"Aiming to Heal": Recognizing the Contributions of our Technologists at UCSF Radiology

We are excited to celebrate National Radiologic Technology Week (NRTW) and all the technologists at UC San Francisco (UCSF) aiming to heal through their tireless work. NRTW is an annual celebration recognizing the vital work of radiologic technologists in patient care.

Although the week will be celebrated November 6-12, 2022, here at UCSF we celebrate the contributions of our technologists throughout the month of November — after all, their expertise enables the rest of our work. We are thankful for and recognize the important role that our talented technologists and other radiologic professionals play in patient care, patient safety and medical research.

These past few years have done a lot to remind us that radiologic techs are on the front lines of patient interaction. For nearly any issue, one of the first health care experiences for a patient is a radiologic exam. In the past year, pandemic challenges coincided with a swell of patient volume as people felt safe enough to resume delayed preventative care and checkups. Across the many UCSF locations, our radiologic techs have admirably risen to the challenge of continuously meeting the need of our patient community as patient volumes increased.

I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of our managers across the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging. During the past year they have provided both inspiration and expert guidance for our teams of technologists.This profound gratitude extends to those who have been a part of our department's changes. Alpana Camilli Patel took on a new role as chief manager of Body Interventional and Neuroendovascular Radiology. In February, Tosca Bridges joined our team as a Diagnostic Radiology chief manager. Tosca is an experienced educator, and we are grateful for her contributions in the areas of education and training. I am also deeply appreciative of our other managers: Chelsy Coco, Ultrasound; Craig Devincent, MRI; Devin Dixon, business affairs; Jeff Geiger, Diagnostic Imaging Mission Bay; Jessica Pfannenstiel, CT; Amy Vincent, mammography; and Michelle Swenson, Molecular Imaging.

This year's celebration is not just made up of a luncheon, awards and gifts. It is also our attempt to provide the recognition and admiration that our radiological technologists deserve, considering how immensely important they are to our organization and health care as a whole.

It has been a long time since Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen opened new eyes for medicine when he discovered the X-Ray on November 8, 1895. But as each new day sends us new challenges, we should all give thanks to those technologists who keep our aim true.