Jody Riherd, MD completed her Diagnostic Radiology residency and Abdominal Imaging and Intervention fellowship at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. She was recently appointed as department chair of imaging at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, where she previously served as section chair of ultrasound for 14 years. Learn more about Dr. Riherd, and her time at UW–Madison below!
What career milestones have you achieved since your time at UW–Madison?
For the first 14 years at Gundersen, I was the section chair of Ultrasound. From the beginning, I have worked closely with the sonographers to update protocols and educate and train staff on new exams.
I am most proud of starting up a monthly conference for sonographers and radiologists. We use the time to review good cases, discuss quality improvement, introduce new protocols, or offer didactic review. We have grown from 10 sonographers to 28 strong. New hires have been surprised and impressed that we provide this learning opportunity and love that they can earn CME credit while doing it. In the last year, I have stepped into the role of department chair of imaging. I plan to continue to focus on education, collaboration, and quality on this grander scale.
How would you say your training at UW–Madison has helped you in your career?
The comprehensive teaching that covered the spectrum of radiology was top-notch and I felt more than prepared to start my first job when I got out of training. Beyond the nuts and bolts of radiology, I learned how to manage my time during a busy call night, how to work under pressure during case conferences, and how to interact with other specialties while in the reading room. These life skills have been essential over my career.
What’s your favorite memory from your time at UW?
I have so many fond memories of my residency, thanks in large part to my fellow residents. From the first year, we solidified our bond with game nights. There was Dance Dance Revolution, bar games Olympics, Axis and Allies, and Guitar Hero, usually with homemade cookies provided by Richard Bruce.
We took our first rotations in pairs together, which was comforting to have a partner when navigating something so different from what I had done before. Steve Ullrick and I learned to sling barium together that first month of training. This partner style really fostered the friendships we were building. As residency continued, we were more spread out among the reading rooms, we had different interests and pursuits in radiology and did not get to spend as much time together.
My favorite time from residency was actually studying for oral boards. The small group studying sessions gave us the opportunity to reunite and teach each other what we knew. I am grateful to Jen Bergin for giving me mammography cases and Marcus Cabay for teaching me about bone tumors. Bob Garrett, Richard Bruce, and I challenged ourselves with a review course in Florida. This dedicated time to study was essential for my training, I felt like everything was finally coming together. The staff were incredibly generous with their time, giving us hours of extra case conferences. Seeing how much they were invested in us and cheering for our success was greatly appreciated. We capped off our last year by making a senior video with the help of staff, other residents and guest appearances.
What advice would you share with prospective and current trainees at UW–Madison?
My advice for trainees early in their residency is to give yourself some grace. Radiology residency was very different from everything I had done so far, and the learning curve felt steep. I found myself struggling to grasp imaging concepts, remember differentials or understand physics. Understand that you will not know everything in the first year or two and that is ok.
My advice for trainees late in your career is to appreciate your time in this learning environment. Late in residency, I spent too much time looking to the future and planning my path, rather than staying engaged and absorbing as much knowledge from the staff as I could. You are surrounded by successful, quality radiologists that have a lot of information and advice to share. Take every advantage of your time at UW–Madison.
Is there anything else from either your time at UW or your career after that you’d like to share?
I would just like to express my gratitude to the staff at UW–Madison. Since I was an abdominal imaging fellow, I have great appreciation for all of the abdominal imaging section, especially Liz Sadowski and Fred Lee for guiding me through fellowship. The rest of my education was stellar as well. I still have the notes I took from Howard Rowley‘s Neuro Boot Camp in my office. I use chest x ray vernacular from Lynn Broderick, and I won’t ever change it. I think of Ken Schreibman’s tips and tricks every time I put together a radiology power point presentation. Fifteen years later, I am still thankful for all that they taught me.