Franklin N. Tessler, M.D., C.M., FSRU, FAIUM, professor emeritus in the Department of Radiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and senior medical officer for Health System Information Services, has been honored with the 2024 Lawrence A. Mack Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU). This prestigious award recognizes Tessler's outstanding contributions to ultrasound research throughout his career.

Tessler joined UAB in 2002 as Chief of the Body Imaging section and soon became a key figure in radiology informatics. In 2005, he began overseeing informatics for the Department of Radiology and later held positions as Executive Vice Chair and Vice Chair for Radiology Informatics until 2018, when he became the Senior Medical Officer for Health System Information Services. In this role, Tessler has led numerous IT and informatics projects across UAB Medicine, serving as chair of the Clinical Communications Committee, the Committee for Information Governance for Security and Privacy, and Vice Chair of the Information Security Advisory Committee.

Tessler’s influence extends beyond UAB. He has authored or co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and delivered presentations across the United States and internationally. His expertise in ultrasound, particularly regarding thyroid nodules, is widely recognized. He chaired the committee that developed the American College of Radiology's Thyroid Imaging, Reporting, and Data System (TI-RADS) in 2017, which helps estimate malignancy risk for thyroid nodules using ultrasound. TI-RADS is now used extensively in the United States and worldwide, including at UAB. Since 2018, Tessler has also led an international effort to harmonize guidelines for managing thyroid nodules.

In his acceptance remarks, Tessler reflected on the honor of receiving the award, which was presented by Dr. Tublin at the SRU Annual Meeting in Seattle on September 26, 2024. The award, named in honor of the late SRU member Lawrence A. Mack, is given annually to an SRU Fellow who has demonstrated a career of significant achievement in ultrasound research.

“Receiving this award is a humbling experience,” Tessler said. “Larry Mack was an inspiration to so many of us in the field, and I am deeply grateful for this recognition.”

Tessler's numerous contributions to ultrasound have previously earned him Fellowship in the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) and the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound, as well as the AIUM’s Presidential Recognition Award in 2009.

The Department of Radiology congratulates Tessler on this well-deserved honor and celebrates his dedication to advancing ultrasound research and informatics in medicine.