SIR Foundation GEMS: shaping leaders, inspiring futures

Episode Transcript

Recorded live from the Cook booth at SIR. Featuring leading experts in the field of interventional radiology, discussing a wide range of IR-related topics. This is the Cook@ SIR podcast series.

Hello everyone, and welcome to the very first episode of the 2025 Cook@ SIR podcast series. My name is Vishal Kumar, and I’m honored to kick off the second season, where [00:00:30] we will be joined by guests who will share their inspiring stories and have conversations with visionaries and experts who are making waves and blazing trails in the world of interventional radiology.

This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of SIR in Nashville, Tennessee. And we wanted to begin by celebrating some of the outstanding scholars from the SIR Foundation’s GEMS program, who were willing to tell us about their individual journeys and reflect on the impact of the [00:01:00] SIR Foundation GEMS program. Doctors Tia Forsman and Andres Aquino, thank you so much for being here today. It is a gift to be sharing real time and virtual space with you. Welcome to the 2025 Cook@ SIR podcast.

Thank you for having us.

Happy to be here.

Tia, could you please introduce yourself to our listeners? And tell us a little bit about what you’d like them to know about you and your journey thus far.

Sure. Thank you so much, Dr. Kumar. Yeah. [00:01:30] My name’s Tia, Tia Forsman. I am currently an R1, first-year radiology resident at LA General USC in Los Angeles, California. But before I went to med school, before I decided interventional radiology was for me, I was an art major. I was someone who didn’t have any doctors in my family. I navigated entering the medical world [00:02:00] without having someone in my family who I could follow, and that was really important. I was always looking for mentors.

I grew up in Arizona and then moved across the country to go to college and med school at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. I was interested in the arts and the liberal sciences but then found medicine. And then quickly found IR in med school, and it was the luckiest thing I ever did. [00:02:30] I’m happy to be here, and I’m learning a ton right now as a R1. And I’m learning everything really quickly, and still in love with IR, as much as I was when I first found it.

Thank you for sharing that incredible story. We’re so happy to have you in the specialty and family of interventional radiology. We were honored to have you as part of the GEMS program in 2022. Your website at TiaForsman.com, some of the artistic expressions, and I [00:03:00] think the intersection of humanity, medicine, and radiology is really awe-inspiring. So thank you for bringing your whole self to the program.

Dr. Andres Aquino, you were part of the 2023 class. I offer you the same question. What would you like to tell the listener about yourself?

Yes. Thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure being here today. My name is Andres Aquino. I am currently at MCW, Medical College of Wisconsin, in the Integrated [00:03:30] Interventional Radiology program. A little bit about myself, I was born in the Dominican Republic, raised in Puerto Rico.

Originally, I did an undergrad in chemistry, and I was working in Pfizer as an analytical chemist. I wanted a little bit more action in my life, and I decided to join the US Army. My goal was, at that point in time, jumping out of planes and traveling the world. So I ended up being a military medic in the US [00:04:00] Army, stationed in Germany for about four-and-a-half years.

During my time in training in the military, I became certified in a Biosafety Level-3 lab. After my time in service, I get out of the military, work for the Department of Homeland Security in Connecticut. Have plenty of opportunities to travel to weird places including the North Pole, I was blessed with the opportunity. Got a promotion. Moved to Philadelphia for [00:04:30] the Department of Defense as an analytical chemist. From there to another promotion, I moved to Washington D.C. to work for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

So my journey to medicine has been pretty much convoluted, but I am blessed to be here. Like Tia, I don’t have anyone in my family to guide me through this journey, so having a mentor has been instrumental for me. I am, right now, happy [00:05:00] to match in the integrated program, and just working my way through it.

Andres, thank you so much for that incredible response. You say “convoluted” but I hear a commitment and dedication of service to your country, to the community.

Here at UCSF, we often have military individuals who come for their independent residence. They bring such a vibrance, a maturity, a world perspective. [00:05:30] Really on behalf of everybody and those listening, I want to say thank you to those of you in the military and the armed forces for your service, for your continued dedication. And thank you for your incredible service in your journey thus far. It’s really an honor and one of the best privileges of my life and career to be a part of your guys’ process, so thank you. Thank you both for being here.

