The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) is pleased to announce Erin Alaia of NYU Langone Health in New York City as the 2025 Melvin M. Figley Fellow in Radiology Journalism. ARRS also recognizes Domen Plut from Slovenia’s University Medical Centre Ljubljana as the 2025 Lee F. Rogers International Fellow in Radiology Journalism.
Supported by The Roentgen Fund® and named for two distinguished Editors Emeriti of ARRS’ own American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), the Melvin Figley and Lee Rogers Fellowships offer practicing radiologists an unparalleled opportunity to learn the tenets of medical publishing via “the yellow journal”—the world’s longest continuously published radiology journal. Through hands-on experience with ARRS staff and AJR personnel—as well as personal apprenticeship with AJR’s 13th Editor of Chief, Andrew B. Rosenkrantz—Drs. Alaia and Plut will receive expert instruction in scientific writing and communication, manuscript preparation and editing, peer review processes, journalism ethics, and digital publication.
Additionally, Drs. Alaia and Plut will attend the 2025 ARRS Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, where they will co-present the AJR Year in Review Sunday Session and participate in the Editor’s Forum.
Founded in 1907, AJR is one of the specialty’s leading peer-reviewed journals, publishing clinically oriented content across all imaging subspecialties and modalities relevant to radiologists’ daily practice. Publishing hundreds of articles annually in a diverse range of formats, including original research, reviews, clinical perspectives, editorials, and other short reports, AJR further engages its audience through a spectrum of social media and digital communication activities. In 2023, the journal garnered 32,133 citations and received an impact factor of 4.7, placing AJR at the 89.5th percentile in the radiology, nuclear medicine, and medical imaging category (as reported by Clarivate Analytics).
Since 1990, The Roentgen Fund has granted millions of dollars to hundreds of imaging professionals for both research pursuits and professional development. Today, through six vital scholarship and fellowship programs, the generosity of The Roentgen Fund’s donors is channeled to every corner of the globe—establishing dual foundations in innovation and leadership for a true diversity of radiology’s next generation.
Erin F. Alaia, MD, is an associate professor of radiology and orthopedic surgery at NYU Langone Health in New York, NY. Chair of ARRS’ Radiology Review Track Musculoskeletal Imaging Section, her research, clinical interests, and areas of expertise include sports imaging, postoperative sports imaging, and musculoskeletal infection. As the recipient of a 2022 Research Seed Grant from the Radiological Society of North America, Dr. Alaia focused on the utility and cost-effectiveness of MRI in older patients with hip and knee pain. Prior chair of the Society of Skeletal Radiology Research Committee, presently, she serves on the consulting editorial board of Skeletal Radiology, having received certificates of distinction for her contributions as a reviewer from 2021-2023. Guest editor for an upcoming issue of Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology focused on post-operative imaging, Dr. Alaia is also a member of the American College of Radiology’s Committee on Body Imaging, Musculoskeletal Section.
Domen Plut, MD, PhD, completed his medical studies and radiology residency at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Medicine and University Medical Centre Ljubljana in Slovenia. In 2021, he received the European diploma in pediatric radiology, marking him among the first generation in this subspecialty on the continent. In 2022, Dr. Plut was appointed assistant editor at AJR. An assistant professor at the Medical Faculty of Ljubljana, chief of University Medical Centre Ljubljana’s pediatric radiology department, and recipient of the 2023 Lavrič “Best Teacher” Award, teaching is his passion. Dr. Plut is extensively involved in research, having published 45 articles in reputable journals—28 as first or lead author—and serving as a reviewer for many other publications. General Secretary of the Slovenian Association of Radiology and a member of both the European Society of Radiology and European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR), he is a part of ESPR’s Musculoskeletal and Cardiothoracic Taskforce. Dr. Plut’s primary work and research interests include imaging of neonates and contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and he has presented his findings at numerous international radiology conferences, including several annual meetings of the ESPR and Radiological Society of North America.
ARRS Scholar Update: Steven Rothenberg
Steven Rothenberg, MD, is in the second year of his ARRS Scholarship program, investigating methods for mitigating the nocebo effect in diagnostic reporting of lumbar spine MRI. Currently, he is recruiting for his first prospective randomized controlled clinical trial: NCT06103474. Since receiving his ARRS Scholarship during the 2023 ARRS Annual Meeting in Honolulu, HI, Dr. Rothenberg has been awarded Most Prolific Inventor by the Herbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Light Bulb Award from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s radiology department. His submission of eight invention disclosures have led to three distinct patent applications and one notice of allowance (US20240257947A1) from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Meanwhile, Dr. Rothenberg’s research findings have yielded five co-authored published articles, two related editorials, and two AJR Original Research manuscripts presently in press. As an ARRS Scholar, thus far, he has presented 19 scientific abstracts, earning a Certificate of Merit during the 2024 ARRS Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. Dr. Rothenberg continues to donate to The Roentgen Fund to give back in support of other early-stage faculty applying for future ARRS Scholarships.
Steven Rothenberg, MD, is in the second year of his ARRS Scholarship program, investigating methods for mitigating the nocebo effect in diagnostic reporting of lumbar spine MRI. Currently, he is recruiting for his first prospective randomized controlled clinical trial: NCT06103474. Since receiving his ARRS Scholarship during the 2023 ARRS Annual Meeting in Honolulu, HI, Dr. Rothenberg has been awarded Most Prolific Inventor by the Herbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Light Bulb Award from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s radiology department. His submission of eight invention disclosures have led to three distinct patent applications and one notice of allowance (US20240257947A1) from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Meanwhile, Dr. Rothenberg’s research findings have yielded five co-authored published articles, two related editorials, and two AJR Original Research manuscripts presently in press. As an ARRS Scholar, thus far, he has presented 19 scientific abstracts, earning a Certificate of Merit during the 2024 ARRS Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. Dr. Rothenberg continues to donate to The Roentgen Fund to give back in support of other early-stage faculty applying for future ARRS Scholarships.
