ACR Fellowship Guidelines

 CRS Classified Area

The state chapter serves a number of critical roles in the Fellowship Nomination process. These include:  

• reviewing nomination forms for completeness and accuracy 
• determining which nominations to forward to the College 
• determining whether to directly endorse an individual or to simply concur in the nomination made by two or more Fellows 
• forwarding the nomination package to the College and serving as a contact for matters relating to the nomination. 

Critical Date 
July 1 - Deadline for ACR receipt of nominations for award at the following years annual meeting  

Processing of Documents  
Upon receipt in the College's membership department, all nomination forms will be checked for completeness and for required signatures. Forms that are not properly completed will be returned to the state chapter for correction. To avoid this happening please insure that:  

• The most current version of the nomination application form is being used. (Beginning in 1997, forms will have a revision date in the lower left corner) 
• The form is type-written. 
• All signatures are present, dated and in the appropriate block. 
• The Chapter officers signing the form must agree with the names on file with the College 
• The criteria that form the basis of the nomination have been checked. 
• The form indicates whether the Chapter is making the nomination by direct endorsement or concurring in the nomination made by two or more Fellows. 
• The sponsor letters are typed and included with nomination. The Chapter should review the letters for accuracy, content, completeness etc. If the Chapter feels strongly about one of its direct endorsement nominees, additional recommendation letters from the Chapter (i.e., President, Secretary or Fellowship Chair) are welcome. Guidelines concerning letters can be found at the end of this document. 

Years of Membership to Qualify for Nomination 
The prospective Fellow must have been an active member of the American College of Radiology for the least five consecutive years and currently be a member in good standing as of the date the Chapter Secretary and Chairman of the Fellowship Committee sign the nomination. 

 Membership starts from the day the individual becomes an active member of the ACR. Corresponding membership or associate membership will not be counted toward number of years of membership in the College. associate  

Criteria for Nomination  
Nominees for Fellowship must be nominated under one or more of the criteria established in the bylaws for nomination for Fellowship. It is the responsibility of the Chapter to assure the accuracy of the information under these criteria. In order of importance they are:  

• Service to organized medicine in local, state or national medical organizations, particularly the ACR; 
• The accomplishment of significant scientific or clinical research in the field of Radiology, or significant contributions to its literature; 
• The performance of outstanding service as a teacher of Radiology; 
• An outstanding reputation among colleagues and local community. It is expected that all nominees for fellowship will fulfill this criterion. It is necessary but not sufficient for nomination. 

The criteria upon which the nomination is made should be clearly marked on the form. This is very important in the consideration and deliberations of the Committee on Credentials.  

Qualifications to Nominate  
Nominations for Fellowship may be made by:  

1. Any two Fellows of the ACR, one of whom is not associated in practice with the nominee. Such nominations must be authenticated by the Chapter before being submitted. This authentication process is referred to as "Chapter Concurrence." 
2. A Chapter of the College of which the nominee is a member. 

In a "Chapter Nomination," letters of recommendation for two Fellows still are required. In the "Chapter Nomination" case, however, the Chapter puts the force of its own endorsement behind the candidate in addition to the letters from two Fellows. Additional letters of support from chapter officers are welcome - but not required - for a "Chapter Nomination."  

If a nominee for Fellowship moves from the state in which he was nominated to another state while the nomination is in process, the nomination must be referred to the nominee's new State Chapter for concurrence.  

Nominations to Fellowship for those in Military Service can be supported by Fellows outside of the Military and in areas other than that where the individual is currently located. The Councilor for each branch of Military Service will sign each nomination. This will be done for military members not belonging to chapters.  

If the military nominee is a member of a state chapter, then that nomination will be processed as a standard (i.e., non-military) nomination. Namely, that the individual will have the nomination approved through the chapter and the supporters and nominators will have to be from that chapter area. It will be incumbent upon the military councilor to determine whether the nominee is a member of a chapter prior to submitting the nomination to the ACR.  

Endorsement of Nominations 
All nominations must be accompanied by recommendation letters from two Fellows of the ACR - one not in practice with the nominee. Both Fellows should sign and date the nomination form, which then should be submitted to the Chapter Fellowship Committee.  

Letters supporting the nomination should be supplied by both Fellows recommending the candidate. In those instances where there are no Fellows of the College in the Chapter area, it is permissible to have letters of support from Fellows of the College outside the Chapter area.  

Items to include with Nomination Form  
A curriculum vitae should be provided for every nominee.  

Adequate information concerning the accomplishments of the candidate under the criterion for which the nominee is being nominated must be provided on the nomination form. The Chapter should provide a very strong letter supporting the accomplishments.