The Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) was established in 2019 with the mission of advocating and representing the interests of trainees in the society, specifically fostering trainee interest and education in Abdominal Radiology and networking opportunities. Trainees include medical students, residents, and fellows. The RFS is led by a core group of selected residents and fellows in the RFS Executive Committee. Within the last three years, the RFS has spearheaded many initiatives for trainees [1], including the SAR Abdominal Imaging fellowship database [2], SAR mentorship program, various annual SAR meeting events, and the new quarterly RFS newsletters. This brief article will highlight these key initiatives that all trainees can benefit from.

Before 2020, all prospective Abdominal Imaging fellowship applicants had to browse through many institutional websites in order to obtain information about each fellowship program. With the RFS’ efforts, a centralized database featuring Abdominal Imaging fellowship training programs has been created and hosted on the SAR website. A fellowship program director survey is administered annually, containing questions tailored for trainee applicants. Abdominal Imaging fellowship programs are encouraged to follow the fellowship embargo guidelines set by the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD) [3]. These guidelines help improve the fairness of the application process and provide more time for residents to experience all Radiology subspecialties before deciding on their future career [3]. Recent surveys of trainees and fellowship program directors demonstrated similar attitudes in support of the SCARD guidelines [4, 5]. All SCARD-adhering fellowship programs can be featured on the SAR website. Beyond this database, trainees can benefit from the wide variety of educational resources organized by the Program Directors of Abdominal Radiology (PDAR) committee and Early Career Committee (ECC) on the SAR website.

The SAR mentorship program was established by the RFS in 2019 in order to help facilitate mentorship of junior members, ranging from medical students to early career members, by senior SAR members. Mentors and mentees are paired one-on-one based on their interests and are encouraged to meet virtually or in-person and follow-up throughout the year. Despite pandemic challenges, mentor and mentee connections continue to be fruitful, as several mentor–mentee pairs have even collaborated in various projects and presented them at the SAR annual meeting. The RFS aims to continue cultivating these productive and rewarding mentorship relationships and expanding the mentorship program in the years to come.

At the SAR annual meeting, trainees may enjoy the various events organized by the RFS, including the RFS annual dinner and career panel which is a wonderful opportunity for networking and for learning valuable information regarding a career in Abdominal Radiology. Fellowship program directors from the PDAR committee serve on the career panel, providing helpful advice and tips in preparing for fellowship applications, interviews, and beyond. Aside from this highlighted event, the RFS continues to partner with the ECC in co-hosting various annual meeting social events, including networking happy hour events, throughout the annual meeting week. Trainees will find SAR an extremely welcoming and friendly society to be a part of.

Lastly, the RFS has launched a new initiative in 2022 to increase outreach to trainees: quarterly RFS newsletters. These newsletters aim to feature various initiatives that the RFS has spearheaded for trainees and to foster trainee interest in Abdominal Radiology. Curated educational resources have included Abdominal Radiology articles selected by Dr. C. Daniel Johnson and various multimedia radiology resources selected by our RFS educational liaisons thus far. Additionally, the newsletters will continue to highlight various events and SAR resources tailored for trainees in each issue, such as our RFS-ECC Joint Board Review webinar.

All trainees may enjoy free SAR membership. Trainees can join through the SAR website and find a vast array of benefits and opportunities. Although only three years into its creation, the RFS has enjoyed a great deal of success in advocating and serving radiology trainees. Many more exciting and innovative initiatives will certainly be conceived.