You mentioned being the first in your family to go into medicine. That was part of [00:06:00] Dr. Matsumoto’s original vision with the SIR GEMS program. Andres, if I can start with you first, how did you hear about the GEMS program? How does somebody who’s been in the military and a chemist, an analyst, find their way into interventional radiology?

Well, that was a good question. When I was in my medical school, unfortunately for me, we didn’t have a residency program in IR. We still don’t have one. As a [00:06:30] matter of fact, we did not have even an interest group. One of my upper classmates was selected for the GEMS program the prior year. And she mentioned, in my journey to finding IR, she mentioned, “You should join the SIR and look at the GEMS program.” That’s the best thing that ever happened to me, having somebody that point me in the right direction. I mean, it took me a minute to find it, but once I did, it was one of the [00:07:00] best decisions I ever did.

Well, thank you for sharing. Can you maybe give us a shout-out to who your alumni at Howard University was that inspired you?

Well, I’m going to keep that one on, because she’s shy, and she don’t like me to share her name. Every time that I mention to her she say, “Don’t say anything.” So I’m going to keep her.

Okay. Well, we allow space for humility here. I won’t shout out any names. I think it’s so critical [00:07:30] that the SIR community, SIR Foundation, and our specialty, continue to reach out to institutions that do not have interventional radiologists present. Howard University, while we celebrate black excellence and the history of those institutions, continue to lack support for residency training.

So I really think it’s so incredible that you’re here, the alumni from Howard who have joined the program. I think it’s really an indicator of how much more [00:08:00] work we still have to do, to have a presence of diagnostic and interventional radiology at these institutions. Tia, same question to you. How do we get somebody who has a commitment to visual arts and humanities, become an interventional radiologist? How’d you find out about GEMS?

Yeah, I was similar. Andres, I love your description of being pointed in the right direction by people, and you didn’t even know they were pointing you on a path. [00:08:30] I was really lucky. I knew I was interested in radiology because I had this visual aspect. I knew I liked images. I knew I liked pictures. I was lucky to have an interest group at my medical school.

I heard the term interventional in front of the word radiology and I thought, “Oh, I like doing things with my hands. I love being involved in that way.” So I joined that interest group. My mentor at Brown, Dr. Ahn—Dr. Sun Ho Ahn—was [00:09:00] an advocate from the start. He took me under his wing, and I felt like I became part of his family very quickly. But I still wasn’t sure if I was interested in this field. It was so new. And again, I didn’t know the world of medicine very well, so I wasn’t sure how I would fit in the picture of the giant medical world.

Then I was reaching out to different interventional radiologists in the northeastern area. I reached [00:09:30] out to Dr. Hirschel McGinnis, actually, because he was working at a nearby hospital in Massachusetts. And I said, “Can I just spend the day with you and see what your life is like?” I think I was a second-year med student at this time. He was so kind. He responded immediately and got me certified to work at his hospital, and spend the day with him.

I think it was the busiest day on service for him. He was doing biopsy here, a [00:10:00] port here. He was doing everything. He was the one who told me about the GEMS program and encouraged me. We spent that whole day together, and I told him my story and how I didn’t have guidance. I didn’t have someone. I didn’t have mentors quite yet.

Of course, I had a few in my med school and I’m thankful for them. He was the one who was like, “I think the GEMS community would be really good for you to be part of.” And I’m forever thankful for that little push in that direction because [00:10:30] he became such an important influence and is still such a mentor to me.

Oh, that story is pulling at my heartstrings. You’ve named two of the favorite people in my life, in my career. Dr. Sun Ahn, thank you to you. You were there to help support me when I was a young, brand-new faculty member joining SIR. Student and Resident Committee, P.J. Rochon. Thank you. Geogy Vatakencherry, thank you. You took me under your wings and showed me what leadership and mentorship looks like, and you’re still mentors to me today.

Dr. [00:11:00] Hirschel McGinnis, I mean, I don’t have words to describe how I feel for Dr. McGinnis, but he joined the podcast last year. He has been a tireless advocate and mentor for students, for the GEMS Scholar program. He lectures on overcoming imposter syndrome, really finding your best self.

