It’s Not Just Burnout: What’s Also Affecting Radiologists with Dr. Mina Makary
April 30, 2026
In the first of a two-part series, host Chris St. John sits down with Dr. Mina Makary, a dual board-certified radiologist at The Ohio State University, to explore the rapidly evolving world of Interventional Radiology (IR). Dr. Makary clarifies the vital distinction between burnout and "moral injury" the psychological toll of being prevented from doing what is ethically right by systemic barriers, and advocates for a patient-centered approach that prioritizes transparency and minimally invasive options.
The landscape of medical imaging is shifting from simple diagnosis to active, minimally invasive treatment, yet many patients and primary care providers remain unaware of these life-changing options. Dr. Mina Makary joins Rethink Imaging to bridge this awareness gap, detailing his journey in building a pioneering inpatient IR service at Ohio State.
The conversation dives deep into the "art of IR," where complex venous reconstructions and targeted cancer treatments offer hope to patients who have been told they have no other options. However, providing this high-level care comes with a heavy emotional price. Dr. Makary discusses the concept of "moral injury", a state of disenfranchisement that occurs when physicians are forced to navigate bureaucratic and economic conflicts that compromise patient care. This episode serves as a call to action for both institutional change and better public education to ensure that neither the doctor nor the patient is left behind by a system under stress.
What You’ll Learn:
- The Identity of IR: Why Interventional Radiology was recognized as a distinct specialty in 2012 and how it differs from diagnostic imaging.
- Building a Service from Scratch: The tactical challenges of launching an IR inpatient team, from financial proposals to recruiting the right "mindset".
- The "Hammer and Nail" Trap: Understanding the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration over "turf wars" in medicine.
- Moral Injury vs. Burnout: Why systemic "moral injury" leads to permanent damage and why individual wellness acts aren't enough to fix it.
- Patient Advocacy: How to empower patients to seek minimally invasive treatments like uterine fibroid embolization and tumor ablation.
Chapters:
- [00:00] Defining Moral Injury: The difference between repeated stress and the trauma of being unable to do the "right thing."
- [03:11] The Awareness Gap: Why the public and even other doctors often don't know what IR can offer.
- [08:22] Launching a Legacy: The process of building an APP-led inpatient service at a major academic center.
- [13:08] The IR Toolbox: A look at life-saving procedures, from stopping traumatic bleeds to freezing tumors.
- [17:13] Complex Venous Work: Giving hope to "disabled" patients through creative problem solving in vascular reconstruction.
- [25:37] Building Bridges: How to communicate with referring physicians without "undermining" their authority.
- [32:04] The Wellness Myth: Why you can't "yoga your way" out of a broken healthcare system.
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