Bradley J. Erickson, M.D., Ph.D., CIIP
Professor of Radiology
Associate Chair for Research at Mayo Clinic

Bradley J. Erickson, who is a Professor of Radiology and an Associate Chair for Research at Mayo Clinic, assisted in the creation of the Certified Imaging Informatics Professional Credential (CIIP) when the Society for Computer Applications in Radiology (SCAR) renamed itself to the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM). He was one of the first to add the CIIP credential to his name. “Radiology is at the front of the medical field,“ says Erickson. “Computer-aided diagnosis involves a high level of innovation and offers an important area of clinical study.“

Erickson began his studies at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he earned degrees in biology and chemistry. He then attained his M.D. from Mayo Medical School and his Ph.D. in biophysics and imaging from Mayo Graduate School.

Working for Mayo Clinic, Erickson focuses on imaging informatics and conducting research on artificial intelligence. “Medical images have a wealth of information in them,“ he says, “and my goal is to make radiologists better at extracting and understanding that information.“ He uses signals from quantitative imaging to make imaging more efficient, reliable, and consistent.

Erickson adds that imaging informatics is a good way to join the medical community. “Earning a CIIP credential is an important indicator of a commitment to the growth of the field,“ he says. “Imaging informatics requires a constant, high level of innovation, and it allows you to be among the ones discovering new ideas that are surfacing in publications.“ Outside work, Erickson is a part of the Radiological Society of North America radiology informatics committee. He also helps plan the SIIM Conference on Machine Intelligence in Medical Imaging. Erickson also was a board member and Trustee for ABII for many years.

“Having the CIIP credential and being a part of the imaging informatics community is exactly that,“ says Erickson. “It’s an opportunity to build professional and personal relationships in a highly fascinating field.“

Colby Dillion, CIIP
Senior Software Engineer
PACSHealth LLC

Colby Dillion's interest in technology began early. “My dad liked computers, so we always had several in the house while I was growing up,“ he recalls. “They fascinated me. Once I started toying around with programming, I didn't want to do anything else.“

After graduating from high school, Colby started his own computer and networking business. His father, a director of radiology at an Arkansas hospital, asked him to write a program that would receive images—a “mini PACS,“ Colby calls it.

“It was cool getting to work with my dad,“ he recalls. “It was the first time I got the chance to work with some of the really neat technology they had in the radiology department.“

Seventeen years later, Colby's passion for imaging technology remains. He's developed several medical imaging software products, performed service on MRI and ultrasound equipment, and been a part of IT and PACS administration teams. For nine years, he's worked at PACSHealth LLC, writing code and translating customer needs into software requirements.

He earned a bachelor of science degree and is enrolled in a master's program. His CIIP credential, however, is an accomplishment he considers essential to his career.

“I'd had a hard time obtaining imaging informatics knowledge on the job,“ Colby says. “I knew how our system worked, but it was hard to get a broad understanding. ABII offers that.“ Meeting others who have CIIP credentials also gives him immediate rapport. “I know going in that we'll use a standard vocabulary, that we're in tune with changes in the field,“ he explains. “I enjoy working with those people. We get things done twice as fast.“

Colby adds that his career “really took off“ after he studied for the CIIP credential. “I started getting asked to meetings and asked to give presentations,“ he says. “That didn't happen before. I've been able to work with a lot of people, companies, and hospitals that I likely wouldn't have, if I hadn't learned how to communicate at the same professional level as others in the field.“

David E. Brown, CIIP
IT Consultant Principal
Medical Imaging Informatics Strategy and Program Development
Care Delivery Technology Services
Kaiser Permanente

David E. Brown spent only a few months as a nuclear medicine technician before he found his calling in digital imaging processing and management. While working at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2000, he helped bring the organization its first PACS.

As the field of PACS matured, David learned about a new certification for imaging informatics professionals. “At first I wasn't excited,“ he admits. “I was still maintaining my nuclear medicine credential, and I wasn't sure I wanted another.”

He quickly reconsidered. “I'd been doing PACS for years,” he said, “and I didn't want anyone to come in with credentials considered higher than mine.” He and his work team studied together for three months, then took the second CIIP exam administered.

“I had to study things I wasn't familiar with, like procurement and project management,” David recalls. “I'd been familiar with one PACS and with the workflow of one department. Taking and passing the exam gave me the confidence that I had skills recognized by a professional society and the medical community. That's a very good feeling.”

Today, David works at Kaiser Permanente, focusing on imaging strategy. For his 10-Year Requirements, he wrote a white paper about a project that saved millions of dollars for Kaiser. “Our field continues to evolve,” he says, “and I consider myself very fortunate to have found this career.”

Outside work, David has volunteered for numerous committee positions in SIIM and ABII. “I've also had the privilege of serving as SIIM chair,” he says. “Volunteering has allowed me to know many people in our field. I'm comfortable reaching out to them if I have questions. That's an invaluable opportunity.”

Heather Kimball, CIIP
Senior Radiology Informatics Analyst
Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado

Heather Kimball enrolled at the University of South Florida as a biochemistry major with dreams of medical school. To help pay for her tuition, she took a position as a technical assistant with a nearby hospital system.

“The IT department was upgrading the RIS system,“ Heather recalls. “Since I was working evenings, I became one of the super users. Then, after the hospital put in a PACS system, my soon-to-be mentor asked if I wanted to be a part-time RIS/PACS analyst on his team.“

A year later, he offered her a full-time position. “I accepted, because by then I had fallen in love with PACS,“ she recalls. “Like a million-piece puzzle, it was fun to figure out and put together.“

Heather continued her schooling part-time and eventually earned degrees in biology, chemistry, and information technology. In the meantime, she became involved with SIIM and a PACS user group. Through conferences and her user group work, she met people through whom she eventually found positions in Arizona, California, and Colorado, where she lives and works now.

She learned about the CIIP credential when she began attending the annual SIIM conference. “All of the leaders of our field at the time started getting it—even my mentors at work,“ she recalls. “The proudest moment of my life was when I received that certificate.“

Today, Heather is working on her 10-Year Requirements by teaching information technology at a CIIP boot camp. “The topic makes me laugh,“ she says, “because that was the section of the exam I was most worried about.“ She says the test's wide scope was challenging, but ultimately helpful. “It gave me a broader understanding of how all the IT systems interact with our applications,“ she says.

Heather encourages her colleagues to earn the credential. “It will open doors for you,“ she says. “The CIIP community is close-knit and ever-evolving. We learn from and support each other in more ways than I can list. I'm honored to be part of it.“

Ron Cornett, CIIP, R.T.(CT)(MRI)(ARRT)
Director of Information Technology
Radiology Ltd., Tucson, Arizona

For Ron Cornett, finding the perfect career took three tries—but that third time was the charm.

After starting out as a self-professed “starving artist,“ he earned an ARRT credential in Radiography. “I thought, ‘X-ray technology is visual—maybe I'll do well at that,'“ he says. He did, earning additional credentials in CT and MRI.

“I loved delivering patient care, but I've always had an interest in computers,“ Ron says. When his organization got its first PACS system, he got involved—and ultimately landed in his third and final profession. “It marries my love for technology with helping patients,“ he says.

A few years later, Ron became one of the first to earn a CIIP credential. “It was a recognition of the work that people in this field were doing,“ he explains. “Having the CIIP credential makes you more marketable.“

He recently completed ABII's 10-Year Requirements by submitting a paper on an image exchange project he did at work. The project cut in half the number of imaging CDs the organization burned each year. “I like having to maintain my certification,“ he says, adding that he keeps his ARRT credentials current, too. “It's an ongoing commitment for me as a professional to maintain my skill set.“