He’s helped me, I think, really take the GEMS curriculum to a level that resonates for you guys and [00:11:30] is not really on the agenda that I initially thought of when we came up with this, our GEMS program, back in 2020 during the pandemic. I’m curious, Tia, maybe I’ll start with you. Are there any memories that stand out from the GEMS program from your class, or anything you’d like to share?

Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. I mean, similar to how we’re sitting here and talking to each other on screens, a lot of the GEMS program was these lectures. I remember feeling [00:12:00] so honored and blessed to be able to be on these lectures with some of the most amazing names that I had only heard of. Then also, just making connections with the GEMS class that I was part of.

I feel like I still have connections with some of my classmates. Like Simone who was the year before me, I think she’s at Colorado now. I think I formed a whole community of people who were just little boxes on my screen. Then when I went to SIR [00:12:30] the following year of that program, it was amazing to meet all of my GEMS classmates in person.

Then, of course, the lecturers in person. Meeting Dr. Michele Johnson at SIR was incredible. Because I never thought that I would even get a lecture from her, let alone meet her and have her know my name. I felt so included, and suddenly I had a home.

I had been to SIR before. The year before, before I was a GEMS [00:13:00] recipient, and I felt very lost at SIR. It was very overwhelming. I remember the palpable difference of going to SIR, and having a GEMS community, and feeling like, let’s go to this lecture together where we have this shared experience together. That was a really impactful experience that GEMS gave me.

Oh, I love that. You named Dr. Michele Johnson, the living legend and icon. I would argue she’s the GOAT over Michael Jordan and [00:13:30] Michael Jackson anytime. She’s the original MJ, so thank you Dr. Johnson. Thank you everybody. All the faculty members. We have over 50 faculty over the last few years who dedicate their time, their energy, time away from their families.

We don’t have compensation for their time. They do it out of their interest in mentorship and advocacy. So thank you to all of them who really make the program possible. Andres in your class of 2023, any memories [00:14:00] that jump out or stand out?

Absolutely. Being a military member, I felt that the GEMS program was this brotherhood, and I feel extremely supported. Throughout the class we quickly bonded. Even though we were doing it online, we definitely became friends very quickly, and we were supporting each other. After the lectures, we used to exchange text messages, and it just was amazing.

[00:14:30] I agree with Tia. When we met with the SIR, it’s like we knew each other for a long time. It’s almost like all of these other people were in my same medical school, even though they were from all over the nation. So this transformative experience and this brotherhood for GEMS was something amazing.

Now from the lectures, there is so many people in the lectures, and they were just incredible. I think that [00:15:00] GEMS do a really, really good job on presenting IR, how much IR is changing, the medicine as a whole. It’s just impressive what is going on right now.

Yeah. Thank you for that response. I think building community, the brotherhood you speak of, Andres, was one of the most unexpected and welcome surprises of creating the GEMS program. It [00:15:30] was created out of necessity during the 2019–2020 COVID pandemic, when virtual electives were getting shut down, students couldn’t continue exposure. It seemed like a critical time for the GEMS program to make sure it survived.

We had done teaching locally through our interest group. We had broadcast virtually, so it felt like it’s something we could do. When we saw each other in person, Andres, I agree with you: that [00:16:00] connection, the dynamic, vibrant reunion almost. It felt like a family reunion. It was something, it took my breath away. I still have pictures from that night, framed in my office. It was incredible.

Then bringing that family together with the Road2IR family in the same room. It was just one of my favorite memories, I think, in my career. So I thank you both for being such a huge part of it.

Question for the curriculum even. I guess it’s a selfish question because I’m always looking [00:16:30] growth mindset. How do we make GEMS better? Were there any surprises that you experienced or felt going through GEMS? Something that was unexpected or not anticipated? Andres, I’ll start with you, please.

Surprises. I think that is pleasant surprises. I hope that you are not asking for anything negative, because I don’t think that it could not have been made better. I say the most transformative experience that [00:17:00] I have in GEMS. Once again, I’m happy in the same thing, but that’s my real feeling is how supporting the community was. It’s not only the GEMS program, but the IR community as a whole.

