Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation to bestow annual philanthropy award

LOS ANGELES, March 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation presented this year's Frederick S. Keller, M.D., Philanthropy Award posthumously to Constantin Cope, M.D., FSIR, at the foundation's annual Gala on March 18, held in conjunction with the Society of Interventional Radiology's (SIR) Annual Scientific Meeting in Los Angeles.

The Frederick S. Keller, M.D., Philanthropy Award honors an individual who, through exceptional generosity and through inspiring others to give, demonstrates outstanding commitment to SIR Foundation. Cope, who died in November 2016, was remembered through this award as an original pioneer of interventional radiology and a leading supporter of SIR Foundation.

"Dr. Cope was a true visionary of modern medicine, revolutionizing patient care through his inventions of minimally invasive tools and image-guided techniques. This passion for invention and innovation was reflected in his generous support of scientific research through SIR Foundation," said SIR Foundation Chair Filip Banovac, M.D., FSIR, chief of interventional radiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Because of his foresight and love of research, Cope's spirit of inventiveness continues to inspire new generations of researchers through the Dr. Constantin Cope Medical Student Research Award, which recognizes student authors of accepted abstracts accepted to SIR's Annual Scientific Meetings.

"I am honored to present this award to Dr. Cope's family. His contributions to SIR Foundation exemplify his commitment to the future of interventional radiology," said Frederick S. Keller, M.D., FSIR, who bestowed the award to Dr. Cope's sons Len and Jim Cope, daughters Connie Franckle and Evelyn Stainthorpe, daughters-in-law Susan and Vania Cope and granddaughter Jehna Stainthorpe at SIR Foundation's Gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Cope was one of SIR's Founding Fellows, an SIR Foundation Leaders in Innovation Award recipient in 2004 and a Gold Medal winner in 1999. From 1983 until his retirement in 2004, Cope served as a faculty member in the department of radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He remained an active SIR volunteer through retirement.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology

The Society of Interventional Radiology is a nonprofit, professional medical society representing more than 7,500 practicing interventional radiology physicians, trainees, students, scientists and clinical associates, dedicated to improving patient care through the limitless potential of image-guided therapies. SIR's members work in a variety of settings and at different professional levels—from medical students and residents to university faculty and private practice physicians. Visit sirweb.org.

The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its Annual Scientific Meeting March 17–22, 2018 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Visit sirmeeting.org.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation

SIR Foundation is a scientific foundation dedicated to fostering research and education in interventional radiology for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge, increasing the number of skilled investigators in interventional radiology and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. Visit sirfoundation.org.

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SOURCE Society of Interventional Radiology