Very few AI imaging tools have been cleared for use in children. ASPNR 2027, which meets in Miami Beach in January, wants to change that.
The American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology holds its ninth annual scientific meeting at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. It runs January 21 to 24, 2027.
Applied Radiology interviewed program chair Aashim Bhatia, a pediatric neuroradiologist, about what is new. AI tops the list.
An AI Workshop for Neuroradiologists
Thursday’s program adds a new workshop, Neural Networks for Neuroradiologists: AI from Zero to Deployment. It joins the core curriculum and the advanced imaging workshops.
Bhatia says the goal is to bridge a gap. AI is moving quickly in adult radiology, but pediatric imaging has seen far fewer regulatory clearances.
The workshop will bring clinicians, researchers and industry representatives together. They will look at how AI tools could be adapted to pediatric practice.
Bhatia expects the earliest wins in workflow. Think faster reporting and better use of patient data, not flashy diagnosis.
A Pitch Stage for Pediatric Imaging
The second addition is the Pediatric Neuro AI Pitch Stage. It is a Shark Tank-style session on Saturday.
Attendees present ideas directly to a panel of industry representatives. The aim is to connect researchers with technology developers.
Those introductions could lead to partnerships and tools built specifically for children’s imaging. That is a market large vendors have been slow to serve.
AI also shows up in the career track. A Saturday mentor mixer for young professionals will cover topics from remote work to AI integration.
The meeting is also expanding its scientific sessions. New additions include a pediatric neurointervention session and a new MR safety session.
Neurosurgeons will play a larger role. A new session also covers treatment of fetal vein of Galen malformation.
The MR safety session pairs radiologists with MRI technologists as co-presenters.
Another Thursday workshop, Physics Meets the Reading Room, pairs physicists with clinicians. Topics include MR spectroscopy, diffusion tensor imaging and functional MRI.
Digital posters replace paper this year. Abstracts in all three categories move to touch-screen e-posters in the exhibit hall.
A dedicated session covers The Child with a First Seizure Across the Americas. Presenters come from Brazil, Mexico and the Ibero-Latin American Society of Neuroradiology.
That Latin American link fits Miami. The city is a natural meeting point for the Americas.
Select cases from the poster sessions will be published in AJNR and on the society’s website.
The Thursday core curriculum starts a new three-year cycle. It adds exam-style self-assessment questions written by ASPNR faculty.
The society is also pushing training for residents and fellows. Attendee feedback drove the change.
A fundraising collaboration with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation supports the society’s BNH Founders Grant. The grant funds pediatric neuroradiology research.
Miami Beach as the Backdrop
The Fontainebleau hosts the sessions. Outside them, attendees get an art tour in Wynwood and a Saturday gala at LIV, the hotel’s nightclub.
The Friday opening reception features a live Cuban band. The society also plans a community service project with Ronald McDonald House.
South Florida’s own medical AI work gives the meeting local context. MAIN has reported that University of Miami researchers used machine learning to predict Parkinson’s decline early.
The city is also home to OpenEvidence, the AI search engine for physicians valued at $15 billion.
The Pitch Stage turns the meeting from a lecture hall into a deal room. Developers get a direct line to the clinicians who would use their tools.
Radiologists arriving in January will find a medical AI community already at work. The pitch stage gives it a chance to talk to pediatric imaging.
ASPNR 2027 puts a children’s AI gap on the agenda in Miami Beach. The room will be full of people who can fix it.
Sources: 1. Applied Radiology: ASPNR 2027 Heads to Miami with Expanded Education, AI Initiatives, and New Clinical Perspectives 2. MAIN: UM Study Uses AI to Predict Parkinson’s Decline Early 3. MAIN: Miami’s OpenEvidence Hits a $15 Billion Valuation