We have a mentality in IR, that essentially we are holding the ladder for others to climb. In medicine, we often feel that we are in a constant competition among the best of the best. In [00:17:30] the GEMS I didn’t feel that way at all. Everything in medicine is about step score, evaluation that can make or break your path, but I truly felt supported within GEMS.

As well, I witnessed how accomplished individuals were willing to share their time. To come and just talk to us very selflessly, and asking or [00:18:00] able to answer any questions for us, and guide us through this challenging process. I think that their generosity and their mentorship has been truly extraordinary, and it’s something that I always value.

Well, Andres, I thank you sincerely for that heartwarming feedback. As an educator, we always strive to create an environment that is supportive. That is not competitive. That where everybody can really lift each other up. Because I think to see [00:18:30] Dr. Kirema Garcia-Reyes from Mount Sinai to be on the call with you, and then to see this immediate affinity.

We have Dr. Jose Mendez here at UCSF, also from Puerto Rico, is kind of to find allegiance and alliance, and as you said, “To help each other climb the ladder.” I think that’s all we can ask of each other in our specialty and community to really push us forward. Tia, how about yourself? Anything that stood out to you that you recall fondly or transformatively?

[00:19:00] Yeah. I would echo everything that Andres says. Is that the surprise, the pleasant surprise, of so much support was just… And I think that brings in this imposter syndrome idea of, I think I went through medical school feeling like I didn’t entirely belong. I maybe had this idea in the back of my head that I wasn’t good enough, or I maybe wasn’t quote-unquote “competitive enough” to be in a field like IR.

Then GEMS, as soon as I entered that curriculum and I was on those calls with some [00:19:30] incredible faculty members, Dr. Keith Horton. Dr. Mark Wilson. All these amazing giants in the field, and then they were taking me very seriously. They all of a sudden were looking at me and giving me knowledge, which is power, and telling me that, “This is knowledge that you can use in your career.” They were talking to me as if I was their colleague, and I believed them. I think that was a huge, huge thing for me to feel [00:20:00] included. I don’t think I even knew I needed that.

Then the surprise of, I think, Andres was talking about the challenges of step scores and research and all these things that you have to do to do well in medicine and then of course, in a field like radiology and IR. I loved one of our lectures of just approaching research. That was such an amazing topic that we had one of our sessions.

[00:20:30] I remember Dr. Gichoya from Emory. I had read some of her papers, and she was telling us about AI and radiology, and all these things. I felt like I could do it all of a sudden. I could get involved in research, and that was something that I hadn’t felt before either. Because it was very intimidating, and no one had actually really sat down and showed me the ropes, and just given us this knowledge. There are so many surprises [00:21:00] as far as knowledge and support. Those are just some things that come to mind when I think about how pleasantly surprised it was by the GEMS program.

Absolutely. I want to give a shout-out to Dr. Judy Gichoya: just absolutely brilliant, incredible, always willing to give us time for the program. I know she’s heavily involved with Road2IR. She has many, many balancing acts that she’s capable of handling, and just an absolute brilliant-mind visionary in AI. We’re so honored to have her every year as part of the curriculum.

[00:21:30] You mentioned Dr. Keith Horton at MedStar, Georgetown, has been a huge support of the SIR Foundation GEMS program since it began in 2019. Dr. Mark Wilson, my own friend, colleague, partner, mentor, and section leader, has really been just an awesome human being to support throughout all of this, really to give me time to be able to support GEMS. I’m forever grateful to all of them.

You mentioned the competitive nature [00:22:00] of this specialty. I fear, as somebody on the other side, where we have to screen candidates, that a lot of the students who would be incredible, incredible interventionalists may get left behind because they don’t either have access to the opportunities, to the research, to the mentors. They don’t even know IR exists. If there was something that you could let students or somebody applying to GEMS know. Andres, let me [00:22:30] start with you first. What might that be?

I think that don’t wait. Don’t hesitate. GEMS is a community that I feel that is a catalyst for you to start building your road to IR. I think that in my experience, I don’t know if I would have made it where I am without GEMS. I know that it’s intimidating thinking, “Well, will I be [00:23:00] selected or not?”

