Alexandra 鈥淎lex鈥� K. Banathy, MD, joins 黑料网 Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the Interventional Radiology division. She graduated with her bachelor鈥檚 from Vanderbilt University in 2014 and her Medical Doctorate from Penn State College of Medicine in 2018. She completed her surgical internship in 2019 and her Interventional/Diagnostic Radiology Integrated Residency at the University of Virginia in 2024.
Alex sat down to discuss what inspired her to become an interventional radiologist, why she chose academic medicine, and why she would like to converse with Marie Curie.
What attracted you to the Department of Radiology at 黑料网?
I heard great things about the 黑料网 IR Department and living in the Chapel Hill region from other faculty members I had met throughout my training. When I came to visit, I was attracted to the 黑料网 Radiology Department because of the culture of collegiality and collaboration among the faculty, staff, and residents. I was also interested in working in North Carolina due to family ties in the Southeast, so 黑料网 seemed like the perfect fit!
What inspired you to go into Radiology?
I was initially exposed to the medical field through my mom, who is an emergency room nurse, but I did not know much about Radiology until my medical school rotations. I found myself drawn to patients’ imaging and realized how crucial it was to their care. Radiology is a specialty that allows me to find answers for patients, and I really enjoy that component of patient care.
What attracted you to becoming an Interventional radiologist?
Interventional Radiology combines the best of both worlds by incorporating the problem-solving of diagnostic radiology and the solutions that we can offer with interventional procedures. I like that IR procedures can have a significant impact on our patients with a relatively short recovery time. Interventional Radiology is a rapidly expanding field, and I expect that we will find more and more ways to help our patients through minimally invasive procedures as technology continues to advance.
Why did you choose Academic Medicine over Private Practice?
I wanted to work at an academic medical center because of the unique opportunity to teach and mentor residents who will become my future colleagues. Much of my success is because of the people who taught and mentored me, and I want to pay that forward. I also realize that medicine is always evolving, and academic medicine allows for easy sharing of innovative procedures and research, both within IR and with other specialties.
What’s a piece of advice for people who want to become radiologists?
Radiology is usually not a core medical school rotation, although I wish it were, so students may not get exposed to it in the early years of medical school. There is a misconception that Radiologists don’t interact with patients or physicians; they just sit in a dark room looking at images. There is a lot more to it in both Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology. I would encourage medical students to seek out shadowing opportunities early on in their education so that they can take the time to see if it is a good career fit.
What would you want colleagues or patients to know about you before they met you?
I’m always open to learning new things. Being a doctor is a partnership with other physicians and with our patients, and there is always something to learn from one another.
If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Don鈥檛 be afraid of change. There are a lot of periods of change during medical training, and they all end up working out in the end.
If you could pick the brain of someone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
I would like to talk with Marie Curie. She was the first female Nobel Prize winner for conducting pioneering research on radioactivity. She is also known for creating mobile x-ray units during World War I and training women to run them on the battlefield, which I find incredible. Curie’s work laid the foundation for much of modern radiology, and I think it would be interesting to hear about her motivations during a time with many barriers and unknowns. I would also like to see her reaction to seeing a modern x-ray.
What do you do when you aren’t working?
I enjoy spending time with my one-year-old son, husband, and dog. We just moved here from Virginia and are still exploring the region. So far one of our favorite activities has been going to the Durham Museum of Life and Science.
How would you describe yourself in one word?
Dependable.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
I would love to have the ability to teleport. It would be amazing to travel back to my hometown outside of Chicago or visit faraway friends and be back within minutes rather than days. Skipping the commute would also a plus.