Symposium Program
Please note: This is a tentative program. The times, speakers, and titles are subject to change.
Day 1: October 8, 2026
| Start | End | Session |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 AM | 8:00 AM | REGISTRATION — BREAKFAST AND VISIT EXHIBIT |
| 8:00 AM | 8:15 AM | Welcome — Introduction and Goals Clare Tempany, Thomas Kahn, Jonathan Lewin |
| 8:15 AM | 8:25 AM | In Memory of Dr. Harald Busse: Honoring His Contributions to the iMRI Society |
| 8:25 AM | 9:10 AM | Keynote Lecture — Ferenc Jolesz Memorial Lecture: Autonomous Robotic Surgery (Title TBA) Axel Krieger Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University (Confirmed) |
| 9:00 AM | 10:25 AM | Session I — Technology and Practice Building |
| 9:00 AM | 9:15 AM | Invited Talk: (Title TBA) Erica Knavel Koepsel MD, University of Wisconsin (Confirmed) |
| 9:15 AM | 9:30 AM | Invited Talk: Proceed with Confidence: Overcoming MR Safety Barriers in MRI-Guided Interventions Aiming Lu PhD, Mayo Clinic (Confirmed) |
| 9:30 AM | 9:45 AM | Invited Talk: (Title TBA) Holden Wu, PhD (Confirmed) |
| 9:45 AM | 10:25 AM | Speakers TBA — 2 presentations The session will feature invited talks about a research center or a series of research studies focused on technologies for interventional MRI. |
| 10:25 AM | 11:00 AM | Coffee Break and Exhibits |
| 11:00 AM | 12:05 PM | Session III — Abdominal Interventions |
| 11:00 AM | 11:15 AM | Invited Talk: 0.55T MRI — “Era of Body MRI, Why Now?” Frank Wacker MD, Hannover Medical School (Confirmed) |
| 11:15 AM | 12:05 PM | Speakers TBA — 8 presentations The session will feature preclinical and clinical studies on thermal ablations (e.g., microwave, laser, cryoablation, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)), and MR thermometry. |
| 12:05 PM | 1:30 PM | Lunch Break |
| 1:30 PM | 3:00 PM | Session IV — Poster Presentations Poster presentations will take place in the area adjacent to the main conference room. Each presenter can display an up to A0-sized paper poster at a designated poster board. The poster session will feature all aspects of interventional MRI. |
| 3:00 PM | 3:25 PM | Coffee Break and Exhibits |
| 3:25 PM | 5:50 PM | Session V — Prostate |
| 3:25 PM | 3:40 PM | Invited Talk: Prostate Interventions — How I Do It Jurgen Futterer MD, Radboudumc (Confirmed) |
| 3:40 PM | 5:00 PM | Speakers TBA — 13 presentations The session will feature preclinical and clinical studies on MRI-guided prostate interventions, such as thermal ablations, biopsies, and high-intensity focused ultrasound. |
| 6:30 PM | 8:30 PM | Reception This social event will invite all faculty and registrants to networking and research discussion. Food and beverages will be served. |
Day 2: October 9, 2026
| Start | End | Session |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 AM | 9:30 AM | Session VI — Neuro |
| 8:30 AM | 8:45 AM | Invited Talk: Radio-pathomic mapping of brain tumor invasion Peter LaViolett PhD, Medical College of Wisconsin (Confirmed) |
| 8:45 AM | 9:30 AM | Speakers TBA — 4 presentations The session will feature technologies for and applications of MRI-guided neurosurgery and interventions, such as laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) and high-intensity focused ultrasound. |
| 9:30 AM | 10:00 AM | Coffee Break and Visit Exhibits |
| 10:00 AM | 10:40 AM | Session VII — Focused Ultrasound (FUS) |
| 10:00 AM | 10:15 AM | Invited Talk: MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Blood-Brain Barrier Opening for Next-Generation Gene Therapy Delivery Paradigms Nicholas Todd PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School (Confirmed) |
| 10:15 AM | 10:40 AM | Speakers TBA — 4 presentations The session will feature MRI-guided diagnosis and treatment for female-specific diseases, such as breast cancer, gynecologic cancer, and uterine fibroids. |
| 10:40 AM | 11:40 AM | Session VIII — Musculoskeletal |
| 10:40 AM | 10:55 AM | Invited Talk: MR Neurography-Guided Interventions (Title TBA) Jan Fritz MD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine (Confirmed) |
| 10:55 AM | 11:40 AM | Speakers TBA — 5 presentations This session will feature MRI-guided minimally invasive treatment of musculoskeletal disease, such as bone tumor ablations, desmoid tumor ablation, meniscal tear repair, and tendon rapture repair. |
| 11:40 AM | 1:10 PM | Lunch Break |
| 1:10 PM | 2:45 PM | Session IX — Cardiac |
| 1:10 PM | 1:25 PM | Invited Talk: Interventional Cardiac MR for Congenital Heart Disease — Is 0.55T the Answer? Aimee Armstrong MD, Johns Hopkins University (Confirmed) |
| 1:25 PM | 2:45 PM | Speakers TBA — 8 presentations This session will focus on development and clinical application of MRI-guided cardiac interventions, such as ablation of cardiac arrhythmia. |
| 2:45 PM | 3:00 PM | Coffee Break and Visit Exhibits |
| 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | Session X — MR Thermometry This session will feature MRI-guided interventions of the liver, including biopsy, thermal ablations (microwave, cryoablation), and radiotherapy. |
| 4:00 PM | 5:10 PM | Session XI — Robotics |
| 4:00 PM | 4:15 PM | Invited Talk:(TBA) |
| 4:15 PM | 5:10 PM | Speakers TBA — 6 presentations This technology-focused session will highlight development and clinical application of robotic systems for MRI-guided interventions. |
| 5:10 PM | 5:30 PM | Poster Awards and Conclusion |
| 5:30 PM | Adjourn |