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About OSIPI

The Open Science Initiative for Perfusion Imaging (ISMRM OSIPI) is an initiative of the ISMRM Perfusion Study Group. OSIPI develops open access resources and best practices for the analysis of perfusion imaging data and the interoperability of analysis results.

Why?

At different times in our careers, we all struggled to find robust perfusion analysis software producing results of known quality, and to evaluate or implement perfusion tools. We want to make that process easier.

Who?

We are an inclusive team of volunteers with the expertise and passion for perfusion analysis, open source software, and reproducible science.

What?

We aim to create open access resources for perfusion imaging research to eliminate duplicate development, to improve reproducibility, and to speed up the translation of perfusion imaging for clinical practice.

When was OSIPI founded?

The project was founded in the fall of 2018 by trainee representative Laura Bell and secretary Steven Sourbron.

An initial call-to-action survey of the study group membership revealed a strong demand for an initiative around perfusion software. Over 100 members returned a questionnaire with detailed information on data, software, and other possible contributions.

A founding board organised during and after the ISMRM 2019 and drafted more detailed plans including the project website and logo, communication channels, governance structure, and mission statement.

The plans were accepted by the ISMRM Perfusion study group and the ISMRM president and president-elect in November 2019. The operational phase of OSIPI was launched on December 1, 2019. OSIPI has no predefined end date and is designed to evolve as the need for coordinated perfusion analysis development changes.

Read more about the road to OSIPI in this letter to the editor published in MRM.

OSIPI founding board

Laura Bell, Patricia Clement, Charlotte Debus, Andrey Fedorov, Simon Levy, Steven Sourbron, and Frank Zoellner.

The six aims

The work in OSIPI is planned around six specific aims:

  • Building a software inventory
  • A library of code snippets
  • A data inventory
  • Reporting guidelines
  • Education and exchange
  • Benchmarking

The aims are delivered by one or more Task Forces, each led by a (senior) task force co-lead and a (junior) co-lead appointed for a period of 2 years.

Who is leading OSIPI?

OSIPI is led by a management team of 4 members (past chair, chair, co-chair, secretary). Each is appointed for 1 year with a rotation at the annual meeting of the ISMRM, when a new secretary is nominated by the current management team and the past chair rotates off. The current management team consists of:

Name Role
Jan Petr Chair
Lena Vaclavu Co-chair
Oliver Gurney Champion Secretary
Ben Dickie Past-chair

How can I join OSIPI?

The ongoing workplan is summarised in the OSIPI Roadmap 3 2026-2028.

We are always looking for help. If you want to contribute to a particular task force, please get in touch with the appropriate task force lead directly. The names and contact details are on the task force pages. If you want to contribute but are unsure where, or your ideas are outside the remit of any given task force, please contact a member of the OSIPI management team.

How is OSIPI managed?

The task force leads together with the management team form the Executive and Management Board (EMB). The EMB defines a 2-year roadmap with detailed deliverables and milestones for each of the task forces, and monitors their implementation. The EMB reports back to the ISMRM perfusion study group ahead of each study group meeting at the ISMRM.

The mission and overall Strategic Plan of OSIPI is revised and updated on an annual basis by the Strategy Board. The Strategy Board consists of the OSIPI management team, the governance committee of the perfusion study group, and representatives of other societies with a stake in perfusion imaging, such as the Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance (QIBA).

For more details on the way OSIPI is organised, please refer to the OSIPI Strategic Plan and the governance document.

Resources