image: Shannon Youngblood, EdD, MSRS, CNMT, RT(CT)(ARRT), takes office as president of the SNMMI Technologist Section.
Credit: Courtesy of SNMMI.
LOS ANGELES-- Shannon Youngblood, EdD, MSRS, CNMT, RT(CT)(ARRT), has been elected president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Technologist Section (SNMMI-TS). The new slate of officers was introduced during the SNMMI's 2026 Annual Meeting, held May 30 - June 2 in Los Angeles.
As president, Youngblood will champion three action-driven priorities: amplifying the visibility and influence of nuclear medicine professionals through coordinated advocacy at both the local and national levels; building a more inclusive and representative workforce by expanding equitable access to education, mentorship, and career advancement opportunities; and streamlining education and professional development to ensure our workforce stays abreast of rapid advancements in theranostics and cardiac PET-CT.
"These priorities are essential to securing the future of nuclear medicine because they directly address the challenges and opportunities shaping our field," said Youngblood. "I have immense respect for the skill and commitment of our professional community, and I am confident that by advancing these initiatives together, we will strengthen our foundation and move forward as a more unified, innovative, and future-focused profession."
Youngblood began her career by earning certification as an emergency medical technician from A-B Technical Community College in Asheville, North Carolina. She continued her education at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, where she obtained an associate of applied science degree in nuclear medicine. She then earned a bachelor's in health studies and radiologic sciences from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, followed by a master's in radiologic sciences from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in Natchitoches. She earned a doctor of education degree in health professions at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri.
Youngblood later worked as an EMT before becoming an assistant professor of Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, where she still teaches. She was a nuclear medicine technologist at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans. At the Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge, she was a nuclear medicine/PET-CT technologist, then advanced to the lead PET-CT position. Youngblood currently works as a nuclear medicine technologist at Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary and a cardiac PET-CT technologist in Baton Rouge for CDL Nuclear Technologies.
Youngblood has been involved in SNMMI leadership since 2012, when she became a member of the Technologist Advocacy Group. Since then, she has served on the Uptake Editorial Board and as chair of the Bylaws Committee. She became secretary of the SNMMI-TS Executive Board and National Council of Representatives in 2024.
Youngblood has also been involved in leadership in the Southwestern Chapter, beginning in 2014, when she became a board member of the Leadership Academy Committee and then completed the academy herself. She served twice as chapter president and board member and was an abstract judge and program chair for several educational symposia.
Youngblood holds professional certification as a Louisiana Fusion Technologist and is certified by the Louisiana State Radiologic Technology Board. She holds CNMT certification from the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board and CT certification from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
The SNMMI Technologist Section president-elect for 2026-27 is Sara L. Johnson, CNMT, RT(N)(CT), Wimauma, Florida. Elected to leadership of SNMMI for 2026-27 were Heather Jacene, MD, Boston, Massachusetts, as president; Gary Ulaner, MD, PhD, FSNMMI, Laguna Hills, California, as president-elect, and Jason Lewis, PhD, FSNMMI, New York, New York, as vice president-elect.
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About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit snmmi.org.