News
Discover inspiring stories from our volunteers, candidates, and community, and stay up to date with important news and announcements on exams, policies, and more.
Playing Volleyball in Austria Proves Net Gain for Medical Physicist
Moving thousands of miles to play professional volleyball is an interesting way to spend a gap year. But it all made sense to Kelsey Bittinger. Unsure of her next move after graduating from Kent State University with an applied physics degree, Bittinger used her volleyball skills to turn pro for an Austrian team in 2018….
She Can Check Getting Certified Off Her To-Do List
By Krystal Kirby, PhD As a newly minted diplomate of the ABR in diagnostic medical physics, I’m happy to share my journey. My hometown of Memphis played a huge role in sparking my interest in medical physics. During my time at the University of Memphis, I got to tour St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with…
Medical Physicist Makes Mental Health a Priority
If you’re a physician or physicist who’s struggling with depression, anxiety, or burnout, you have a friend in Lisa Whitelock, DMP. She has faced and overcome many of her own challenges and is ready to talk. “I am a very open person,” Dr. Whitelock said. “If you ask me direct questions, I will most likely…
Board of Trustees Welcomes Two New Members
The ABR Board of Trustees (BOT) is adding two members: Steven J. Frank, MD, and Ashok Gupta, MD. Both appointments take effect at the fall board meeting in October. Dr. Frank is an endowed tenured professor of radiation oncology and holds the Bessie McGoldrick Professorship in Clinical Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson…
Social Media Valuable for Finding Mentors, Inspiration
By Robert Martin, MPH With the heart-pounding excitement of National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match Week 2023 in the near past and bright futures ahead, this is a time of calm before the storm. The storm takes different form for different people, but in this highly competitive year, diagnostic radiology has left a wake of…
Prep Work Made Candidate Confident for Qualifying Exam
A graduate of the Air Force Academy and Harvard Medical School, Rob Smalley, MD, knows what it takes to succeed. He further proved that when he passed the ABR Diagnostic Radiology Qualifying (Core) Exam last May. Dr. Smalley, who’s in a diagnostic radiology residency at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and will start a pediatric radiology…
Visiting ABR Headquarters a Revelation for Advisory Committee Member
By Kristen McConnell, PhD As the plane touched down in Tucson, I did not feel the fear or trepidation that many before me have experienced when flying into Arizona. Instead of taking an ABR exam, I was there to look at giant cacti and see what happens at the organization’s headquarters. I checked into the…
Make Time for Fitness During Medical School and Beyond
By Gloria Jang Medical school and the road ahead present unique challenges. While most people start medical school with a specific trajectory in mind, some, like me, find that the journey winds in a different direction than planned. Prior to medical school, I was never interested in the gym; I just liked to have a…
Didn’t Match? Use the Extra Year to Invest in Yourself
By Courtney Wing Every March, medical students across the nation wake up a little more tachycardic than usual, but this time, it’s not from our energy drinks or an impending nine-hour exam. It’s the day the National Resident Matching Program shares our fate with us. For some of us, the news contains the best words…
Longtime Volunteer, Former ABR Trustee Earns SPR Award
From being uncertain about his direction as a fourth-year medical student to earning a top honor from the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR), Lane Donnelly, MD, has come a long way. Dr. Donnelly, a longtime SPR volunteer and former ABR trustee, didn’t latch on to radiology until January of his final medical school year. He…
Hospital Experience Inspired Her to Pursue Radiology
An odd and frightening incident that occurred when she was a youngster in a foreign country helped make Desiree Morgan, MD, who she is today. At age 5, Dr. Morgan was injured, along with her brother and mother, when an unmanned small pickup truck rolled backward down a hill and hit them. Her family was…
After Deferring His Dream, Medical Student Starts Path to Radiology Career
There are several reasons why Jordan Mackner might not have enrolled in medical school last year: Obstacles slowed but didn’t stop Jordan, who’s now a first-year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. At age 38, he appreciates his unconventional route, which included working as a chiropractor in Scottsdale, Arizona, from 2012-’16…
Helping Patients Fills Their Hearts with Joy
Physicians and physicists enjoy their jobs for many reasons. On Valentine’s Day, a few share what they love about their work. Jennifer Bellon, MDHarvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute “I love many things about my job: the ability to help patients at a critical time in their lives, the complexity of oncologic decision-making, and…
DEI, Mentorships Top His Priority List at Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program searches for the best medical-school graduates with an eye on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology & Radiological Sciences and Vice Chair of Diversity Affairs Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences Marques Bradshaw, MD, has been part of the selection process at Vanderbilt since…