WIR Champion Award

Maureen P. Kohi, MD, FSIR, FCIRSE, FAHA, is the Ernest H. Wood Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of radiology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. She also serves as the clinical transformation executive for UNC Health’s Forward Together 2030 strategic plan. A trailblazer in her field, Dr. Kohi was the first female division chief of interventional radiology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the first female department chair of radiology at UNC—currently, the only woman interventional radiologist serving as a department chair in the United States.

Dr. Kohi earned her medical degree with honors from New York Medical College and completed her diagnostic radiology residency at UCSF. Following a dedicated research year, she completed two fellowships at UCSF in vascular and interventional Radiology as well as Women's Imaging. Before joining UNC, she was associate professor of clinical radiology and division chief of interventional radiology at UCSF.

A physician–scientist, Dr. Kohi’s research focuses on women’s health and minimally invasive interventions. Her pioneering work includes demonstrating the efficacy of uterine artery embolization for symptomatic uterine fibroids compared to other interventions, developing a multidisciplinary treatment algorithm for morbidly adherent placentas, and highlighting gender disparities in outcomes for peripheral arterial disease interventions. Throughout her career, she has led clinical trials funded by the NIH and industry and is currently serving as the global principal investigator for the ELEGANCE trial. Her research has significantly improved care for female patients and influenced treatment strategies across multiple specialties.

Dr. Kohi has held prestigious leadership positions in major professional organizations and spent over a decade volunteering for the SIR and SIR Foundation. She is the past chair of the SIR WIR Governing Council, has served on the SIR Annual Meeting Committee and has served as Development Division councilor for the SIR Foundation. She has served on numerous editorial boards, including serving as deputy editor for the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR). She is the chair of the SIR Foundation Board of Directors, an SIR Board of Directors member and a past member of the VIVA Physicians Board of Directors. She has served as program chair for THE VEINS Meeting and held leadership roles in the Western Angiographic and Interventional Society (WAIS), including past program chair and president. In 2023, she was honored with the Tom Dorsey Gold Medal by WAIS for her lifetime contributions to interventional radiology.

An accomplished educator and mentor, Dr. Kohi has dedicated over a decade to teaching and mentorship. As a former associate program director and throughout her involvement in national and international meetings, she has shaped the next generation of diagnostic and interventional radiologists.

Dr. Kohi’s contributions have earned her the distinction of Fellow in prominent societies, including the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE), and the American Heart Association (AHA). She continues to inspire through her clinical, research, educational and leadership achievements.

Janice M. Newsome, MD, FSIR, has an academic and professional career marked by rigorous scholarship and significant contributions to the field of interventional radiology. Despite having few possessions as a child, Dr. Newsome was endowed with a keen intellect and a desire to help others. Born in Jamaica, West Indies, she moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., during her teenage years to advance her education. She completed an accelerated BS/MD program through the City University of New York and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Subsequently, she undertook her residency in diagnostic radiology at the Medical College of Virginia, culminating with a fellowship in interventional radiology at the renowned Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.

As a board-certified interventional and diagnostic dadiologist, Dr. Newsome, a dedicated wife and mother, transitioned from almost 15 years of private practice in Virginia to academic medicine. In 2015, she joined the Emory University School of Medicine, where her passion for teaching thrived. She has since held several leadership roles, including Emory University Midtown Hospital Site director and IR Fellowship associate program director. From 2018 to 2022, as the chief/division director of interventional radiology at Emory and Grady Health System, she led pioneering work in treatments and educational technologies.

Dr. Newsome's research efforts center on developing innovative treatments for complex medical conditions and advancing educational tools, like medical simulations, for interventional radiology training. A health equity champion, her work in maternal health and medical advancements in underserved areas is notable. She serves on the Perinatal Quality Committee for Severe Maternal Morbidity at Emory and Grady. Dr. Newsome is a veteran member of the Society of Interventional Radiology and has served on various committees.

Never avoiding difficult topics, Dr. Newsome has been actively involved in policy advocacy at institutional and national levels. Her influence in international health policy promotes the life-saving benefits of interventional radiology, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for good health and gender equality.

Dr. Newsome's global impact is evident in her engagement with women worldwide, delivering lectures, fostering mentorships and engaging with communities across continents. Her expertise on women's health and gender disparity in medicine is internationally recognized. She not only shows up physically but also emotionally and mentally, challenging myths about women in medicine and sharing her own experiences. Dr. Newsome's commitment to mentorship and innovation is unwavering, reflecting her belief that there are no limits to what one can achieve with hard work and a dedication to helping others.

Shellie C. Josephs, MD, FSIR, is a practicing interventional radiologist at Stanford Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. and clinical professor of radiology at Stanford University.