I think that the selection process in GEMS is very fair, and you’re going to see individuals from all echelons, different backgrounds, different ethnicities. We are all just there with the same passion and the same fears, in a way. We all want to become an IR interventionalist. We all want to do it, but we don’t know how to do it, or we don’t have the support, [00:23:30] and that’s what GEMS is for. So I would say, please don’t be afraid. Please apply. Please move on and do it.

Yeah. Thank you, Andres. Please do apply. Having to tell people, “No.” Is one of the hardest things that we have to do. We continue to grow. It’s incredible to think back in 2019 we started with three members of the program.

But due to incredible support, sponsorship, support from Cook as well, the GEMS program has been able [00:24:00] to grow nearly exponentially. We are now at 15 graduates per year. We hope to advance to 20 graduates per year in the coming time. So, continued support is always needed. The more support we have, the more people we can accept, build community and mentor through this process. Tia, what would you like potential applicants to know and students out there?

Absolutely. I would echo, again, just I think don’t hesitate. If you even have [00:24:30] this inkling of an interest in IR. It doesn’t matter if your program has an IR program, or if you’ve just heard about it in a lecture. If you have an interest, this is a way to learn so much so quickly through the lecture series.

Then I would also point out that for me, the program helped me go on away rotations. That was something that I didn’t think I would maybe have the ability to do. The program provided a financial stipend, so that I had a little bit more flexibility [00:25:00] in my last year of medical school. I went on different rotations away from my medical school, and I think that was hugely impactful. If that’s something that you’re interested in, and you want to get more hands-on skills, the GEMS program was so supportive in that way.

I think IR is one of those fields where you do learn by doing. The lectures are amazing for the GEMS program. Then Dr. Horton would give us a lecture on Y-90. Then I was on an away rotation at the time, and [00:25:30] I went and got to scrub into a Y-90, and I got to see what that was like. I got to really get the tactile knowledge, and that was so hugely impactful.

I think, yeah, don’t hesitate. I think getting hands-on, be excited about getting into the IR suite, and the GEMS program will help you feel more comfortable doing that. You’ll have the support. You’ll have a whole network of people to ask if you’re not sure about a different procedure [00:26:00] you’re going to scrub into the next day or something.

You’ll have this incredible network that’s waiting for you, so I would apply. Don’t count yourself out at all. It’s such an amazing field, and there are people who want to lift you up. I think that’s such an amazing part of our program, and our field.

Oh, thank you so much for that response. It just resonates how, again, we pivoted during the pandemic trying to adapt to this virtual-learning environment, which I think [00:26:30] society became more comfortable with post-pandemic. We never really anticipated or predicted just how incredible, like you said, the opportunity to build community, networking, mentorship from within.

In many ways, GEMS has grown too big. I want to acknowledge and shout out SIR Foundation staff, Jumana Alsamarraie. She has been nothing short of exceptional, beyond exceptional to be the backbone of the program. To keep coordinating how many doctors’ [00:27:00] schedules over eight weeks, I can’t even imagine. Then to keep in community and engagement with you all over the years.

We need support to build an alumni network, to check in, career mentorship. It’s really an awesome opportunity. I think everything SIR Foundation stands for, which is hands-on, tactile, patient interaction, and then building community regionally, nationally, globally, so thank you for that awesome response.

[00:27:30] GEMS, you both are at some incredible institutions. Andres at MCW with Dr. Parag Patel, who is just such an iconic leader within the SIR space. Tia at USC where you know legends, Dr. Sue Hanks and Victoria Marx are. Those are such powerful institutions, but was there anything that you were able to bring back from GEMS that maybe even influenced your local institutions? Tia, I’ll maybe start with you.

Yeah. I would say that [00:28:00] Dr. Hanks and Dr. Marx are huge mentors of mine. I am so thankful to be at an institution with them, learning from them, and just forming relationships with them. I’m just so lucky to be in the LA area and at the residency I’m at. Because I primarily work at LA General, which is a public hospital, and we serve a population of patients that is very much underserved.

I think just [00:28:30] learning from the GEMS program, just how incredible our field is going to look, it’s going to be so diverse and different. I think IR is already; we’re increasing the number of women. We’re increasing the number of black physicians and physicians from all different backgrounds in our field.

