Elisabetta Giannotti
Elisabetta Giannotti is a consultant breast radiologist at Addenbrooke's Cambridge Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust where she performs both symptomatic and screening work. She completed her medical school and radiology training in Italy, University of Florence, and during her training she undertook a breast fellowship at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. She worked as consultant breast radiologist in Nottingham Breast Institute, Nottingham University hospital from 2015 to 2022.
She is an active clinician in breast imaging at the European level, in fact she is a member of the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) Executive Board, and Chair-person of their Young Club. After having obtained the European Diploma of Breast Imaging she became a member of EUSOBI Educational Committee and European Diploma Breast Imaging examiner.
Since 2019 she serves as Committee Member for the Royal College of Radiologists Equivalence Committee and from 2023 as European Society of Radiology e-learning sub-committee member.
Elisabetta is Deputy Editor for Insight into Imaging, she conducts peer review for numerous scientific journals, serves as Editorial Advisory Board Member for Aunt Minnie Europe and Breast Imaging Editorial Board Member for EURORAD.
She has been invited speaker at more than 50 conferences among Europe and she is author of 21 papers published in peer reviewed journals.
Title: Have a greener breast unit
Climate change poses significant threats to global health, including increased incidences of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular disorders. The healthcare sector is a substantial contributor to global carbon emissions, responsible for nearly 4.4% of global net emissions. Radiology departments, due to their reliance on energy-intensive imaging equipment, are notable contributors to a hospital’s CO2 emissions, estimated to account for up to 10% of the total healthcare carbon footprint.
This presentation aims to highlight the importance of addressing climate change within the breast imaging community and to provide practical steps that can be implemented both individually and within the department to create a greener, more sustainable practice.
The presentation will begin with an overview of the importance of climate change, explaining why it matters and how we, as a breast unit, contribute to this issue through energy consumption and waste production. Greener practices both in individual behaviours and at the departmental level will be described and discussed in the presentation. Personal behavioural changes include, but are not limited to, using greener methods to commute to work, recycling within the workplace, using reusable personal items like water bottles and cup, and making efforts to conserve energy (switching computer and reporting workstation at night or not when in use, for example). Greener actions can also be taken within the department, such as optimizing energy use, transitioning to paperless workflows, being mindful of and reducing waste, optimizing patient scheduling to minimize the need for multiple visits and offering phone appointments to reduce transportation emissions.
While the challenges posed by climate change are immense, small, incremental changes in our daily practices can collectively make a significant impact. By adopting sustainable practices, breast radiologists can lead by example, contributing to a healthier plane.