Trainees First

Why participate as a faculty mentor?

• Support the development of future interventional radiologists through mentorship and participation in the abstract review process.
• Help trainees develop skills in the critical evaluation of scientific and educational content.
• Promote a culture of inclusion, professional development, and engagement within the interventional radiology community.
• Strengthen leadership and mentorship skills while contributing to the quality of the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting.

What are the responsibilities of the faculty mentor?

• Serve as the primary reviewer and identify eligible trainees to participate in the review process.
• Demonstrate experience with the research and peer review process and provide appropriate oversight of trainee participation throughout the abstract review process.
• Review trainee evaluations, provide feedback, and submit final review scores and comments through the review platform.
• Ensure that all reviews are completed in accordance with SIR reviewer expectations and confidentiality requirements.

Participation in Trainees First is optional. Faculty mentors may participate as reviewers without participating in the Trainees First program.

Why participate as a trainee?

• Gain valuable experience in the peer review and abstract evaluation process for the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting.
• Develop skills in the critical assessment of scientific and educational content.
• Receive mentorship and feedback from a faculty mentor serving as the primary reviewer.
• Gain insight into the development of a national scientific meeting program.
• Strengthen professional development and engagement within the interventional radiology community.

How to participate?

• Participation in Trainees First must be requested through the faculty mentor's Reviewer Application, where eligible trainees are identified. Trainees should not submit a separate Reviewer Application. Due by September 17.
• Faculty mentors and participating trainees must be available during the abstract review period, September 30–October 20, 2026. Final reviews must be submitted by the faculty mentor serving as the primary reviewer by October 20, 2026.
• SIR membership is required for both faculty mentors and trainees.
• Participants will be recognized on the SIR website, APDIR webpages, and in the SIR 2027 JVIR supplement.

• “It was a great opportunity to participate! My only comment is it would have been nice if the trainee could log on electronically and complete preliminary reviews that were then sent to the attending. This would make it feel more official (and save on paper).”
  — Michael R. Acord, MD, FSIR, Attending Interventional Radiologist, Program Director, Pediatric Interventional Radiology Fellowship Program, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
• “We really enjoy this program. Looking forward to participating again next year!“
  — Jennifer R. Buckley, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Missouri at Kansas City, Interventional Radiologist, Saint Luke's
• “This is a great opportunity for our trainees it not only sparks interest in the variety of research/educational presentation ideas; The trainees now have a better understanding of how the submission process works and gain some insight into the "peer review" process that most trainees are not familiar with. We were able to provide an algorithm-based overview of the structured process of peer review for these abstracts and will build upon this approach in abstract review to apply the process to full scientific journal submissions. Our two trainees learned balanced unbiased feedback and constructive critique. I chose familiar subjects and subjects that they do not have much familiarity with to show that a reviewer must have some knowledge of the subject for an effective, fair review. We appreciate the opportunity.”
  — Paula Novelli, MD, FSIR, Vascular and Interventional Radiology Specialist, University of Pittsburg Medical Center
• “It was an excellent opportunity for resident engagement, and the resident’s reviews contributed valuable perspective and feedback.”
  — Jason C. Smith, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Associate Professor, Professor of Radiology, Head, Radiology, Interventional Radiology Division, Loma Linda University
• “It’s a great program and I suggest to keep offering it each year. I think my trainees like participating and they learn a lot from it.”
  — Bedros Taslkian, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Director of Clinical Research Integration, Director, Vascular and Interventional Radiology Research Program, NYU Langone Health