Each year during the ASRT Annual Governance and House of Delegates Meeting, the society proudly celebrates members whose passion, leadership and service have helped advance the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession. Through their commitment to excellence, service and patient care, these individuals embody ASRT’s mission to advance the profession and ensure the highest standards of safe, quality care. Their work doesn’t just strengthen ASRT – it shapes the future of the profession. The society is honored to recognize their extraordinary contributions with prestigious awards such as the ASRT Award for Advocacy, Student to Leadership Development Program Alumni of the Year, distinguished author awards and the BeRAD Professionalism awards. In addition, the society recognizes its newest Life Members at the annual meeting.
This year, ASRT selected three outstanding members for life membership. To be eligible for the honor, a member must have 30 or more years of consecutive membership and have dedicated their career to supporting the radiologic technology profession. The 2026 Life Members are Donna Newman, B.A., R.T.(R), CNMT, NCT, PET, FASRT, of Fargo, North Dakota; Marilyn Sackett, M.Ed., R.T.(R), FASRT, of Missouri City, Texas; and Joseph Whitton, M.S., R.T.(R)(MR)(CT), FASRT, of Mount Sinai, New York. Together, these honorees exemplify the integrity, leadership and lifelong commitment that continues to advance and elevate the profession.
The Award for Advocacy highlights advocacy work achieved in the previous calendar year by an individual and an ASRT affiliate society. Winners of the award have advocated on behalf of medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals and the patients they serve by engaging with lawmakers and regulators. The 2026 ASRT Individual Award for Advocacy was awarded to Wendy Weaver, B.S., R.T.(R)(M), of Benson, North Carolina, for demonstrating outstanding legislative or regulatory advocacy efforts on behalf of the radiologic sciences community. The 2026 Affiliate Award for Advocacy was awarded to the Louisiana Society of Radiologic Technologists in part for its work in actively monitoring house bills which could negatively impact the profession and state licensure board.
The SLDP Alumni of the Year award honors a member who is new to the profession and demonstrated exemplary dedication while participating in the Student to Leadership Development Program, which is a three-year program offering participants a chance to get to know the ASRT, attend educational sessions and network with medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals. This year’s winner was TJ Gardner, B.Arch., B.S., R.T.(T), of Gilbert, Arizona. TJ spent 25 years as a licensed architect in the healthcare profession before transitioning to study radiation therapy. He graduated from the MD Anderson School of Health Professions in Houston and is an active volunteer nationally and locally, committed to elevating the profession.
The distinguished author awards recognize the best peer-reviewed articles published in ASRT’s scientific journals the previous calendar year. The awards are chosen by members of each journal’s respective editorial review board. The 2025 Radiologic Technology Distinguished Author Award recipient, in honor of Jean I. Widger, is Kevin R. Clark, Ed.D., R.T.(R)(QM), FASRT, FAEIRS. His article, “Comparative Analysis of LLMs’ Performance on a Practice Radiography Certification Exam,” was published in the May/June 2025 issue of Radiologic Technology. The 2025 Radiation Therapist Distinguished Author Award recipient, in honor of Harold Silverman, is Danielle McDonagh, D.H.Sc., R.T.(T); Clodagh Starrs, M.Sc., PgC; Samantha Skubish, M.S., R.T.(R)(T); Kavita Dharmarajan, M.D.; Hulya Kocyigit, Ph.D.; Márcio A. Diniz, Ph.D.; and Maria Dimopoulos, Ph.D., R.T.(T), for their article, “Effect of APRT Intervention on Inpatient Radiation Therapy Throughput,” which was published in the spring 2025 issue of Radiation Therapist.
Finally, the BeRAD Professionalism Award recognizes health systems, imaging centers, hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities in which medical imaging and radiation therapists demonstrate a culture of professionalism. The 2026 recipients are the radiation therapy team at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute and Mount Sinai Health System Department of Radiation Oncology in New York. The two institutions demonstrated their efforts to support medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals by offering a team approach to patient-centered care, opportunities to earn credentials, continuing education, advanced degrees and opportunities to be active in professional associations as well as local community outreach events. In addition, they detailed processes or programs that deliver equitable and accessible patient care, continuous quality improvements and safe patient care.
These honorees reflect the depth of talent, dedication and leadership within the ASRT community. Their achievements underscore the vital role that service, advocacy, scholarship and professionalism play in advancing medical imaging and radiation therapy and improving patient care. ASRT is proud to celebrate these exemplary members and organizations whose contributions continue to inspire colleagues, strengthen the profession and shape its future for generations to come.
