Past, present, and future of abdominal radiology fellowship recruitment

The authors provide a commentary on the current status of the Abdominal Radiology Fellowship recruitment process, which is not presently governed by a formal Match. Abdominal Radiology is the largest radiology subspecialty fellowship that remains outside of the Match. The Society of Abdominal Radiology convened a task force in 2019 to assess stakeholder viewpoints on a Match and found that the community was divided. Radiology departments and Abdominal Radiology fellowship program directors have voluntarily complied with a series of guidelines laid out by the Society of Chairs in Academic Radiology Departments during the two most recent recruiting cycles, but challenges in the process persist. Stakeholders report improved organization and fairness as a result of these procedural changes, and the authors suggest that Abdominal Radiology may continue to consider a formal fellowship Match in coming years.