now relying on short Zoom interviews for crucial career decisions. As technical difficulties arose, program coordinators quickly became virtual IT professionals. Ultimately, the interview process was extended to April 30, 2020, and some residents in the country conducted over half of their interviews virtually.


The core exam for PGY-4 residents was also postponed from late May and early June 2020 to February 2021 and will transition to a virtual format. Many review courses were cancelled or postponed, thereby throwing most residents out of the typical study routine. This delay has also resulted in the additional challenge of navigating an Early Specialization


in IR (ESIR) year while also studying for the Core Exam. Program directors were now tasked with the challenge of rearranging entire blocks of rotations to accommodate the changes.


Conclusion Overall, the opportunity to contribute to the pandemic response when our colleagues in the emergency department, medical wards and intensive care units were stretched thin was both rewarding and heartening. Interdisciplinary collaboration took on a new meaning with trainees from interventional radiology, radiation oncology and others working alongside medicine residents in the face of a common challenge.


At the same time, balancing personal and professional obligations has been a challenge for many providers, especially those who are elderly, have pre-existing conditions or have vulnerable loved ones at home. In the uncharted territory of this pandemic, the risks of exposure are not insignificant and should be weighed carefully.


The COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, and it is hard to predict if or when we may be needed again. Even though we are subspecialists by training, the chance to care for patients during this time feels like a fulfillment of the oath that we took when we embarked on this path as physicians.


Humans of IR: Robert Peng, MD Humans of IR


The SIR-RFS and the Diversity and Inclusiveness Advisory Group, specifically Harjit Singh, MD, FSIR, Shantanu Warhadpande, MD, Kumar Vishal, MD, and Oleksandra Kutsenko, MD, have launched a project called “Humans of IR” that explores the origins, personal stories and connections that led our physicians to pursue a career in interventional radiology. Watch for entries in the series in SIR’s Twitter feed and in each issue of IRQ. Interviews were compiled over the course of 2019.


for a pulmonary embolism. I fell in love with the ability to directly impact a patient’s life by performing image- guided, minimally invasive procedures. I was intrigued by the field and how it constantly changes, embracing new technologies to provide better clinical care. I found a home in IR—the perfect combination of clinical medicine, imaging, procedural intervention and innovation.


Who has been your biggest inspiration?


How did you first discover IR?


As a first-year radiology resident, I experienced the shock of transitioning from clinical wards to dark reading rooms. IR, however, stood out and was unlike any other rotation, with a strong clinical focus. Seeing patients in clinic and speaking to them and their families were aspects that I missed as a trainee. I will never forget being called in the middle of the night for my first catheter-directed thrombolysis case


My father was my biggest inspiration. He was a tinkerer, a self-educated TV repair man who could fix anything. I spent most of my childhood afternoons at his shop, watching as broken stereos roared back to life. A complex thought process went into each repair. After careful inspection, he identified the problem and used parts from other electronics to fix the machine. His dedication shone through his craft, as Mr. Peng, the TV repairman, became a permanent fixture in the neighborhood. I too have searched for this sense of purpose and pride in my work and have found it in IR.


I fell in love with the ability to directly impact a patient’s life by performing image-guided, minimally invasive procedures.


By doing IR, what do you fight for?


I find meaning in helping people. IR provides care for a wide range of patients who often are the sickest and have no other treatment options. Whether it is stopping a lower gastrointestinal bleed with an embolization, performing a transarterial chemoembolization so that a patient is still eligible for a liver transplant, or performing an IR-guided gastrostomy tube to allow a patient to receive nutrition, making a difference in the lives of others fills me with a sense of purpose. My patients motivate me to push the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of medicine so that we may provide novel and better care. Inspired by my father, I too am a dedicated tinkerer who loves to problem-solve and innovate. I know that I have I found my calling in IR.


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