The San Francisco General Hospital Cross Sectional Imaging (CT/MR/US) Program, University of California, San Francisco

Thienkhai Vu, M.D., Ph.D., Director, SFGH

UCSF has a unique one-year cross sectional imaging program, centered at our San Francisco General Hospital campus, designed to provide excellent clinical exposure as well as offer flexibility to tailor the experience towards each trainees' future career goals and interests. The trainees are afforded the opportunity to act with relative independence and develop the skills that bridge the gap between the sheltered didactic experiences of residency and the complex realities of clinical practice in Radiology.

Cross Sectional Imaging Program

The program accommodates 4 board certified/eligible radiologists and includes a 2 week orientation period followed by a total of 8-10 weeks of in-depth clinical rotations covering each of the major modalities: MRI, CT, US, and radiography, with focused attention in body and musculoskeletal MRI, neuroradiology, obstetrical US, and thoracic imaging. Experience with biopsy techniques, using a variety of modalities, is available. Furthermore, should the participant desire, more specialized interventional experience may be obtained, although participants at San Francisco General Hospital do not rotate through the interventional radiology service, and are not responsible for the performance of interventional procedures. Vacation accrues at 2 days per month (24 days) and 10 days of meeting leave are available. As Clinical Instructors at San Francisco General Hospital and the University of California, San Francisco, trainees are appointed as junior faculty which provides an annual salary that is considerably higher than most other postgraduate radiology fellowship programs.

Benefits and Unique Features of the Cross Sectional Imaging Program at San Francisco General Hospital

Participants in the program learn to deal with the problems of managing a radiology department by providing primary oversight over day-to-day clinical operations. Senior faculty staff every subspecialty at San Francisco General Hospital and are present to ensure a satisfying training experience. Program participants at San Francisco General Hospital work under the direct supervision of the senior faculty on a daily basis. The senior faculty also provide after-hours back up coverage on call and daily didactic conferences for the UCSF radiology residents rotating at San Francisco General Hospital, which the program participants may attend as their schedule permits. In addition, there are weekly conferences designed especially for this program that include subjects of the participants' particular interest, whether case based conferences or didactic lectures in areas of faculty expertise: musculoskeletal MRI, trauma/ED radiology, pelvic, body, and cardiovascular MRI and MRA, high-resolution CT of the lung, and ultrasound.

The Cross Sectional Imaging Program at San Francisco General Hospital offers in-depth training in cross-sectional modalities with subspecialty expertise, yet with the flexibility required to tailor the training to the individual's needs. One recent addition is a rotation at the San Francisco Magnetic Resonance Center, an affiliated facility, which allows increased exposure to musculoskeletal imaging. Independent study time can be used at other UCSF facilities in order to gain access to virtual colonoscopy, PET, PET/CT, and cardiac MRI.

San Francisco General Hospital

San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) is an urban Level I trauma center that serves the City and County of San Francisco. The Radiology Department at SFGH is quite active and the case material is widely diverse. SFGH Radiology enjoys an excellent working relationship with the Emergency Department, the Departments of Medicine and Surgery, and the various subspecialty services, many of which are under the direction of world-renowned leaders and researchers. SFGH Radiology currently employs two GE/CT/i helical CT scanners, (with planned upgrades to multislice CT scanners), a recently updated 1.5T GE magnet, and six Acuson ultrasound imagers (including Sequoia machines). An additional 1.5T magnet sited at the main hospital is planned. San Francisco Magnetic Resonance Center also houses several magnets and a PET scanner. An SFGH / UCSF outpatient imaging facility houses three magnets (including a 3T magnet), two multislice CT scanners, and will also house a dedicated PET/CT scanner (currently under installation).

For further information, please contact Dr. Khai's office at (415) 206-8024 or by email at khai.vu@radiology.ucsf.edu.