"When I interviewed, I felt like it was home and the right fit for me."
Where are you from?
Seattle, Washington
What did you do after graduation?
After graduation, I decided to compliment my 4th year Cardiothoracic Concentration with a Body Imaging Fellowship at Stanford. I then went on to a position at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology were I was an Assistant Professor of Radiology in the Cardiothoracic Imaging Section.
What do you do now?
I'm an Assistant Professor of Radiology in Cardiothoracic Imaging at OHSU in Portland, Oregon where I’m also the Fellowship Director of the Cardiothoracic Imaging Fellowship Program. I do a lot of hands-on teaching and residency education program development which I love. I get to work with great people. I don’t think I’d be at this amazing place doing the wonderful work that I am if I hadn’t gone to Penn and taken advantage of all the excellent opportunities there.
Why should an applicant choose Penn Radiology?
I chose Penn Radiology because of the wealth of amazing opportunities in radiology and the feeling of community that the program had. When I interviewed, I felt like it was home and the right fit for me.
As an MD PhD in Health Policy plus an interest in Medical Education and Global Health Radiology, Penn offered me so many diverse ways of developing those areas of interest. For example, as Chief Resident I was involved in teaching and curriculum coordination, development and improvement. As part of the Global Health mini-fellowship, I engaged in Global Health Radiology work in Gaborone, Botswana. During my 4th year, I was able to complete a 10-month long concentration in Cardiothoracic Imaging which is now what I currently specialize in as an Assistant Professor of Radiology in Cardiothoracic Imaging at OHSU.
Choosing Penn Radiology allowed me to pursue all of these things and more, helping to springboard my career in academic radiology.
What is your favorite memory from residency?
I have THREE favorite memories.
The first was my time in Botswana working at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, which was very memorable and life changing. I felt the incredible importance of providing much needed radiology care to those in the hospital and the profound impact that radiology can have on health outcomes.
The second was my time during my Cardiothoracic Imaging concentration. I learned so much from all the wonderful people in the Chest section and it really helped shape the trajectory of my career.
And the third was my time as Chief Resident. Even though it was demanding, I loved being one of the Chief Residents, working with residents and faculty to innovate and continually improve the program. Mary Scanlon is an amazing program director and she has been an incredible mentor to me during that time and throughout my residency and beyond.
What is something unique about Penn that you felt prepared you to excel?
There are so many things!
I've already mentioned the 4th year concentration as well as the Global Health mini-fellowship. Some of the other wonderful programs that Penn offers that were some of my favorites were HTBAR (“How to be an Academic Radiologist”) and Healthcare Leadership in Quality. There's really something for everyone – The Radiology Imaging Informatics Fellowship, BAIR, TEACH, etc.