“RöKo International”, the English program at the German Radiology Congress, offers a broad spectrum of topics with speakers from all over Europe, from Asia and the USA. The Bayer AG and Siemens Healthineers as sponsors play a central role in the organization of the program. We asked Dr. Axel Eble, Modality Head, Computed Tomography & Cardiovascular at Bayer AG, and Walter Märzendorfer, President Diagnostic Imaging at Siemens Healthineers, about the importance of international exchange and their program recommendations.

“Radiology is in pole position to become the information integrator”

Walter Maerzendorfer, President Diagnostic Imaging and Digital Services, Siemens HealthineersWhat is your motivation for being a sponsor at “RöKo International“?
Maerzendorfer: We immediately liked the idea of having a space for exchange and interaction with visitors from abroad at a scientific congress in our domestic market, Germany. Science depends heavily on international collaboration and communication, as does industry, in serving healthcare providers around the world. Since Germany is the home of Siemens Healthineers, we are delighted for the opportunity to support the internationalization of the German Radiology Congress and so help to strengthen its position on a global scale.

Which topics are in the spotlight on this year’s international program – do you have any personal highlights?
Maerzendorfer: My personal highlights are the lectures focusing on big data, artificial intelligence, and radiomics – essential topics as we move toward precision medicine and digitalized healthcare. These new solutions to challenges in healthcare delivery also bring great opportunities for the future of radiology. Radiology is in pole position to become the information integrator in clinical decision-making, far beyond interpreting images.

Why has artificial intelligence captivated the healthcare industry and how does this technology impact the radiologist?
Maerzendorfer: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the healthcare industry. Al-powered solutions are addressing some of the major challenges facing our industry. Right now, the demand for diagnostic services is outstripping the supply of experts in the workforce. Developing solutions to manage this ever-increasing workload is a crucial task for the healthcare sector.And, as the workload continues to grow, diagnostics and treatment are also becoming  more complex. The increased burden of collecting all relevant information as well as evaluating multiple diagnostic and treatment pathways further increases the demand on physicians. Integrated decision-support tools, for example, that pull together this information in a unified platform could ease that burden and help in choosing the optimal option for an individual patient. Diagnostic experts and physicians need these new sets of tools that can handle large volumes of medical data quickly and accurately. And, to provide these new toolsets, we need to draw on the power of AI. With this Artificial Intelligence and its AI-powered solutions could lead to effective value-based care and create more meaningful outcomes that could really make a difference to patients’ lives.

“After all, science is essentially international …”

Dr. Axel Eble, Modality Head, Computed Tomography & Cardiovascular at Bayer AGDr. Eble, What is the idea behind “RöKo International”?
Dr. Axel Eble: For a while now we have seen the earlier distinction of regional, national and international congresses and continuing medical education evolving towards a more parallel and networked exchange of knowledge and experience. Language and travel is becoming less a barrier and webcasts bring such barriers further down. The German Radiology Congress is the 2nd largest radiology convention in Europe and expanding it with an international agenda has been a logical step in this evolution.

Which topics are in the spotlight of this year’s international programme? Do you have any personal highlights?
The program committee has developed an appealing agenda which is broad in indications and deep in subject matter. I would highlight the joint sessions of ESTI/JSR and DKG/ICIS respectively since I experienced such collaborations across organizations as a seed for sustainable progress and to ensure the evolution of the differential diagnosis with emerging treatment paradigms. I would also highlight the session addressing the prevalent trends of “Big Data and Radiomics” and the “Future Perspectives in Radiology” from an international perspective since with such different views a challenge can often become a chance.

What is your motivation to be a sponsor for “RöKo International“?
Bayer is a leading player in Radiology and we are committed to supporting the scientific and clinical exchange in this domain. The international dialogue helps our customers grow radiology and helps us to better understand customer needs and anticipate underlying trends for the development of new products. It also helps us understand better which open scientific questions still exist that we can potentially address through research and development to advance our comprehensive offering of contrast media, medical devices and software.

What are the main advantages for participants thanks to your sponsorship?
Participants will benefit from a high calibre program, selected by an esteemed program committee and a splendid networking opportunity in a less crowded space compared to some international congresses. I like the quote from Marie Curie: “After all, science is essentially international…”.