Improving patient access isn’t just about filling schedules, it’s about creating breathing room for your staff and building a better patient experience.

In the latest episode of Medical Imaging Matters, AHRA Executive Director Jason Newmark is joined by Elyce Wolfgang (WellSpan Health) and Alex Pinto (ECG Management Consultants) to explore how smarter access strategies can ease pressure on teams, reduce burnout, and even help with retention.

Tune in as the group discusses how access goes beyond scheduling and serves as a strategic lever for efficiency and better patient care. Alex shares a national perspective on why access is a growth engine and offers practical ways to make improvements without sacrificing care. Elyce brings a boots-on-the-ground perspective, including how her team is tackling MRI demand and using data-driven metrics to keep workflows efficient and staff supported.

From foundational best practices to advanced strategies like AI-assisted scheduling and post-discharge imaging workflows, this episode offers fresh approaches to bring to your organization. Plus, learn how AHRA’s Best Practices Task Force is working to create benchmarking data that will help set a standard for medical imaging leaders to follow and raise the bar.

Get In Touch With Elyce and Alex

Elyce Wolfgang: ewolfgang@wellspan.org
Alex Pinto: ampinto@ecgmc.com

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Elyce Wolfgang currently serves as the system director of imaging services for WellSpan Health in Pennsylvania. In this role, she leads an exceptional team of six director-level and two manager-level leaders through strategy execution across a seven-hospital integrated delivery network. Her leadership focuses on enhancing patient and employee safety, optimizing workflows, and fostering employee engagement.

Previously, she served in various leadership roles in the radiology department at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she managed operations across various imaging modalities and led initiatives to enhance service delivery and staff development.

Integrating his experiences as a clinician, an industry executive, and a consultant, Alex Pinto seeks to make big impacts for patients. Today’s healthcare consumers — both patients and providers alike — are more involved than ever before in making decisions related to care delivery and site of service. Alex is passionate about assessing problems and designing solutions to meet these consumer demands head on and supporting healthcare organizations through change, modernization, strategic realignment, and operational transformation.

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management provides medical imaging professionals with education, training, insights, and community expertise to grow as healthcare leaders.

Founded in 1973, our professional organization is a catalyst for healthcare improvement by setting the standard on quality care, innovative use of technologies, and best practices in medical imaging management.

Learn more and connect with us at ahra.org.

Can a strong team culture improve patient care, and even help solve staffing challenges?

In this episode of Medical Imaging Matters, AHRA Executive Director Jason Newmark sits down with Jake Poore, cultural architect and former Disney leader turned healthcare consultant; Lisa Wood, CRA, executive director at Hancock Health and AHRA Education Foundation board member; and Sherry Manuel, chief commercial officer for imaging at GE Healthcare.

Our guests discuss how to build culture with intention rather than going through the motions and why purpose-driven leadership helps reduce burnout and turnover. You’ll hear how empowerment and small moments of connection can strengthen relationships, transforming outcomes for staff and patients.

Plus, get a sneak peek at an exciting new AHRA program launching in 2026, sponsored by GE Healthcare and the AHRA Education Foundation, featuring monthly leadership and culture-building sessions with Jake Poore.

Culture is more than just a buzzword — it’s a critical element of patient care and organizational success. Whether you’re in the C-suite or on the front lines, tune in for strategies to create a workplace where people feel connected, valued, and ready to show up as their best selves.

Get in touch with our guests
Jake Poore via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jakepoore
Lisa Wood via email at lwood@hancockhealth.org
Shari Manuel via email at shari.manuel@gehealthcare.com

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management provides medical imaging professionals with education, training, insights, and community expertise to grow as healthcare leaders.

Founded in 1973, our professional organization is a catalyst for healthcare improvement by setting the standard on quality care, innovative use of technologies, and best practices in medical imaging management.

Learn more and connect with us at ahra.org.

In this episode of Medical Imaging Matters, AHRA Executive Director Jason Newmark sits down with Scott Dziuk of IntelePeer and Justin McKay of Radiological Care Services to explore how two innovative companies are making an impact in the medical imaging space. From AI-powered patient communication to full-service x-ray garment solutions, they share how authentic relationships, AHRA engagement, and a service-first mindset helped them grow their businesses and connect meaningfully with healthcare leaders.

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management provides medical imaging professionals with education, training, insights, and community expertise to grow as healthcare leaders.

Founded in 1973, our professional organization is a catalyst for healthcare improvement by setting the standard on quality care, innovative use of technologies, and best practices in medical imaging management.

Learn more and connect with us at ahra.org.

In this episode of Frame by Frame: Rethink Imaging, host Chris St John welcomes Dr. David Larson, director of the AI Development and Evaluation Lab at Stanford University School of Medicine, to explore how peer learning is redefining radiology quality.

Dr. Larson shares a collaborative model built on feedback, learning, and improvement — offering practical insights for structuring peer learning programs, fostering psychological safety, and integrating AI without losing the human connection that drives better care.

Tune in to learn how peer learning can transform your department’s culture and elevate patient care.

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management provides medical imaging professionals with education, training, insights, and community expertise to grow as healthcare leaders.

Founded in 1973, our professional organization is a catalyst for healthcare improvement by setting the standard on quality care, innovative use of technologies, and best practices in medical imaging management.

