Radiology in Taiwan

Abstract

11 (RSROC) in Taiwan [6]. With the assistance of Paul C. Hodges of the University of Chicago and the many radiologists who returned to Taiwan from the United States in the aftermath of World War II, radiology as a specialty gradually matured in the country [7]. In 1987, the Society of Nuclear Medicine in Taiwan was established, followed in 1993 by the formation of the Taiwan Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Since its inception, the RSROC has evolved into a society focusing on diagnostic and interventional radiology. To avoid confusion with the existing Chinese Society of Radiology [8] in the People’s Republic of China (PROC), the council of the RSROC is considering renaming the society the Taiwan Society of Radiology. The official journal of the RSROC is the Chinese Journal of Radiology, which commenced publication in March 1976 as a quarterly journal. The English-language journal’s mandate is the publication of original research, workshop proceedings, technical notes, and case reports of the society’s members. The Chinese Journal of Radiology is currently cited by EMBASE/Excerpta Medica. The current Taiwan medical education system is a modification of the American system [9]. After senior high school, students undertake a 7-year medical university training period that includes a 1-year rotating internship. Students who choose radiology as their career then undertake a 4-year radiology resident training program that includes a 6-month period of general medicine training. After passing the radiology board examination administered by the Department of Health, they are qualified as radiologists. Currently, most subspecialties work as subcommittees under the RSROC umbrella. Every year in March, the 733 radiologists (as of December 31, 2007), more than 130 trainees, and about 200 technical exhibitors attend the society’s annual meeting, which Radiology in Taiwan