Sean Woolen, MD
Assistant Professor
Asst Professor Clin Radiology
Biography
Sean Woolen, MD completed his medical degree and internship at Indiana University. He completed a Diagnostic Radiology Residency at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in Diagnostic Ultrasound/Abdominal Imaging at UCSF. In 2020, Dr. Woolen joined the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging as a faculty member.
Dr. Woolen has experience in meta-analysis, QI, machine learning and clinical trials. He has designed and led multicenter patient preference research, and multidisciplinary teams of researchers across clinical departments.
In 2022, Dr. Woolen received the Society of Abdominal Radiology's Howard S. Stern Research Award. The award grant is designed to facilitate visionary research in abdominal imaging. Dr. Woolen is also the recipient of the 2018 University of Michigan Quality Investigator Award and the University of Michigan Top Research Article Award.
Education
Fellowship, 2020 - Ultrasound/Abdominal Imaging, UCSF
Residency, 2019 - Diagnostic Radiology, University of Michigan
2015 - Internship, Indiana University
MD, 2014 - Medicine, Indiana University
Honors and Awards
Howard S. Stern MD Award, Society for Abdominal Radiology, 2022
Quality Investigator Award, University of Michigan, 2018
Top Research Article Award, University of Michigan, Radiology, 2018
Publications
Woolen SA, Martin M, Foster CA, MacEachern MP, Maturen KE. Green Imaging: Scoping Review of Radiology's Environmental Impact. J Am Coll Radiol. 2025 Sep 18.
Woolen SA, Ahamed F, MacDougall RD, Scherrer B, Kohli MD, Martin A, Dai S, Shankar P, Wang ZJ. Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance: Operational and Environmental Impact of Abbreviated MRI Protocols. Can Assoc Radiol J. 2025 Sep 16; 8465371251371567.
Shinagare AB, Shankar PR, Chernyak V, Woolen SA, Herts BR, Azene EM, Mitchell DG, Rosenkrantz AB, Raghavan K, Karmazyn B, Kadom N, Zafar HM, Bhosale P, Do RK, Rodgers DA, Broder JC, Chatfield M, Larson DB, Davenport MS. Communicating Diagnostic Certainty in Radiology Reports: Potential Frameworks From the ACR Commission on Quality and Safety. J Am Coll Radiol. 2025 Aug 05.
Rojo Domingo M, Do DD, Conlin CC, Bagrodia A, Barrett T, Baxter MT, Cooperberg M, Feng F, Hahn ME, Harisinghani M, Hollenberg G, Javier-Desloges J, Kallis K, Kamran S, Kane CJ, Kessler D, Kuperman J, Lee KL, Levine J, Liss MA, Margolis DJA, Matthews I, Murphy PM, Nakrour N, Ohliger M, Ollison C, Osinski T, Pamatmat AJ, Pompa IR, Rakow-Penner R, Roberts JL, Shabaik AS, Song Y, Song D, Tempany CM, Trecarten S, Wehrli N, Weinberg EP, Woolen S, Xu G, Zhong AY, Dale AM, Seibert TM. Reply by Authors. J Urol. 2025 Sep; 214(3):270-271.
Rojo Domingo M, Do DD, Conlin CC, Bagrodia A, Barrett T, Baxter MT, Cooperberg M, Feng F, Hahn ME, Harisinghani M, Hollenberg G, Javier-Desloges J, Kallis K, Kamran S, Kane CJ, Kessler D, Kuperman J, Lee KL, Levine J, Liss MA, Margolis DJA, Matthews I, Murphy PM, Nakrour N, Ohliger M, Ollison C, Osinski T, Pamatmat AJ, Pompa IR, Rakow-Penner R, Roberts JL, Shabaik AS, Song Y, Song D, Tempany CM, Trecarten S, Wehrli N, Weinberg EP, Woolen S, Xu G, Zhong AY, Dale AM, Seibert TM. Restriction Spectrum Imaging as a Quantitative Biomarker for Prostate Cancer With Reliable Positive Predictive Value. J Urol. 2025 Sep; 214(3):259-271.
Woolen S, Lichter KE, Schoen JH. Shaping a Greener Future: The Role of Education in Sustainability-AJR Podcast Series on Sustainability, Episode 6. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2025 May; 224(5):e2533169.
