Mayo Clinic physician awarded Dr. Scott C. Goodwin Grant for Adenomyosis

(Press-News.org) FAIRFAX, VA (Sept. 3, 2025)—The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Foundation is proud to announce that Wendaline M. VanBuren, M.D., a radiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has been awarded the Dr. Scott C. Goodwin Grant for Adenomyosis.

Through this award, SIR Foundation will provide funding over two years to support Dr. VanBuren’s study, “Endo-Deep: An AI-Powered Model for Diagnosis and Treatment Planning in Adenomyosis and Endometriosis.”

“This multifunctional AI model represents a transformative diagnostic pipeline for endometriosis and adenomyosis, offering significant potential to enhance detection, estimate disease burden, refine treatment planning and ultimately improve patient outcomes,” said Dr. VanBuren. “Thanks to this SIR Foundation grant, important work can be completed and additional funding can be secured for further research to help patients suffering from this underdiagnosed and highly prevalent condition.”

Dr. VanBuren’s study will expand the testing of the Endo-Deep model to institutions outside of Mayo Clinic. It also will inform the development of a segmentation model to accurately locate lesions, which will facilitate advanced treatment planning, including IR-guided interventions for diffuse adenomyosis. Further objectives include predicting which therapies are most appropriate for particular lesions or phenotypes, and the identification of borderline endometriosis lesions, which carry an increased risk of malignancy.  Decreasing the 10-year delay in diagnosis, reducing morbidity and mortality, and improving quality of life and family planning are some of the most important subsequent objectives.

“This project exemplifies the kind of innovative, patient-centered research we hoped to inspire with this grant,” said Scott C. Goodwin, M.D., MBA, FSIR, the grant’s namesake and longtime advocate for advancing interventional radiology in women’s health. “I’m honored to see this support going toward such meaningful work that has the potential to change lives.”

The grant was made possible through the generosity of John Lipman, M.D., FSIR, a renowned interventional radiologist and founder of the Atlanta Fibroid Center.

“This award reflects our shared mission to close the gap in care for women suffering from adenomyosis,” said Dr. Lipman. “Dr. Goodwin’s legacy has inspired a generation of researchers, and it’s a privilege to fund work that builds on that foundation to push the field forward.”

Clifford R. Weiss, M.D., FSIR, chair of the SIR Foundation, emphasized the strategic importance of this award, saying “The Dr. Scott C. Goodwin Grant represents a pivotal investment in clinical research that can drive transformative care for women.”

“SIR Foundation is proud to support work that not only honors Dr. Goodwin’s extraordinary legacy but also addresses one of the most pressing unmet needs in women’s healthcare,” Dr. Weiss added.

The Dr. Scott C. Goodwin Grant was created to promote clinical trials in adenomyosis, a condition affecting millions of women worldwide, particularly those historically marginalized in the healthcare system. The condition, which causes heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and infertility, often has gone undiagnosed and under-researched.

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About SIR Foundation

SIR Foundation is a scientific foundation dedicated to fostering research and education in interventional radiology for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge, increasing the number of skilled investigators in interventional radiology and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. Visit sirfoundation.org.

About SIR
The Society of Interventional Radiology is a nonprofit, professional medical society representing more than 8,000 practicing interventional radiology physicians, trainees, scientists and clinical associates dedicated to improving patient care through the limitless potential of image-guided therapies. SIR’s members work in a variety of settings and at different professional levels — from medical students and residents to university faculty and private practice physicians. Visit sirweb.org.

 

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