The Imaging Research Center (IRC) is a comprehensive research laboratory and shared facility/core resource that investigates medical imaging’s role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Last fall, two new IRC members joined our Radiology family; here are their stories.
Hi, my name is Olivia Brockman. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Some of my fondest memories from growing up are going to volleyball and lacrosse tournaments and getting soft serve ice cream at the Dairy Corner in the summertime!
I decided to go into the medical field because I have always loved helping others and am continuously fascinated by the ongoing discoveries in the medical field. I attended school at Xavier University, where I took a year-long research class, and from there I fell in love with research and reading new research articles and papers.
I have always wanted to work with kids, and Cincinnati Children’s is such a reputable hospital that is involved in a lot of different research. I am so excited to join the Imaging Research Center!
In my downtime, I enjoy watching football, hanging out with friends, and baking! I also recently got a kitten (her name is Nala), so most of my free time lately has been playing with her—she’s spoiled rotten! The last move I saw was Don’t Worry Darling and the last book I read was The Silent Patient.
Hello, my name is Bonnie Smith and I’m the newest IRC spec. MRI technologist at Cincinnati Children’s. I’ve been a registered MRI clinical technologist for 17 years in many of the country’s top hospitals. I grew up in northern Virginia, not far from Washington, D.C. It was a very busy area, and I was acclimated to city life at a very young age. I was fortunate to have been exposed to diverse cultural backgrounds in that area as well. My father was an electrical engineer for NAVSEA for more than 30 years; we lived in an upper middle-class neighborhood for over 20 years. I was surrounded by military and history most of my life. After high school I attempted to join the military as well with no luck, due to a bee sting allergy. After a few years of soul searching and a couple of children later, I went to college for my associate’s degree in radiography in St. Louis, MO. It was not an easy task being a full-time student while changing diapers. Upon graduation, I relocated to the Cincinnati area to join The Christ Hospital team as a Radiology technologist. Three years later, after consistently exceeding performance expectations, I was given a position as a staff MRI technologist at Jewish Hospital, where I did my clinicals while studying and, later, passing my MRI registry.
I’m currently working on my bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration. My three children are very supportive of that decision and help keep me focused and centered on recent goals. I believe learning is an ongoing process and try to instill that in my adult autistic son, as well as my other two children. One of my sons will be graduating this upcoming year from UC with a computer science/engineering degree. He currently works part time while interning for the gaming company Blizzard in Austin, TX. My daughter is a junior in high school and is a first chair saxophonist as well as a marching band and Honor Society member. Raising three children as a single parent for 8 years has had its challenges, but it has made us as a family stronger and has forced me to push harder and excel at things I didn’t know I had in me.
In my free time I enjoy hanging with friends from Meetup, going to concerts, social gatherings, and local marathon charity events. I’m eager about this opportunity to work with other seasoned MRI technologists to learn new skills while being a part of the background of MRI. I’m also excited to work alongside research physicians and scientists to develop new protocols to aid in prevention and cures for pediatric and adolescent mental health illnesses and high-mortality diseases. It’s exciting and an extreme honor. Looking forward to this new adventure!
Glenn Miñano, BFA; editor, Meredith Towbin, copy editor
