50 forward By Melanie Padgett Powers
Generation Z What will this diverse, tech-savvy cohort bring to IR?
G
eneration Z has entered the workplace. Born between 1997 and 2012, the oldest Gen Zers will turn 28 in 2025: This
means that about half of residents and all traditional-age medical students are part of this generation.
Gen Z is the first generation of digital natives—most don’t remember a time before smartphones and high-speed Wi-Fi. “A lot of us haven’t experienced life without the internet, so we’re comfortable integrating technology into our daily lives and using those tools to streamline work,” said Eric Cyphers, DO, a general surgery intern at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City who begins his radiology/IR residency in July 2025 at the University of Southern California.
Each generation is affected by the world they grew up in. Gen Z students and adults don’t remember 9/11 but grew up in its aftermath. They are the most racially and ethnically diverse generation the U.S. has seen; as children in 2008, they watched America elect the first Black president. But in 2020, nearly all of them were either in high school or college when COVID-19 halted everything and upended their academic plans.
No generation is a monolith. Generalizations can quickly become stereotypes. But each generation shares
certain characteristics and historical events that shape their lives. How will Generation Z affect and change medicine, particularly IR?
Comfort with technology The most obvious area is technology. As digital natives, Gen Zers are
2015 Women in IR (WIR) Section established; SIR Connect launches
Following the first advisory group meeting in 2006, the Women in IR (WIR) Section officially becomes a member section, dedicated to promoting women within the specialty by inspiring and empowering women interventional radiologists to achieve their personal and professional goals. The same year, SIR launched SIR Connect, an online member community made just for IRs. With discussion forums, community libraries of shared resources, volunteer opportunities, the Mentor Match, Speakers Bureau and membership directory, SIR Connect provides innumerable ways to connect and network. Learn more about the history of SIR Connect at
irq.sirweb.org/sir’s-greatest-hits-sir-connect.
30 IRQ | WINTER 2025
comfortable carrying tiny computers in their pockets all day. They don’t think twice about researching a question on their phone or storing notes in an app. They are also bewildered at the new-to-them technology in the hospital, such as scanners and fax machines, still being used.
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