Learn more and connect with us at ahra.org.

Hosted by AHRA Executive Director Jason Newmark, this Medical Imaging Matters episode features a conversation with 2025-2026 AHRA President Wesley Harden, and Brenda DeBastiani, past president of AHRA. Through personal stories, they explore how mentorship, volunteering, and authenticity have shaped their careers and leadership paths.

Wesley shares his journey from badge-scanning volunteer to AHRA President, emphasizing the importance of being yourself and embracing discomfort as a path to growth. Brenda reflects on her evolution from an X-ray tech to AHRA President, driven by passion and the support of mentors.

The episode highlights AHRA’s unique culture — a family-like network where professionals support each other, share knowledge, and build lasting relationships. From annual meetings to local events and online forums, AHRA offers countless ways to get involved, learn, and lead.

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management provides medical imaging professionals with education, training, insights, and community expertise to grow as healthcare leaders.

Founded in 1973, our professional organization is a catalyst for healthcare improvement by setting the standard on quality care, innovative use of technologies, and best practices in medical imaging management.

Learn more and connect with us at ahra.org.

In the latest episode of Medical Imaging Matters, AHRA Executive Director Jason Newmark talks with Shannon Health Assistant Director of Outpatient Imaging Melissa Ramos, CRA, about her career path from the radiology file room to initiating a leadership development program.

Ramos reflects on her early days in medical imaging, her transition into mammography, and the leadership roles she’s taken on over the years. She shares how mentorship, continuous learning, and professional involvement — including AHRA’s Leaders of Choice program — have shaped her approach to leadership.

The conversation also covers the leadership training program Ramos developed at Shannon Health, which has grown from a pilot group to a broader initiative supporting dozens of new leaders. She offers practical insights on building confidence, navigating imposter syndrome, and creating space for others to grow.

Editor’s note: Read more about Ramos’ work developing a leadership training program at Shannon Health in her article “Leaders of Choice Spotlight: How I’m Building a Leadership Training Program.”

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management provides medical imaging professionals with education, training, insights, and community expertise to grow as healthcare leaders.

Founded in 1973, our professional organization is a catalyst for healthcare improvement by setting the standard on quality care, innovative use of technologies, and best practices in medical imaging management.

Learn more and connect with us at ahra.org.

Hosted by Jason Newmark, Featuring Josh Block and Bill Algee, CRA, FAHRA

In the latest episode of Medical Imaging Matters, AHRA Executive Director Jason Newmark sits down with leadership pros and longtime AHRA members Bill Algee and Josh Block to unpack what it really means to lead in today’s healthcare landscape.

This conversation dives deep into the real challenges and rewards of leadership in medical imaging. Josh breaks down his three Es framework — equip, encourage, empower — and how it shapes thriving teams. Bill shares candid stories about learning from mistakes, building trust, and why vulnerability is a leadership strength.

From navigating generational shifts in the workplace to creating cultures where people feel seen, heard, and valued, they offer fresh, practical insights that will resonate whether you're leading a department or just starting to find your voice as a leader.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Connect With Josh Block on LinkedIn
• Connect With Bill Algee on LinkedIn

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management provides medical imaging professionals with education, training, insights, and community expertise to grow as healthcare leaders.

Founded in 1973, our professional organization is a catalyst for healthcare improvement by setting the standard on quality care, innovative use of technologies, and best practices in medical imaging management.

Learn more and connect with us at ahra.org.

Negotiation — it’s a skill that’s often thought of when ironing out a deal or getting the best price on a piece of equipment. In reality, however, negotiation is an act that happens every day in our professional and personal lives and is a hallmark of a strong leader.

Tune in as AHRA Executive Director Jason Newmark sits down with Dr. Josh Weiss, a leading expert in negotiation, to unpack the fundamentals of this practice and how it applies to the world of medical imaging.

Joining them is AHRA President Mario Pistilli, to offer his perspective on honing this critical skill. He draws on his personal experience, as well as his current role as the executive director of imaging services at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

From understanding the role of emotion in negotiation, to ways active listening plays a key role, the pitfalls of compromise, and more, this episode will leave you with several a-ha moments you’ll want to put into practice right away.

Interested in learning more from Dr. Weiss? Join us Saturday, August 2 for his pre-conference workshop ahead of the AHRA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. This hands-on workshop is designed for professionals of all levels, offering proven strategies and small group exercises.

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Joshua Weiss, PhD, is the cofounder of the Global Negotiation Initiative at Harvard University, a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Negotiation Project, and the director and creator of the Master of Science degree in Leadership and Negotiation at Bay Path University.

Mario Pistilli, DBA, FACHE, FAHRA, CRA, CNMT, is the AHRA 2024-2025 president and executive director of imaging services at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Connect With Dr. Weiss on LinkedIn
• Connect With Mario Pistilli on LinkedIn
• joshuanweiss.com
• 2025 Annual Meeting Workshop, Re “Imaging” Negotiation
• 2025 Annual Meeting Registration

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management provides medical imaging professionals with education, training, insights, and community expertise to grow as healthcare leaders.

Founded in 1973, our professional organization is a catalyst for healthcare improvement by setting the standard on quality care, innovative use of technologies, and best practices in medical imaging management.

Learn more and connect with us at ahra.org.