Radiography Program Honors Past, Embraces Future

Russo family and Hartford HealthCare honored for leadership and support of SHU program

As committed as he was to his work as a radiologist, the late Robert D. Russo, Sr., was equally devoted to providing educational opportunities to others who wanted to enter the field, particularly aspiring radiographers.

“For us as a family, education has always been very important,” said Robert D. Russo, Jr., who also is a radiologist, as is his son, Greg Russo. Russo, Jr., is president and CEO of Robert D. Russo, MD & Associates Radiology. “My father was driven to do everything he could so that students had the ability to pursue new opportunities and advance in the field,” said Russo, Jr.

Members of the Russo family recently visited Sacred Heart University to celebrate a new wall panel that sits outside SHU’s radiography classrooms. It provides a history of the radiography program, from its beginnings at St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing, where it started as a two-year certification program in 1951, to its transition to an associate degree program in 1995—four years after the school became St. Vincent’s College. In 2018, the program was integrated into SHU’s College of Health Professions and offers both associate and a bachelor’s degree programs.

During the 1950s, students became skilled X-ray technicians, eventually acquiring the knowledge and experience to conduct CT scans, MRIs and other advanced procedures. The Russo family provided key leadership as the school and the profession evolved, often hiring many of the graduates for the family’s radiology practice and encouraging them to engage in continuous learning throughout their careers.

The family’s visit was part of a 30th anniversary celebration of radiography’s transition to a degree-granting program. The event, held in the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts atrium, honored the past and celebrated the future.

“The Russo family’s contributions to the field of radiology in Connecticut is indisputable,” said Karl E. Minges, dean of Sacred Heart University’s College of Health Professions. “The Russos have shaped the lives of tens of thousands of patients, thousands of practitioners and hundreds of students. In addition to hosting our students for clinical placements and serving as the medical directors of our radiography program, the Russos have served our program and the greater community through generous philanthropy.”

The Russo family impactfully supports SHU’s radiography program and has established an endowed scholarship to benefit radiography and speech-language pathology students.

At the celebration, the University also expressed gratitude to Hartford HealthCare for a donation that paid for a new, cutting-edge digital X-ray. Hartford HealthCare delivers care through an expansive network of facilities across Connecticut.

“Sacred Heart University is really special to Hartford HealthCare,” said Peter Yoo, attending surgeon and chief academic officer for Hartford HealthCare. “[Our admiration] comes from Sacred Heart’s devotion to service and its importance to the community and region. There’s a tight alignment. We consider this a smart investment as Connecticut continues to be a great place to provide and deliver health care.”

Minges thanked Hartford HealthCare for its generous gift. “Having this device accessible to students and their instructors will support the integration of important learning outcomes in the field of radiologic sciences, including equipment operation, quality control, patient positioning and digital imaging,” he said.

About 70 people attended the celebration, including the 43 SHU students currently working toward their degree in radiography. These students will become the diagnostic imaging personnel of the future, helping doctors and other providers make medical decisions about treatments.

As the student speakers noted, it’s a job that goes beyond just taking pictures. As one shared, “We capture the images that save lives.”

Deirdre Valinsky, director of SHU’s radiography program, said that without the late Dr. Russo’s initiative and contributions to the radiology profession, these advances would not have been possible. “And thanks to Hartford HealthCare, the new, state-of-the-art digital X-ray system allows students to learn with the same equipment they will use at their clinical sites and once they are working in the field,” she said.

Minges praised SHU’s program for impacting tens of thousands of lives and helping to shape the future of diagnostic imaging in Connecticut. “We equip students with the skills they need to achieve success in radiography. They are poised to be excellent clinical providers who meet the mission and vision of the College of Health Professions of delivering person-centered care,” Minges said.

For the Russo family, the advances are a dream that was long in the making. Arlyne Russo, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who taught at SHU from 2014 to 2022 and is back supervising SHU’s clinical SLP program, said the celebration brought tears to her eyes. “This is the culmination of what my father wanted,” she said.

Sacred Heart radiography students have the option of pursuing an associate degree or dual associate-bachelor’s degree in health science and radiography. The advanced degree is something that her father envisioned.

“The program started with certificates, but my father wanted students to have the opportunity to earn an associate degree. He put me on the board at St. Vincent’s College to make sure of that. So, we got an associate degree when St. Vincent’s Nursing School became a college, and I thought that solved my problem,” Russo said.

“But it didn’t solve his problem,” she added. “He wanted students to have a Bachelor of Science degree. I couldn’t be happier. I’m sure that, somewhere, the old man can hear me. Students can now get a Bachelor of Science degree at a great university with great teachers. It took some time, but we did it.”

Pictured: Robert D. Russo, Jr., addresses guests at the radiography program celebration.