I think I’ve seen that benefit the patients that I take care of at LA General. I learn every day about [00:29:00] having a diverse skill set. Being able to speak Spanish, being able to talk to my patients in a way that brings them more comfort is actually incredibly important.

Yeah. I think the GEMS program, it just brings me so much joy to know that there are going to be these amazing colleagues of mine in this. Maybe not in LA, but they’re across the way in San Francisco, and they’re all over the country taking care of patients. It’s not lost on me that [00:29:30] patients do well when their physicians can look like them and can actually relate to them in many ways. I think that is better for patient care.

Yeah. I am led by giants. Being a woman in the field is not an easy thing sometimes, because I’m often the only woman in the room. I’ve noticed that in the radiology side, but then I’m lifted up by my mentors, and all of a sudden [00:30:00] I feel like I am meant to be there, and that’s a big deal.

Well, thank you Tia, for that absolutely inspirational reflection and answer. You talk about standing on the shoulders of giants. I too stand on their shoulders, and in their shadows. I’m so blessed to have worked with Dr. Jeanne Laberge, Bob Kerlan, Ernie Ring, Mark Wilson to name just a few.

I agree. I think it’s our duty to pay it forward to inspire the next [00:30:30] generation. Because as much as you feel like you are looking up and ahead, please know that there are people behind you who are looking up to you. That you both will be the giants one day that people refer to when they say, “Tia’s giant. Andres lifted me up to be a part of this process.” I think we just have to continue to pay it forward.

You talk about working at LA County. My heart goes out to everybody in LA from the fires. It’s such an unprecedented event. [00:31:00] I hope you and everyone is safe. Really, serving the underserved patient population is something that was a key component of the curriculum within GEMS year over year. Is how to bring back humanity within these procedures that are minimally invasive, but sometimes maximally traumatic.

You speak about language concordance. How do we have a patient in that moment where they realize, hey, there’s somebody listening to them who cares about their pain, [00:31:30] who will be there to hold their hand if they need? So this idea of concordance, whether it’s by race, gender, language, one of the tools that we hope to empower you all as future proceduralists wherever you go.

Andres, I didn’t have an opportunity to let you respond. Anything that you’ve been able to bring back to MCW? Even though I know it’s the absolute perfect place. I don’t want to offend Parag, but how has it been for you?

Well, I am very blessed to be here with Dr. Parag Patel, [00:32:00] he has been an extraordinary mentor, and Dr. White. Since the beginning I rotated here, there has been nothing short than super supportive. The GEMS program has shown me how rapidly the field of IR is evolving, and how much we are contributing to the advancement of medicine. Without a doubt, we essentially have a potential to shape healthcare in the future.

You mentioned, Dr. Kumar and Tia, regarding [00:32:30] the underserved population. I very much remember a lecture on the GEMS program done by you, Dr. Kumar, that I truly appreciate, which is regarding language barrier and limited access to care that is complicating the issue in medicine as a whole.

In IR, this is exponentially complicated because this patient presented to the ED, and they are not even given the option for minimally invasive [00:33:00] procedures, sometimes. They’re just given the option for surgery and that’s it, which is unfortunate. Me, coming from Howard, my medical school, our purpose was serving the underserved population, and we do it with dignity and honor. We understand and we treat anyone like if it was a family member.

I think that in medicine, there is a lot of professionals and professionalism [00:33:30] culture, but the humanity is forgotten. I tend to treat every patient like if it was treating my mother or my sister, regardless of how they look like, and regardless of why they are here for.

I think that Tia mentioned that you speak Spanish. Gracias, Tia, for saying that. I think that being able to communicate in your same language for somebody in a critical position [00:34:00] is instrumental. You see the people changing from being totally scared to knowing that somebody’s listening to what they have to say, and guiding the process, and you build this trust almost instantly. If anything that I’m bringing to MCW from the GEMS program, I think that is my diversity, my humanity, and compassion for care.

Oh, that was beautiful, Andres. Thank you for that reflection. I think it’s [00:34:30] so important to recognize the humanity in what we do. So many times I think IRs feel overworked, understaffed, under-resourced. Shortcuts are not meeting a patient at their level. Sitting eye to eye, having that human to human contact is so critical in what we do. I think having providers that speak the languages, that reflect the cultures, [00:35:00] is really the only way forward if we hope to survive as a specialty that people trust. So I really thank you both for those responses.

