M. Judith Donovan-Post, Fifth President of the American Society of Spine Radiology

At the annual meeting of the American Society of Spine Radiology last May in San Diego, Judith Donovan-Post, Professor of Radiology and Section Chief of Neuroradiology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, was installed as president of the ASSR.

Judy Donovan was a New Englander by birth, and despite the fact that she has spent the past 25 years in South Florida, she considers herself a Yankee at heart. Judy was born and raised in Winchester, Massachusetts, attended Connecticut College in New London, and completed 4 years of medical school at the University of Kentucky. She then returned to her favorite city, Boston, for a radiology residency at Boston City Hospital. After those 3 years of training, she moved to Miami for fellowship training, first in pediatric radiology at Miami Variety Children's Hospital, and then a year later in neuroradiology at Jackson Memorial Hospital, under the directorship of Freddie Gargano.

Judy has distinguished herself both nationally and internationally with her clinical investigations in spine imaging, and more recently with the publications and presentations concerning the radiologic manifestations of CNS AIDS. In the late 1970s, shortly after the emergence of CT imaging, Judy was able to bring together under her authorship two books on spine imaging. Radiographic Evaluation of the Spine, published in 1980, provided early glimpses into the power of spine CT, and a later book, Computed Tomography of the Spine published in 1984, dealt exclusively with spine CT. The comprehensive nature of the second volume showed that CT had become a primary means of spine imaging. Although her publications and scholarly interests have encompassed many topics in neuroradiology, with over 90 papers published in peer-reviewed journals, over the past decade she has been a leader in evaluating the MR manifestations of CNS AIDS. As a guest editor for two volumes of the Neuroimaging Clinics of North America (1997) on the neuroimaging of AIDS, she assembled the main concepts and imaging correlates of CNS AIDS.

Judy is a Fellow of the American College of Radiology, is a past president of the Southeastern Neuroradiology Society, and has been a visiting professor at a number of medical schools. Judy's medical school alma mater recognized her accomplishments in 1997 by honoring her with the University of Kentucky Distinguished Alumnus Award. She serves as a manuscript reviewer for five different journals, and has served on many committees of the ASNR. Judy gave new meaning to the word “diligence” when she chaired the Audio-Visual Committee in 1994 and 1995.

Judy has assumed the role of president of the ASSR at a time when the spine society is seeking ways to broaden its academic and research mission. A glimpse at the program for the ASSR's February 2000 meeting in Marco Island shows her effort and innovation in making the society meaningful for a large segment of radiologists. As one might expect, this type of dedication to the job at hand epitomizes Judy's approach to her life both inside and outside the hospital. A busy hospital practice, a thriving neuroradiology fellowship program, and ongoing scholarly activities require abundant energy. When combined with her domestic responsibilities as a mother and a wife, you can see in Judy Post a person who is living a full and rewarding life, and doing it at flank speed.

Judy lives in Coral Gables, Florida with her husband Tom and their two children, Kathryn (age 16) and Christopher (age 14). Free time, what little there is, she spends with her family, occasionally taking time off for a weekend movie or a Miami Heat game.

The American Society of Spine Radiology has in Judy Post a president who has broadened the society's scope and readied it for future accomplishments.