There were many things that drew me to Pediatric Radiology as I was completing my Diagnostic Radiology Residency at Jackson Memorial in Miami, FL and trying to decide on a fellowship. While the spectrum of pathology and diverse disease processes encountered in the pediatric population make it a challenging field of study, it is perhaps the patient population that I like most. Not only do I get a lot of satisfaction out of working with children and interacting with their families on a daily basis when they come to the Radiology Department for imaging, but many pediatric diagnoses are carried with a patient well into adulthood and I therefore get to care for a diverse patient population of all ages.
Many pediatric disease processes are treatable and potentially curable, and imaging plays a key role in diagnosis where time is often of the essence, providing a strong motivation for constant innovation and improvement in our imaging techniques. Given that Cincinnati Children’s is one of the best hospitals in the country and that I was born and raised in Ohio about an hour away from Cincinnati, when it came time to choosing a fellowship, coming home to Cincinnati Children’s was a natural choice. Being able to do my fellowship here was the best of both worlds; I was close to family in a state that I consider home and was receiving the best training in the country.
I have been fortunate enough to stay on as a staff Pediatric Radiologist for the last nine years following my fellowship, and the patients that I encounter teach me something new everyday. My motivations for pursuing a career in pediatric radiology have only been affirmed and intensified over this time during which I have become a parent myself, something that I think has really enriched my interactions with my patients and their families.
Contributed by Dr. Mantosh S. Rattan and edited by Glenn Miñano, BFA.