I can’t be GEMS program chair forever. It’s always my hope to recruit the future within each class. How are you in your programs, able to give back or stay active within SIR Foundation, or even the GEMS program? Tia, I’ll start with you.

Sure. That’s an awesome question. [00:35:30] In my program, I think, I’m still just an R1, so I’m learning. I am one of the integrated IR residents, so I am able to take what I learned from SIR, and bring it to my co-residents, and then most importantly to med students.

There are a couple of female med students who I mentor now, which is crazy because I never thought I would be doing that. I’ve pointed them towards the GEMS program. Even if it’s just giving them your phone number and saying like, “Hey, if you have a question, [00:36:00] call me. Text me.” I think that has been something that I was taught that through the GEMS program, and through my other mentors who have shown me the way along my career. That they’ve given me their phone numbers and they’ve said, “Text me if you have any questions.” Or just being open.

Yeah. I think that’s a big thing that I’m trying to do at LA General and USC in reaching out to medical students. Then also to my fellow [00:36:30] residents and getting them excited about IR, because I think there’s so much about IR that people don’t know. I remember learning about this idea of having a CT scanner in a hybrid OR, and that you guys are doing at UCSF eventually. Maybe you already have it, I’m not sure. Dr. Wilson was talking about it in his trauma lecture I remember.

Just having this knowledge and having the finger on the pulse of all the things going on in IR. Going to SIR. [00:37:00] Going to the conference, or hearing about it from my other GEMS classmates. Then bringing that back to my program and telling my co-residents, or just like, “We could do this. We could do this.” Being open to creativity and what’s going on in the field. Yeah. There’s a constant dialogue happening, and I’m very lucky to be in the midst of it.

Well, thank you so much. I do want to lift you up and support you as you serve as a mentor for the next generation. Really, the [00:37:30] SIR GEMS program is where we hear your brilliant ideas. The next innovation is going to come from your class, your colleagues, and we really welcome you all into the fold.

Andres, we spoke about being part of Howard University, a historically black university that does not have radiology residency programs. You also have time in the military where IR has been, to some extent, overlooked. I think the military-education-training paradigm is shifting more [00:38:00] to recognize that this training pathway is needed. There are multiple institutions that now have ESIR classification, so that those military graduates can pursue independent training in one year. What advice, or how are you able to give back, or involved even with such a busy schedule at MCW?

Well, I want to start by saying, I can imagine no one doing a better job than you, Dr. Kumar. You are a fantastic human being, and I am happy to even [00:38:30] call you my friend and mentor. Now, with that being said, same as others did to me. My motto in life is never forget where you come from. Be humble, and be grateful to those who help you.

I recognize that no program thrives by self, but especially the GEMS program is moving along and growing exponentially like you are describing. [00:39:00] We need financial support not only from the donors, but not only financially as well, the time invested by lecturers and mentors.

I will certainly hope to continue contributing to the GEMS program in all capacities. Today, it’s my voice to relay my stories and experience with the program. As well as in the future, I am hoping to become a donor and a mentor to others.

I did my last [00:39:30] year in medical school in Howard University, I did not have an interventional radiology program. I remember ironically, Dr. Horton in Georgetown. They had an IR symposium and I spoke with him and asked him, “How you recommend me to get involved? We don’t have an IR program.” He say, “Then make one.”

I went back to my institution and we actually did an IR interest group, which [00:40:00] actually is thriving now quite well. The goal in life is continue promoting SIR. Continue promoting IR as a whole. Be grateful to the SIR for this opportunity and my mentors, including Cook Medical that help us putting all of this together.

Thank you, Andres, for everything you’ve done, continue to do. Your mottos resonate with me, never forgetting where you come from. [00:40:30] I’m literally sitting in my office at San Francisco General. Outside there’s a plaque that says, “The Ernie Ring Angiographic Suite.”

