Radiologist finds lasting rewards in contact with patients

Article

I enjoyed the column in your September issue ("Put a name tag on an invisible specialty," page 56). My retired RN and certified parish nurse wife is a former executive secretary and marketer who for years complained about the lack of radiologists' efforts to improve their image and inform the public of their role in medicine.

I enjoyed the column in your September issue ("Put a name tag on an invisible specialty," page 56). My retired RN and certified parish nurse wife is a former executive secretary and marketer who for years complained about the lack of radiologists' efforts to improve their image and inform the public of their role in medicine.

My wife has encouraged me to improve my image in both the local community and my hospital over the years. It has certainly been very good for me and probably helped prevent malpractice cases. I recently left my local hospital where I worked for the past 17 years. The response from both staff and people on the street has been humbling. I never realized how many lives I touched in a positive way. The imaging personnel and others at my hospital are begging me to return.

The widow of a local attorney thanked me this past week for taking the time several years ago to explain to both her late husband and her about his multiple myeloma that I discovered on his spinal MRI. This is an almost daily event whenever I go out in public and run into someone on the street. Many people, whom I don't know personally, know who I am because I helped their loved ones.

All I did in the past was take a few minutes out of my day to talk to patients whenever I thought it necessary. That's all. I couldn't talk to everyone, but whenever I could, I did.

-Alan F. Knull, M.D.

Woodstock, VA

E-MAIL US: jhayes@cmp.com

Newsletter

Stay at the forefront of radiology with the Diagnostic Imaging newsletter, delivering the latest news, clinical insights, and imaging advancements for today’s radiologists.

Recent Videos
SNMMI: Emerging PET Insights on Neuroinflammation with Progressive Apraxia of Speech (PAOS) and Parkinson-Plus Syndrome
Improving Access to Nuclear Imaging: An Interview with SNMMI President Jean-Luc C. Urbain, MD, PhD
SNMMI: 18F-Piflufolastat PSMA PET/CT Offers High PPV for Local PCa Recurrence Regardless of PSA Level
SNMMI: NIH Researcher Discusses Potential of 18F-Fluciclovine for Multiple Myeloma Detection
SNMMI: What Tau PET Findings May Reveal About Modifiable Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease
Emerging Insights on the Use of FES PET for Women with Lobular Breast Cancer
Can Generative AI Reinvent Radiology Reporting?: An Interview with Samir Abboud, MD
Mammography Study Reveals Over Sixfold Higher Risk of Advanced Cancer Presentation with Symptom-Detected Cancers
Combining Advances in Computed Tomography Angiography with AI to Enhance Preventive Care
Study: MRI-Based AI Enhances Detection of Seminal Vesicle Invasion in Prostate Cancer
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.