Woolen SA, Deshpande V, Becker AE, Dai S, Su P, Itriago-Leon P, Huang SY, Tabari A, Hanneman K, Vosshenrich J, Hess CP, Martin AJ. Low-Carbon MRI: Acceleration Strategies to Reduce Emissions and Expand Imaging Capacity. Radiology. 2025 Apr; 315(1):e243453.
Song Y, Dornisch AM, Dess RT, Margolis DJA, Weinberg EP, Barrett T, Cornell M, Fan RE, Harisinghani M, Kamran SC, Lee JH, Li CX, Liss MA, Rusu M, Santos J, Sonn GA, Vidic I, Woolen SA, Dale AM, Seibert TM. Multidisciplinary Consensus Prostate Contours on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Educational Atlas and Reference Standard for Artificial Intelligence Benchmarking. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2025 Sep 01; 123(1):183-194.
Woolen S, Hess CP, Merkle EM, Goh C. Sustainability in Radiology: Global Perspectives on Greener Health Care-AJR Podcast Series on Sustainability, Episode 5. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2025 Apr; 224(4):e2532864.
Rudrapatna VA, Wang TA, Vazirnia P, Wang K, Alhalel N, Slatter S, Mattson G, Becker A, Oon CY, Wang S, Karlon W, Pasternak S, Thiel CL, Gandhi S, Woolen S. A Comparative Environmental Impact Analysis of Screening Tests for Colorectal Cancer. medRxiv. 2025 Jan 15.
Woolen S, Omary RA, Schumacher E. Sustainable Radiology: The Power of Patient Perspectives-AJR Podcast Series on Sustainability, Episode 4. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2025 Feb; 224(2):e2432611.
Baxter MT, Conlin CC, Bagrodia A, Barrett T, Bartsch H, Brau A, Cooperberg M, Dale AM, Guidon A, Hahn ME, Harisinghani MG, Javier-DesLoges JF, Kamran SC, Kane CJ, Kuperman JM, Margolis DJA, Murphy PM, Nakrour N, Ohliger MA, Rakow-Penner R, Shabaik A, Simko JP, Tempany CM, Wehrli N, Woolen SA, Zou J, Seibert TM. Advanced Restriction Imaging and Reconstruction Technology for Prostate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (ART-Pro): A Study Protocol for a Multicenter, Multinational Trial Evaluating Biparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Advanced, Quantitative Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Detection of Prostate Cancer. Eur Urol Open Sci. 2025 Jan; 71:132-143.
Hernandez AM, Chen AF, Ghatpande O, Omary RA, Woolen S, Jung Y, Fananapazir G. Reducing the Energy Consumption of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography Scanners: Integrating Ecodesign and Sustainable Operations. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2025 Mar-Apr 01; 49(2):191-202.
Woolen S, Marrero-Gonzalez A. Strategies for Climate-Resilient Imaging Services: AJR Podcast Series on Sustainability, Episode 3. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2024 Dec; 223(6):e2432299.
Woolen S, Maturen K. The Role of Data in Radiology's Green Transformation: AJR Podcast Series on Sustainability, Episode 2. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2024 Oct; 223(4):e2431994.
Woolen S, Hanneman K. Radiology's Role in the Climate Crisis: Why It Matters-AJR Podcast Series on Sustainability, Episode 1. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2024 08; 223(2):e2431682.
Doo FX, Vosshenrich J, Cook TS, Moy L, Almeida EPRP, Woolen SA, Gichoya JW, Heye T, Hanneman K. Environmental Sustainability and AI in Radiology: A Double-Edged Sword. Radiology. 2024 02; 310(2):e232030.
Woolen SA, Larson DB, Lewis GM, Malik K, Foster CA, Martin MF, Maturen KE. Leveraging Quality Improvement Principles for Radiology Sustainability: Bridging Advocacy and Action. J Am Coll Radiol. 2024 02; 21(2):234-238.
Chaban YV, Vosshenrich J, McKee H, Gunasekaran S, Brown MJ, Atalay MK, Heye T, Markl M, Woolen SA, Simonetti OP, Hanneman K. Environmental Sustainability and MRI: Challenges, Opportunities, and a Call for Action. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2024 04; 59(4):1149-1167.
