Can you share your journey into interventional radiology and what inspired you to pursue this specialty?
I had always been drawn to a surgical specialty and with an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience, I had thought about going into Neurosurgery so signed up for a summer research internship, complete with shadowing in the clinic and OR. During one of the cases, I remember seeing brain tissue in the Yankauer suction and tubing and thought, “I don’t know about this … maybe there’s something out there with more finesse?” During my medical school radiology rotation, one of the faculty suggested I spend some time in IR since they knew my affinity for surgery. It only took a few assignments in the IR suite to realize this was it for me: the complexities of surgery with the finesse I desired. That’s how I ended up entering the field. I completed my radiology residency at the University of Southern California (USC) and it was there that I found my community and sense of belonging. IR is very much a team sport, and I had a great group of mentors: Drs. Sue Hanks, Vicki Marx, Michael Katz, and Donald Harrell. In them, I witnessed a high-functioning team delivering top notch care while having fun doing so and thought that I could see myself in a career like that. Becoming an interventional oncologist was pure serendipity; my husband is a medical oncologist and the years of training for internal medicine/oncology and radiology were not perfectly aligned. He matched to Houston first and I joined him there after finishing my final year at USC. During my fellowship at MD Anderson, I continued to find guidance from Drs. Marshall Hicks, Michael Wallace, Sanjay Gupta, and Steve McRae. They gave me my first job, and the rest is history. We’ve been in Houston for almost 20 years!
How has the landscape of interventional radiology evolved over the years, especially in terms of gender representation?
I think the most important development in IR throughout my career is our designation as a primary medical specialty in the United States. It is a recognition of our distinct skillset in the delivery of clinical care and image-guided interventions. As one of the thirty-seven primary medical specialties in the US, this means that students can choose to enter a career in IR directly after medical school graduation as opposed to in the past where IR was a fellowship or added qualification after a diagnostic radiology residency. It demonstrates we have officially left the “specials” basement and that being an IR is no longer synonymous with being a “proceduralist:” we are clinicians who provide longitudinal patient care and image-guided therapy to patients across a vast range of disease states. Across the globe, we are seeing movement towards interventional radiology’s evolution towards subspecialty or specialty status. Moreover, it also allows us access to medical students where there is equal gender representation as compared to having to recruit from diagnostic radiology residents which traditionally has skewed towards more male representation. Over the last ten to fifteen years, I’ve seen a concerted effort to attract women into the field, starting with initial efforts to educate medical students and residents around what a career in IR can look like for them. We are just now starting to see the effects of these efforts as there have been fundamental increases in the number of women trainees entering the IR residency pathway. My hope is that these efforts not only continue at the medical school level but that we also develop robust support systems so the gains in gender representation at the entry point translate to sustained and durable representation in the IR workforce.
How do you balance work and personal life in a demanding field like interventional radiology?
Before you can start to balance anything, it’s important to know what your priorities are. It’s also expected that you will have big goals across different aspects of your personal life and career but important to recognize that all those goals don’t have to be actualized at the same time. For me, having a supportive partner has been the single most important element that has allowed me to explore different aspects of being an academic IR and leader. One specific thing we’ve tried to do is to eat dinner as a family every weeknight which we have been told by our teenage son is unusual compared to his friends’ families. I also try to keep in mind that rarely are things in perfect balance – some days will be better than others.
What advice do you have for women who are aspiring to enter the field of interventional radiology?
Do it! It’s a great specialty. For any career, I think the most important piece of advice for people is to be able to define what success means to them. This definition can and will change over time so but “knowing” at any one point in time what is important and meaningful to you at this point in your career is the key to finding joy in your work. Do the research and look into all the potential work models that may fit with the professional goals you are trying to achieve. Take the time to explore and connect with IRs who may not have traditional academic or private practice jobs. The great thing about IR is that there are so many potential areas of focus – neuro, peds, women’s health, oncology, vascular – that you really have lots of options in terms of clinical interest and your day-to-day workflow.
Can you share any insights into the networking opportunities available for women in interventional radiology?
We live in a very interconnected world and IR is still a relatively small specialty. While meetings are great for face-to-face interactions and organized networking activities, don’t underestimate the chance to connect via “electronic” outreach – email, text, DM, zoom. There have been many times in my career when I’ve been faced with a case or research question where I’ve reached out to an expert seeking advice. You’d be surprised that for the most part, people are willing and happy to give a little bit of their time to answer a question or help with an issue. For me this has translated to both academic collaborations as well as lasting friendships
What advice do you have for women in interventional radiology who are navigating leadership roles within the specialty?
First, I’m a firm believer in the philosophy that “opportunities multiply when seized” with the caveat that this is true only if you demonstrate you can succeed at the opportunities you take. Second, you also have to accept that not everything is going to go your way and that’s ok; another opportunity will come around. Third, I’ve found it helpful to be observant; look for role models in established and emerging leaders — how have they succeeded, how have they not, what leadership styles resonate the most with you? Lastly, read. Last I checked, leadership was not a required course in either medical school or residency but there are many different approaches and countless books on the topic. Just as I had to read up about how to work up a patient for a particular IR intervention during my residency training, the same applies for people interested in a leadership journey.
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