Radiology Residency Initiatives

Throughout the year, the female radiology residents and fellows attend happy hours, dinners, holiday parties and various events to foster camaraderie amongst female residents and promote mentorship. As navigating medicine and radiology as a woman can be challenging, the mentorship and friendship that this group provides is invaluable.

Initiated by female radiology residents in conjunction with the Baylor Office of Institutional Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, the "Women in Radiology at the Texas Medical Center" webinars have been hosted by female radiology residents and the Baylor Radiology Interest Group for medical students. During these virtual events, multiple accomplished female radiologists from the Texas Medical Center share their unique experiences about careers in radiology. This event was extremely well-received by medical students and residents alike, and they were able to ask questions and learn more about being a woman in radiology with the accompanying challenges and highlights.

The future of radiology is tied to Artificial Intelligence (AI), and leaders in radiology will need to be well-versed in AI. Guest lectures with backgrounds in artificial intelligence keep our resident body informed on the latest innovations. Residents can also seek our AI research opportunities with professionals in the Texas Medical Center, including other radiologists, physicians in other specialties, entrepreneurs, and computer scientists and engineers.

The Physician as Educator pillar provides residents with opportunities to improve their skills as educators through supervision, teaching and collaborative learning. DIRRECT members take on increasing responsibilities over time, with R1 members primarily focused on supervision of medical students during the medical school MERADS elective and teaching radiologic correlation in anatomy lab. Over time, residents start giving noon conference lectures to Internal Medicine and Family Medicine. Example lectures include “When to consult IR,” “Clinical application of nuclear medicine,” or “How to order a body CT.” In addition to our interdisciplinary education initiatives, we put on an annual R1 bootcamp for incoming residents.

The Professional Development pillar is designed to help residents develop and hone their skills related to education and career growth. We host one event every 4-6 weeks, where a guest speaker comes to discuss topics such as PowerPoint slide design, effective use of Zoom, CV writing, how to give feedback, leadership skills, etc.

Lastly, we have the Educational Innovation pillar. To uphold this pillar, residents complete two substantive projects that showcase their commitment to clinical education. Projects are open for interpretation. Past projects have included authoring a paper related to medical education, presenting at AUR, and organizing Professional Development workshops.

Take a look at our article, "The DIRRECT Radiology Residency Educational Pathway: A Focus on Clinical Consultancy," published in RSNA's Radiology: In Training, for more information about this track!