Zigmund B, Hijaz T, Northrup BE, Schoen JH, Hanneman K, Brown M, Dave P, Gross JS, Henry CE, Leschied JR, Maturen KE, Quirk CR, Woolen SA, Zalis ME, Scheel JR. Public Health Statement of the Association of University Radiologists Committee on Climate Change and Sustainability. Acad Radiol. 2023 10; 30(10):2358-2361.
Woolen SA, Becker AE, Martin AJ, Knoerl R, Lam V, Folsom J, Eusemann C, Hess CP, Deshpande V. Erratum for: Ecodesign and Operational Strategies to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of MRI for Energy Cost Savings. Radiology. 2023 Jul; 308(1):e239020.
Leschied JR, Maturen KE, Brown M, Hanneman K, Schoen JH, Zigmund B, Northrup BE, Gross JS, Dave P, Woolen SA, Henry C, Quirk CR, Hijaz TA, Zalis ME, Scheel JR. Letter to the Editor: Radiology Action for Climate Change. Acad Radiol. 2023 10; 30(10):2435-2436.
Woolen SA, Becker AE, Martin AJ, Knoerl R, Lam V, Folsom J, Eusemann C, Hess CP, Deshpande V. Ecodesign and Operational Strategies to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of MRI for Energy Cost Savings. Radiology. 2023 05; 307(4):e230441.
Woolen SA, Kim CJ, Hernandez AM, Becker A, Martin AJ, Kuoy E, Pevec WC, Tutton S. Radiology Environmental Impact: What Is Known and How Can We Improve? Acad Radiol. 2023 04; 30(4):625-630.
Sumner C, Ikuta I, Garg T, Martin JG, Mansoori B, Chalian M, Englander BS, Chertoff J, Woolen S, Caplin D, Sneider MB, Desouches SL, Chan TL, Kadom N. Approaches to Greening Radiology. Acad Radiol. 2023 03; 30(3):528-535.
An C, Obmann MM, Sun Y, Wang ZJ, Sugi MD, Behr SC, Zagoria RJ, Woolen SA, Yeh BM. Positive Versus Neutral Oral Contrast Material for Detection of Malignant Deposits in Intraabdominal Nonsolid Organs on CT. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2022 08; 219(2):233-243.
Sun D, Hadjiiski L, Alva A, Zakharia Y, Joshi M, Chan HP, Garje R, Pomerantz L, Elhag D, Cohan RH, Caoili EM, Kerr WT, Cha KH, Kirova-Nedyalkova G, Davenport MS, Shankar PR, Francis IR, Shampain K, Meyer N, Barkmeier D, Woolen S, Palmbos PL, Weizer AZ, Samala RK, Zhou C, Matuszak M. Computerized Decision Support for Bladder Cancer Treatment Response Assessment in CT Urography: Effect on Diagnostic Accuracy in Multi-Institution Multi-Specialty Study. Tomography. 2022 03 02; 8(2):644-656.
Woolen SA, Lazar AA, Smith-Bindman R. Association Between the Frequent Use of Perineal Talcum Powder Products and Ovarian Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 08; 37(10):2526-2532.
Woolen SA, Troost JP, Khalatbari S, Pujara AC, McDonald JS, McDonald RJ, Shankar P, Lewin AA, Melsaether AN, Westphal SM, Patterson KH, Nettles A, Welby JP, Patel PP, Kiros N, Piccoli L, Davenport MS. Prospective multicenter assessment of patient preferences for properties of gadolinium-based contrast media and their potential socioeconomic impact in a screening breast MRI setting. Eur Radiol. 2021 Dec; 31(12):9139-9149.
Woolen SA, Singal AG, Davenport MS, Troost JP, Khalatbari S, Mittal S, Siddiqui S, Fobar A, Morris J, Odewole M, Tapper EB, Pillai A, Parikh ND. Patient Preferences for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance Parameters. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 01; 20(1):204-215.e6.
Woolen S, Virkud A, Hadjiiski L, Cha K, Chan HP, Swiecicki P, Worden F, Srinivasan A. Prediction of Disease Free Survival in Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancers Using CT Perfusion and Radiomic Features: A Pilot Study. Tomography. 2021 03; 7(1):10-19.
Hadjiiski LM, Cha KH, Cohan RH, Chan HP, Caoili EM, Davenport MS, Samala RK, Weizer AZ, Alva A, Kirova-Nedyalkova G, Shampain K, Meyer N, Barkmeier D, Woolen SA, Shankar PR, Francis IR, Palmbos PL. Intraobserver Variability in Bladder Cancer Treatment Response Assessment With and Without Computerized Decision Support. Tomography. 2020 06; 6(2):194-202.
