Imaging the Individual Brings Humanity to Innovation

Radiology’s future lies in collaboration, compassion and the power of imaging to understand every patient’s unique story, according to RSNA President Umar Mahmood, MD, PhD.

“All of us in this room share a common humanity,” Dr. Mahmood said during Sunday’s Opening Session in the Arie Crown Theater. “Each colleague, each patient, each life is distinct. This continuum from community to self–coupled with our rapidly increasing medical knowledge–shapes the theme of this year’s meeting: Imaging the Individual.” 

Delivering his President’s Address, Dr. Mahmood reflected on the dual nature of radiology’s mission, which is a shared purpose as a global community and our focus on the individual patient. This continuum—from community to self—embodies both his speech and this year’s meeting theme, Imaging the Individual.   

Precision Medicine in Action

Dr. Mahmood highlighted radiology’s transformative role in precision medicine, where imaging is evolving from a diagnostic tool into the cornerstone of personalized care.

“We have an increasing ability to understand how changes—in genes, in cells, in organs—can interact and lead to disease,” Dr. Mahmood said. “We can now target specific abnormalities in each individual patient—with higher fidelity.”

Reflecting on a case from 15 years ago, Dr. Mahmood recalled the inadequacy of treatments for melanoma and how patients usually progress in their metastatic disease. During his normal workflow of documenting how current treatments weren’t working, he was shocked to see a PET scan which showed an unexpected regression of the tumors of a patient with melanoma–all thanks to a new trial drug. The experience, he said, underscored how targeted therapies, guided by imaging, could save lives and shape treatments for future patients. 

With the advent of precision medicine, radiology is now extending beyond diagnosis to prevention. Advances in CT, MR, PET and US allow clinicians not only to image disease with unprecedented speed and resolution but also to identify risk factors long before symptoms appear. 

“Our images contain so much information that we can now perform opportunistic screening,” Dr. Mahmood said. “We can use imaging to identify subclinical disease in a patient before it becomes apparent–extending precision medicine to an even earlier state–Precision health.”

Dr. Mahmood also addressed the growing field of theranostics, where diagnostic molecules are transformed into tumor-killing agents. 

“The rapid theranostic expansion of the last decade is already providing precision treatments to tens of thousands of patients with prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumors and many more,” Dr. Mahmood noted.

Rapid Evolution and Emerging Therapies

Dr. Mahmood emphasized that AI is a part of the crucial approach to personalized care. AI, he said, is not a replacement for clinicians, but a powerful partner. By integrating imaging data, genomics and electronic health records, AI can help create personalized treatment plans. 

“It isn’t human versus machine,” he said. “It’s people plus AI, optimizing care for our patients.”

Dr. Mahmood acknowledged the rapid pace of innovation, from CRISPR gene editing and tumor vaccines to immunotherapies that harness the body’s own defenses. Radiologists, he noted, are often the first to witness these breakthroughs in action. “We see CAR-T cells destroying tumors. We see engineered viruses attacking cancer. We see hope,” he said.

“Each decade in radiology feels like a revolution,” he said. “Because of our hard work together, it’s going to be a different specialty ten years from now.”

Beyond the science, the speech was deeply personal. Dr. Mahmood paid tribute to his family, mentors and global colleagues, reflecting on the shared purpose that unites the radiology community.

As RSNA 2025 unfolds, Dr. Mahmood’s message resonates: radiology is not only advancing medicine, it is redefining it.