Dr. Josephs completed her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University. She attended medical school and completed a diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. After her fellowship in interventional radiology at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, she moved into private practice performing high level interventional radiology in the community. She returned to UT Southwestern interventional radiology as an assistant professor, advancing to the rank of associate professor of radiology. During that time, she created and directed the medical student elective in IR as well as serving as the Medical Student Advisor for countless number of medical students interested in pursuing both diagnostic radiology as well as a career in IR. She trained in cardiac imaging and developed a resident rotation in cardiovascular imaging to improve the overall understanding of vascular disease in its entirety. She also served as the associate program director for diagnostic radiology where she mentored many additional residents and fellows. 

In her mid-career, she altered her course to pediatric radiology, with the goal of increasing awareness and procedures offered to children. This required a drastic change from being associate PD to a pediatric diagnostic radiology fellow, recognizing that diseases and treatments in children should not be based on an adult approach. She became the director of pediatric IR at UT Southwestern Dallas Children’s Health the following year. In 2018, she was promoted to clinical professor of radiology and assumed the role of chief of pediatric IR at Stanford. Since that time, she has worked tirelessly to promote pediatric IR as an area of practice that is unique and requires a different knowledge base. She has promoted the field of pediatric IR at the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting, attempting to merge the pediatric sessions into the broader topics, with the knowledge that all SIR members will likely be called upon to treat children. As the Clinical Specialty counselor for pediatrics, she is working to increase educational offerings in the subspecialty for the IR/DR residents and to create a training pathway for those residents who choose pediatrics. Additionally, Dr. Josephs serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, with special focus on pediatric interventions as well as vascular anomalies, transplant interventions and portal hypertension.

Dr. Josephs was one of the co-founders of the Women in Interventional Radiology (WIR) section of the Society of Interventional Radiology. She has been active on the Governing Council and she was a coauthor of the SIR position statement on parental leave. As a mother of three, she is a strong ally for all parents in IR. She has served as a mentor and advocate for both men and women as active participants in SIR at the committee level and as speakers.

Kari J. Nelson, MD, FSIR, is an interventional radiologist practicing in Orange County, Calif.  

Dr. Nelson completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley; her medical education at the Medical College of Wisconsin; diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Virginia; and IR fellowship at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Nelson’s career has included academic and non-academic practice. She began her career as assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego, subsequently exiting for private practice. After the birth of her son, she returned to academic practice at the University of California, Irvine, where she completed a fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic imaging while serving as IR clinical faculty. Dr. Nelson was subsequently promoted to associate clinical professor and later, to clinical professor of radiological sciences and urology and served as section chief and medical director of interventional radiology from 2014–2020. At the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Nelson accepted a private practice IR and cardiovascular imaging position with South Coast Radiological Medical Group in the MemorialCare system, where she is currently a partner.

Dr. Nelson’s activities toward the advancement of women in IR have included volunteering in the Women in IR governing council; helping to craft the SIR parental leave statement; serving as faculty advisor for both the UC Irvine IR interest group and the UC Irvine AMWA student chapter; and mentoring, training and recruiting women as IR section chief. Dr. Nelson has worked locally and nationally with AMWA and with the Medical Women’s International Association for the advancement of all women in medicine.

Meridith J. Englander, MD, FSIR, is a practicing interventional radiologist at the Albany Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albany, N.Y., and associate professor at Albany Medical College. 

Dr. Englander completed her undergraduate degree at Smith College and The University of Pennsylvania. She attended medical school at Albany Medical College where she graduated cum laude. She completed her internship in orthopedic surgery and her residency in diagnostic radiology at Albany Medical College. Dr. Englander then went on to complete her vascular and interventional radiology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School and was promoted from assistant professor to the rank of associate professor at Albany Medical College where she has mentored many medical students and residents.

Dr. Englander is one of the co-founders of the Women in Interventional Radiology (WIR) section of the Society of Interventional Radiology and served as chair of WIR from 2015–2018. Currently, Dr. Englander’s roles within the Society of Interventional Radiology include chair of the SIR Government Affairs Committee, chair of the SIR Data and Benchmarking Committee/Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, member of the Practice Development Committee, and member of the Ethics Committee, just to name a few. In addition to her current active roles in SIR, she has previously served on additional innumerable SIR committees throughout her career. Nationally, she is involved extensively with the AMA and locally with the Medical Society of the State of New York. Dr. Englander also presently serves as an examiner for the American Board of Radiology. As a result of all of her accomplishments, she was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology in 2015. 

Dr. Englander’s extensive list of publications demonstrates her interests in gender equity, diversity, and the unique issues female physicians encounter while pregnant and/or in the post-partum period during training and in practice. Among her many publications, Dr. Englander wrote the SIR position statement on parental leave. She has also published in the American Journal of Radiology (AJR) on the topic of clinical practice patterns based on gender. Specifically, her work detailing the distinct issues faced by female IRs was published in AJR in 2018. She has also used her platform on social media to further promote women in IR and raise awareness around these critical issues by engaging with leadership in other specialties.

She has worked tirelessly to promote, sponsor and mentor women across interventional radiology while simultaneously raising awareness around gender equity, diversity and achieving academic success for all. We congratulate her as the inaugural recipient of the Women in IR Champion Award.