Pediatr Radiol (2014) 44:636–638 DOI 10.1007/s00247-014-2939-7 MINISYMPOSIUM Another international imaging society—to what end? The World Federation of Pediatric Imaging: one voice, a common message, a unified network Amanda Dehaye & Timothy Cain & Maria Ines Boechat Received: 26 November 2013 / Accepted: 13 February 2014 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 The foundations of the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging were laid during the first International Symposium on Pediat- ric Imaging held in Rio de Janeiro in 2009. Pediatric radiolo- gists from all over the world came together to share their knowledge with colleagues. A global movement was born to better integrate the existing international societies of pediatric imaging with regional and local organizations and to unite voices advocating for universal access to appropriate pediatric imaging (Fig. 1). Created in 2011, the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging (WFPI) works to unite pediatric imaging organizations to form one voice, a common message, and a unified network in addressing the global challenges of pedi- atric imaging. The tremendous disparities in pediatric imaging practices and resources served as an incentive to pool the substantial resources of existing societies. These societies had a common purpose but lacked coordination of efforts to advocate side- by-side for the inclusion of pediatric imaging as a sub- speciality in the care of children worldwide. Diagnostic imag- ing services in modern medical settings have evolved enor- mously, but even state-of-the-art health care can overlook the unique needs of children. Dedicated pediatric imaging training A. Dehaye World Federation of Pediatric Imaging, Reston, VA, USA T. Cain Department of Medical Imaging, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia M. I. Boechat (*) Department of Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, CHS B2-252, 10833 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA e-mail: iboechat@mednet.ucla.edu is quite simply out of reach for most of the lower-resource nations already confronting multiple health challenges. Al- though such nations’ pediatric populations are huge, appro- priate diagnostic imaging services are rarely integrated into national health plans; yet these services save lives. Deployment of a united platform is encapsulated through our membership reach. Longstanding regional societies (founding members the Asian and Oceanic Society for Paediatric Radiolo- gy [AOSPR], European Society of Paediatric Radiology [ESPR], Latin American Society of Pediatric Radiology [SLARP] and The Society for Pediatric Radiology [SPR]) were rapidly joined by the newly created African Society of Paediatric Imaging at a governance level. At a national level, our numbers include a range of societies well-established in Europe, the Indian Society of Paediatric Radiology and two other groups from Africa, the latest in Nigeria (SPIN), established on the impetus of the WFPI. We will continue to expand our participant base through reaching out to pediatric imaging societies and pediatric interest groups across the world. The goal is to broaden representation and pool available resources, not to replace the activities of the existing societies (Fig. 2). Sealing federation between individual physician members of these societies is commensurate with the rising trajectory of the WFPI. Recent ventures include cross-regional WFPI rep- resentation in World Health Organization meetings on patient safety and international collaboration in education and out- reach projects, as described in subsequent articles in this issue of the journal. Our Web site and newsletters are windows to these efforts, reflecting burgeoning global stewardship as traction is gained. To address the global challenges in pediatric imaging, we will continue to participate in global forums via robust col- laboration with the world’s major health organizations. Our Web site was launched in March 2013 (www.wfpiweb.org),