I remember being a resident at San Francisco General when Dr. Ernie Ring was helping me pick an apartment on Craigslist. While telling me stories about doing the first pelvic embolization. Bill Cook involved with Stan Baum and Charles Dotter.

It’s not lost on me that here I am sitting with you all sharing stories under the support of Cook Medical. So I really appreciate [00:41:00] Cook and the SIR Foundation for giving us a platform, a voice to center you, to celebrate you all in the next generation of scholars and interventionalists.

To the students who don’t make the SIR GEMS program, I apologize in advance. We wish we could take you all. We’d hope that doesn’t deter you from pursuing what I think is a career in the best specialty in medicine. There’s so much fulfillment and connection and humanity that is offered in this career, and [00:41:30] you can really be the best version of yourself.

I’m inspired to know that there are programs that are supporting us throughout the country. So thank you to everybody who supported us now, and thank you to those who are thinking about supporting us and will in the future.

I think we’re getting close on time. Tia and Andres, I wanted perhaps to leave you each with one question. If you had one word to describe the GEMS program for maybe a listener who doesn’t know about GEMS, or who’s interested in maybe supporting it, [00:42:00] what might that be? Andres, I’ll start with you first.

Well, I have to say, I don’t have to think too hard for this because of my chemistry background. I think the GEMS program is a catalyst. With my background I understand that some processes will either never occur, or take a long time to occur if they are left in their own means. In chemistry, we are a catalyst to speed up this reaction and shape the outcomes of the products.

Catalysts come in [00:42:30] many forms, and in the context of the GEMS program for me, I believe it was a catalyst for my success. Not only did it provide me with invaluable networking opportunities, but also broadened my knowledge in IR and fueled my passion.

When I was selected to be a GEMS scholar, I recognized IR. I knew procedures, but the lectures showed me so much more that I was completely [00:43:00] unaware. It’s just my knowledge completely was open and broad. Ultimately, the GEMS program was a catalyst to level the field. I felt that I was in disadvantage before I started to pursue an IR as an M3 and M4 medical student, but the IR empowered me. The GEMS program empowered me, and I believe it helped me to match successfully in this competitive specialty.

Thank you. Andres. [00:43:30] What a wonderful word. My mother, who’s a chemistry teacher, would be very proud of that answer. Tia your response, please.

Yeah. Andres, I love that word, and I will add on my word, which I think is support. It’s maybe not as scientific. I think when we think about a path and a story and the humanism of a journey, I think pursuing medicine in and of itself is a journey. It is a long journey. It’s like a marathon. It’s not [00:44:00] a sprint. It takes a lot and you need support. The GEMS program really is that for me, and I think it has done that for so many of my other colleagues who have gone through the program.

It’s support, like I said earlier, in giving us knowledge. Showing us things that we didn’t even know existed in the world of IR. Then also support in helping be friends. Like finding an apartment on Craigslist, and as a mentor, I think that’s amazing. Having someone who knows your story [00:44:30] and knows you as a person, but then also knows you as someone with such potential to make our field better.

Navigating a journey of medicine and a journey into IR alone would be very difficult, and I don’t think it’s something that I would ever have wanted to do. I think having the support, having people I could turn to, and people I can turn to now still has been instrumental in getting me where I am. I only [00:45:00] want to continue doing that and providing that support for others. So it’s hard to describe it in one word, but support would be the word I would use. I thank you so much, Dr. Kumar, for embodying that word, very much so.

Well, I thank you both. I love those responses. If I’m allowed a word at least to end our conversation on, I think it has to be gratitude. I think of so many just seeing the future of IR. The ability to pay it forward. For those [00:45:30] listening, if you believe in the future of our specialty, I can’t think of a better program or initiative to throw your voice and support behind.

We’re always looking for faculty to get involved, to help even be an external mentor. Like you said, we have so many scholars around the country that could use in-person mentors and preceptors. Please feel free to email me directly, Vishal.Kumar@UCSF.edu.

Andres, Tia, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of [00:46:00] my career, my journey. I can’t wait to see you up at the podium leading our specialty into the future. Of course, to Cook Medical, thank you for your support. We wouldn’t be here without you. To all our listeners, thank you and have a wonderful time at SIR 2025.

Thank you for having us.

Thank you so much for having us.