recipients are LuAnn Daniel, Diane Forbes, Felix Zuniga Infante III, and Jennifer Thompson, all of whom have made significant contributions to the field of radiologic technology.
LuAnn Daniel is the founder and director of Women Rock, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Sherman, Texas. Women Rock provides uninsured and underinsured women with access to early detection and treatment for breast cancer. Daniel’s organization, which started with just $1,200, now has a budget of over $700,000 and serves women in 18 counties across Texas and Oklahoma.
Diane Forbes is an interventional radiology clinical specialist at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She traveled to Tanzania in 2019 to help train the country’s first interventional radiology technologists and physicians. Since then, Forbes has continued to provide training sessions through Zoom. She also serves on the Association of Vascular and Interventional Radiographers (AVIR) Board of Directors and received an AVIR fellowship earlier this year.
Felix Zuniga Infante III is a diagnostic radiology technologist for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the VA Wilmington Healthcare System in Delaware. He served in the U.S. Army for 30 years and provided radiology exams in a combat zone with the 21st Combat Support Hospital. He was involved in the relocation of a 28-bed hospital in a hostile environment without any loss of critical patient care capabilities. After retiring from the Army, he took on his current role at the VA.
Jennifer Thompson is a program director and professor at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. She has been a strong advocate for state licensure for technologists and serves on the Tennessee Radiologic Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board. Earlier this year, Thompson led a grassroots campaign, which involved her students, to fight against a bill that would have eliminated most licensure requirements in Tennessee. Despite their efforts, the bill ultimately passed, but Thompson’s advocacy work was significant.
These four individuals have demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to the field of radiologic technology. Their contributions have had a profound impact on the lives of many and highlight the importance of their work. They serve as inspiring examples of excellence in the profession and are deserving recipients of this year’s honors from the ARRT.
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