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BNMS President's blog - May 2026
Posted By On behalf of Sabina Dizdarevic, 30 May 2026
Updated: 29 May 2026

From Manchester to Los Angeles: Celebrating Science, Friendship and Global Collaboration
May Personal Reflections

While still riding the high of an extremely successful meeting in Manchester, my next trip took me to Malta. The appreciation of teaching and friendship can truly bring you to different parts of the world.

We all need to choose our own paths, and my path has always been open to welcoming new people into my life. I’ve been fortunate that many of those people have become good friends.

I do not often write about personal things, as I’m never quite sure how much I should share, but two important moments have happened recently: another wedding of my former tutee, now doctor, and one year since my beloved mum passed away. It has been a year filled with sadness, but also unforgettable memories.

Celebrating Rebecca’s wedding with her proud parents, one of my best friends and colleagues, Charles, and his wife Rosa, reminded me of something important. It reminded me how important it is to take opportunities to surround ourselves with good people. And here I find myself quoting a famous and wise actress:
“Surround yourself with ovens, not fridges.” – Joan Collins
 
Choose your friends well. Those who bring positive energy into your life, not those who drain it. Life is simply too short for nonsense.

 
Webinars, Presentations and Videos

Our live webinar on 5 May, the third in the series of joint webinars with SoR, focused on osteoporosis and was extremely well received, well attended, and accompanied by excellent feedback.

There were insightful talks from Mrs Andreia Amaro (Singleton Hospital) and Ms Marisa Da Cruz (King’s College Hospital) on the landscape of multi-professional DXA reporting, including challenges and opportunities, and the importance of structured and audited training with the aim of developing a safe and competent DXA reporting service.

We also completed our series of interviews with past presidents with a new recording featuring Professor Phil Robinson. I encourage you to watch the recording in your own time via our YouTube channel or the BNMS website.
 
You may discover how our specialty has evolved through first-hand insights into key milestones, challenges, developments in nuclear medicine and radiology training, and the translational integration of anatomy via radiology, and physiology via nuclear medicine in clinical practice.
 
We have also discussed interesting thematic differences between anatomy and physiology, including: the separation of anatomy and physiology training in medical school, timing differences between physiology (fast processes) and anatomy (slow processes), illustrated by some examples such as nerve impulses, blood flow, renal excretion, liver regeneration, skin healing, and bone remodelling. It makes an interesting watch!


Final Preparations for SNMMI Annual Meeting 2026

I’m writing this blog from Los Angeles. What an honour it is to be able to share knowledge and experience across borders, as I enjoy a short break just before the SNMMI Annual Meeting begins.

Interestingly, the weather here is cooler than in the UK! I hope you all managed to enjoy some recent sunshine without feeling too overheated. Personally, I could do with a little more Californian sunshine, although the forecast appears to be improving just in time for the SNMMI Annual Meeting, where, realistically, we will spend most of our time in cool air-conditioned conference halls! Not complaining, just an observation.

We have worked extremely hard to be here. From the outside, events like this may look glamorous and effortless, but behind the scenes there are many long working hours, often exceeding 70 hours per week, and many sleepless nights. Still, it feels incredibly rewarding to see successful outcomes.

Education, education, education. Never stop and never, ever give up.
 
The theme of this year’s meeting is “Science is the Star”, and in nuclear medicine we are all scientists, some more clinical, some more research-focused, but fundamentally we are all driven by science for the ultimate benefit of our patients and the advancement of medical science.
 
The BNMS, in collaboration with Medicines Discovery Catapult, looks forward to celebrating the United Kingdom’s history, innovations, and achievements at the Opening Ceremony of the SNMMI Annual Meeting and throughout the conference.

We are especially proud that Professor Simon Cherry, an internationally renowned British-American nuclear medicine scientist, will be the MC of the Opening Ceremony. The theme of the meeting reflects our belief that science and medicine transcend borders, and his leadership embodies that spirit. The UK Highlight country and BNMS will be featured at the Opening Ceremony on 30 May, which also happens to be my birthday! Not a milestone, but nevertheless I love celebrating birthdays! 

During the opening ceremony I will deliver a short speech and will tell you about it more after the meeting in my next blog. We will also show our commemorative BNMS video, after which Professor Cherry will ask me a few questions.

We have prepared three continued education sessions (CEs) for SNMMI annual meeting. We warmly invite you to attend them, either in person if you are attending SNMMI or virtually via the live-streamed sessions. Please see the SNMMI annual meeting programme:

1. CE 15: Sunday, 31 May 2026, 12:30–1:45 pm
Targeted Radionuclide Radiotherapy – Back to the Future
2. CE 40`: Monday, 1 June 2026, 2:15–3:30 pm
Mapping Neurodegenerative Disorders with Precision: Multi-Tracer and Quantitative PET and SPECT Approaches
3. CE:53 Tuesday, 2 June 2026, 9:30–10:45 am
UK Next Generation PET Imaging National Platform: Spectrum of Capabilities 

I feel extremely lucky to work alongside the wonderful BNMS office team, led by Ms Charlotte Weston, as well as our officers and colleagues, who continue to support and inspire me.
 
Finally, I would like to thank our collaborator Catapult Medicines Discovery and industry sponsors, Curium, InHealth, and Xiel, who have supported us in this important collaborative milestone.

Especially, I would like to acknowledge the contributions from Dr Juliana Maynard, Dr William Drewe, Ms Beth Cox, and Jack Lloyd-Weston from Catapult Medicines Discovery, who have supported the entire project wholeheartedly and tirelessly. Special thanks go to Juliana, a remarkable and exceptional leader and advocate for nuclear medicine. Her strategic vision has helped bring nuclear medicine and the next generation of PET-CT imaging into the spotlight both in the UK and internationally.

Together, we are making a difference on the global stage.

Professor Sabina Dizdarevic
BNMS President

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