Woolen SA, Shankar PR, Gagnier JJ, MacEachern MP, Singer L, Davenport MS. Risk of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis in Patients With Stage 4 or 5 Chronic Kidney Disease Receiving a Group II Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agent: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 02 01; 180(2):223-230.
Gaetke-Udager K, Brown RKJ, Centonze CP, Hu EM, Liles AL, Woolen SA, Zhang A, Davenport MS. Advanced Quality Training in Radiology: Inaugural Report of a 2-Year Program. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2019 May; 212(5):1082-1090.
Cha KH, Hadjiiski LM, Cohan RH, Chan HP, Caoili EM, Davenport MS, Samala RK, Weizer AZ, Alva A, Kirova-Nedyalkova G, Shampain K, Meyer N, Barkmeier D, Woolen S, Shankar PR, Francis IR, Palmbos P. Diagnostic Accuracy of CT for Prediction of Bladder Cancer Treatment Response with and without Computerized Decision Support. Acad Radiol. 2019 09; 26(9):1137-1145.
Woolen SA, Kazerooni EA, Steenburg SD, Nan B, Ma T, Wall A, Linna NB, Gayed MJ, Kushdilian MV, Parent K, Cahalan S, Alameddine M, Ladd LM, Davenport MS. Optimizing Electronic Release of Imaging Results through an Online Patient Portal. Radiology. 2019 01; 290(1):136-143.
Gaetke-Udager K, London ZN, Woolen S, Parmar H, Bailey JE, Barr DC. An Introductory, Computer-Based Learning Module for Interpreting Noncontrast Head Computed Tomography. MedEdPORTAL. 2018 06 01; 14:10721.
Shankar PR, Davenport MS, Woolen SA, Carlos RC, Maturen KE. Survey Research: A Primer for the Academic Radiologist. Acad Radiol. 2018 06; 25(6):751-756.
Woolen S, Kazerooni EA, Wall A, Parent K, Cahalan S, Alameddine M, Davenport MS. Waiting for Radiology Test Results: Patient Expectations and Emotional Disutility. J Am Coll Radiol. 2018 02; 15(2):274-281.
Woolen SA, Maturen KE, Nettles A, Cahalan S, Parent K, Gomez-Hassan D, Davenport MS. Patient-Centered Assessment of the Value of Oral Contrast Material. J Am Coll Radiol. 2017 Dec; 14(12):1626-1631.
Woolen S, Gemmete JJ. Treatment of Residual Facial Arteriovenous Malformations after Embolization with Percutaneous Cryotherapy. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2016 Oct; 27(10):1570-5.
Woolen S, Gemmete JJ. Paragangliomas of the Head and Neck. Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 2016 May; 26(2):259-78.
Woolen S, Gemmete JJ, Pandey AS, Chaudhary N. Dural carotid-cavernous fistula presenting with confusion and expressive aphasia. J Clin Neurosci. 2015 Nov; 22(11):1844-6.
Woolen S, Gemmete JJ, Pandey AS, Chaudhary N. Targeted epidural patch with n-butyl cyanoacrylate (n-BCA) through a single catheter access site for treatment of a cerebral spinal fluid leak causing spontaneous intracranial hypotension. J Neurointerv Surg. 2016 Jul; 8(7):e26.
Woolen S, Gemmete JJ, Pandey AS, Chaudhary N. Targeted epidural patch with n-butyl cyanoacrylate (n-BCA) through a single catheter access site for treatment of a cerebral spinal fluid leak causing spontaneous intracranial hypotension. BMJ Case Rep. 2015 Jun 02; 2015.
Woolen S, Holzmeyer C, Nesbitt E, Siami PF. Long-term efficacy and tolerability of abdominal once-yearly histrelin acetate subcutaneous implants in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer. 2014; 2014:490315.
Aquino C, Woolen S, Steenburg SD. Magnetic resonance imaging of traumatic brain injury: a pictorial review. Emerg Radiol. 2015 Feb; 22(1):65-78.
Gunderman R, Woolen SA. Learner confidence: friend or foe? Acad Radiol. 2014 Jun; 21(6):824-5.
