NASHVILLE (April 1, 2025)— Robert A. Lookstein, MD, FSIR, an interventional radiologist and professor of radiology and surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, assumed the office of president of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) on April 1 during the SIR 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting in Nashville.

“As SIR looks forward to the next 50 years, we remain absolutely committed to empowering our members to provide the highest quality care to the broadest segment of the population,” said Lookstein. “Today’s interventional radiologists have enthusiastically embraced the transformational power of a longitudinal clinical practice on patient outcomes, and we aim to support the adoption of that model globally.”

Other incoming officers of SIR’s 2025–2026 Board of Directors include President-elect Saher S. Sabri, MD, FSIR, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.; newly appointed Secretary Kelvin Hong, MD, FSIR, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore; and Immediate Past-president Robert J. Lewandowski, MD, FSIR, Northwestern Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.

Other appointed and elected SIR leadership positions filled this year are:

SIR Board of Directors

  • Raymond W. Liu, MD, FSIR—SIR and SIR Foundation Treasurer
  • Mark L. Lessne, MD, FSIR—Director, Private Practice
  • Constantino S. Peña, MD, FSIR—Director, at-large
  • Constantinos T. Sofocleous, MD, PhD, FSIR—Director, at-large

 

SIR and SIR Foundation Steering Council
Divisions

  • Sanjeeva P. Kalva, MD, FSIR—International Division Councilor
  • Charles Y. Kim, MD, FSIR—2026–2031 Annual Meeting Program Committee

 

Clinical Specialty Councils 

  • Srini Tummala, MD, FSIR—Peripheral Arterial Disease Clinical Specialty Council Vice Chair
  • Rex M. Pillai, MD—Venous Clinical Specialty Council Vice Chair
  • Teodora Bochnakova, MD—Women’s Health Clinical Specialty Council Vice Chair

The SIR Foundation board appointed Clifford R. Weiss, MD, FSIR, as the chair of the SIR Foundation Board of Directors. He is a professor of radiology and radiological science at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

“We are experiencing a transformational period in the funding and conducting of medical research, and organizations like SIR Foundation are increasingly pivotal to ensuring consistent support for IR research efforts,” said Weiss. “We look forward to advancing key initiatives to ensure we’re poised and ready to support interventional radiology research and education for years to come.”  

SIR Foundation also appointed the following members to its Board of Directors:

  • Shellie C. Josephs, MD, FSIR—Vice Chair
  • Suresh Vedantham, MD, FSIR—Secretary
  • Dara L. Kraitchman, VMD, PhD—Scientist

Media contact information

Elise Grant

Director, Communications and Public Relations

About the Society of Interventional Radiology

The Society of Interventional Radiology is a nonprofit, professional medical society representing more than 8,000 practicing interventional radiology physicians, trainees, students, scientists and clinical associates, dedicated to improving patient care through the limitless potential of image-guided therapies. SIR’s members work in a variety of settings and at different professional levels—from medical students and residents to university faculty and private practice physicians. 

About the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation

SIR Foundation is a scientific foundation dedicated to fostering research and education in interventional radiology for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge, increasing the number of skilled investigators in interventional radiology and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. Visit sirfoundation.org.