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NASHVILLE (March 31, 2025)—The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Foundation has announced the launch of the SIR Foundation Endowment, a new, critical funding stream designed to support interventional radiology research and education for years to come.

“Research frequently struggles due to inconsistent financial support, creating significant gaps in critical areas,” said SIR Foundation Chair Maureen P. Kohi, MD, FSIR, the Ernest H. Wood Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Radiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “The SIR Foundation is uniquely equipped to tackle this challenge, leveraging its expansive network of dedicated donors and researchers united in their commitment to advancing IR research.”

The endowment offers a reliable and sustainable revenue stream to support SIR Foundation’s strategic mission to advance IR through research and education that supports research.

During SIR Foundation's annual Gala on March 30, the foundation celebrated the first gift to the new endowment, made by Barry T. Katzen, MD, FSIR, and his wife Judith S. Katzen.

“Changes in healthcare policy and the resulting funding fluctuations can have detrimental effects on long-term research we need to support the pioneering innovations that interventional radiology brings to healthcare. That is why Judith and I felt it was so important to invest in, and help launch, the SIR Foundation Endowment,” said Dr. Katzen, who is chief medical innovation officer of Baptist Health South Florida, and founder and chief medical executive emeritus of Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute. “Long-term philanthropic investments, like the SIR Foundation Endowment, ensure that essential research projects can continue without interruption, despite external forces.”

The SIR Foundation Endowment investment account will be managed by UBS, the existing investment firm of SIR and SIR Foundation. Donors can contribute tax-deductible gifts directly, including stock donations, wire transfers and donor-advised funds. An investment policy statement outlining the purpose, rules, distributions and guidelines for managing the endowment is available on the SIR Foundation website. For more information on how to donate, contact Laura McBride, SIR Foundation director of development for individual giving, at lmcbride@sirweb.org.