Humans of IR
Krichelle White Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix
“Humans of IR” is a project by the SIR Residents, Fellows and Medical Students (RFS) Section and the SIR Diversity and Inclusiveness Advisory Group exploring the origins, personal stories and connections that led our physicians and med students to pursue a career in interventional radiology. Watch for entries in the series on SIR’s Instagram.
How did you first discover IR? I discovered IR when I began my clinical rotations and grew curious about the phantom “interventional radiologists” that we were constantly calling on to do everything, it seemed. I wanted to learn more, so I managed to get myself into the IR suite to observe one of my patient’s interventions and I was hooked. Afterwards, I was fortunate enough to do my elective rotation with the IR group at our university hospital, which was an amazing experience. They embraced me and introduced me to the SIR network, which allowed me to learn more about the field and become more involved.
Who was your biggest inspiration? Though I've been fortunate enough to have many great mentors, the two individuals are my mom and my mother-in-law. My mom is a testament to the saying, “You can do anything you set your mind to.” She taught me to embrace adversity and use it to inspire necessary change for myself and others. If it were not for her, I would never have had the opportunity to pursue medicine. My mother-in-law was an amazing woman, who unfortunately was diagnosed with COVID-19. Though she fought very hard over a 2-month battle, she eventually succumbed to the illness. During that time, she had countless procedures done by IR and was always
so amazed by the field and what they were able to do for her during the most trying times. This experience just reinforced the impact and reach of the field of IR in impacting the quality of life of our patients.
By practicing IR, what do you fight for? Given not only my experiences but those of my loved ones, I am fighting to help be the change. As a gay Black and Hispanic woman who was raised
by a single mother from a low-income community, I am fighting for individuals like myself who may feel as though their experience isn’t heard or understood. My doctors growing up have rarely looked like me, and I rarely saw a representation of myself in hospitals or clinics throughout my medical school career. I hope to change that for future students. Every day when I wake up I am so grateful to be a part of a medical specialty that embraces change and pursues innovation.
sirweb.org/irq | 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
