Welcome from the Chiefs

Welcome to the UT Houston Radiology residency program! We are delighted that you chose to pursue a career in radiology. As chief residents, we are very excited to share why we chose UT Houston and what makes this residency one of the top programs to train in the country.

Our Residents: UT Houston is one of the largest radiology residency programs in the country, with a total of 60 residents (approximately 13-14 per class) from all over the country and world. Our residents are truly the best! We are always happy to help one another and learn from each other. We pride ourselves on the lifelong friendships we form at UT Houston as we become professional colleagues. We further foster resident collegiality and build on these relationships through initiatives such as our Resident Mentorship Program, which was created to cultivate mentoring of junior trainees by senior trainees in a mentorship family (e.g. R1-R2-R3-R4).

Our Faculty: Our faculty members are committed to resident education and well-versed in their fields. Many are world-renowned and involved in national organizations, including the RSNA, ARRS, AUR, and many more. Our faculty members have many projects on hand, including those in research, quality improvement, and medical education. If a resident is interested, they can easily get involved and establish a mentorship relationship.

Education:

• World Class Health Institutions

Our residents rotate through Memorial Hermann Hospital (one of the busiest Level 1 trauma centers in the world), LBJ Hospital (Greater Houston county hospital), MD Anderson Cancer Center (world-renowned cancer hospital), and Texas Children’s Hospital (one of the country’s top pediatrics hospitals). Rotations through these world-renowned Texas Medical Center facilities serve as an amazing opportunity to learn from distinguished faculty educators and see firsthand a plethora of complex and unique cases.

• Workstation Learning

Our day-to-day workstation learning experience is generally divided into morning and afternoon half-days during which residents pre-dictate cases and have one-on-one readouts with their attendings. These readout sessions allow adequate time for discussion and learning potential pearls and pitfalls for each case. Residents also get hands-on experience with all different types of radiological procedures, such as those in interventional radiology, abdominal imaging, musculoskeletal imaging, breast imaging, pediatric radiology, and neuroradiology. Residents actively work with radiology technicians and clinical teams as consultants to help troubleshoot and answer questions.

• Call

Our call schedule is rigorous but helps to prepare you to become a competent and efficient radiologist. The call responsibilities are set up to allow for gradual progression in responsibilities and difficulty based on year of residency. R1s start “baby call” in the Spring when they are always paired with an upper level resident for a few evening shifts to get a feel of what a call shift entails. R2s primarily take call at LBJ and MD Anderson Cancer Center. R2 call is a mix of both independent call and call with an in-house attending. This early independent call exposure is a unique feature of our program that helps us build confidence and shape us into strong independent radiologists. R3s take call at Memorial Hermann Hospital. R4s take call at Memorial Hermann Hospital when R3s are preparing for the Core exam.

• Conferences

We offer daily weekday teaching noon conferences at 12pm-1pm, which are considered protected time. These conferences are a mix of didactic and case-based teaching given by our faculty in the Texas Medical Center. Additionally, R1s have a dedicated Fundamentals lecture series every Wednesday afternoon and are meant to prepare them for call. Beyond our scheduled conferences, upper level residents can lead and present at interdisciplinary conferences. All residents may attend subspecialty-specific conferences on each rotation. In the months before the Core Exam, R3s may elect to attend Board Review sessions.

• Leadership

Our program cultivates resident leaders. Our residents are actively involved in the House Staff Senate and various program committees, such as our Program Evaluation Committee, Resident Discrepancy Review Committee, and Mentorship Committee. We also have resident leaders involved on a state and national level in organizations, such as the Texas Radiological Society (TRS), RSNA, SIR, ARRS, and AUR. Our leaders continue to advocate for fellow trainees and make a lasting impact in various ways.

• Specialized Tracks

Our program offers various opportunities for residents to learn and expand on special interests. Examples include our Clinician-Educator Track, combined Diagnostic Radiology/Nuclear Medicine pathway, and Research Track.

 

Scholarly Opportunities: We encourage all residents to participate in scholarly projects, such as those in research, quality improvement, and medical education. Many faculty members in the Texas Medical Center are involved in clinical projects, and we offer a dedicated faculty mentor database for trainees to easily identify mentors with similar interests and projects. We encourage residents to present at national or international conferences, which is generously supported by our department funds.

Moonlighting: Our program offers numerous moonlighting opportunities in the Texas Medical Center through Memorial Hermann Hospital, including satellite sites, and through the MD Anderson Cancer Center. We offer a wealth of opportunities for residents to take on after hour physician coverage with responsibilities including contrast reaction coverage, protocoling studies, and dictating and preliming reports. Residents may start moonlighting during R1 year.

Life in Houston: Houston is one of the largest metropolitans in the country. The city is home to over 2 million people and offers rich spectrum of cultural enrichment opportunities. Aside from the endless eclectic food and drinking options Houston has to offer, there are so many fun things to do in Houston – professional sporting events, Museum of Natural Science and Fine Arts, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston Rodeo, Theater District, etc. Beyond the city, you can easily go on a weekend trip to Galveston, Austin, San Antonio, or Dallas. Houston has two major airports (Hobby and IAH) and serves as a domestic and international hub for many cheap flights around the country and world.

 

All in all, our residency is one of the best programs in the country, nurturing residents to become competent radiologists in whatever path they choose – private practice or academics. We look forward to meeting you during the interview season! Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions.

 

Amir Khadivi

Damir Ljuboja

Saagar Patel