On Saturday June 14th UNC Radiology hosted the 2025 Residency and Fellow Graduation at the Governors Club. It was an unforgettable evening filled with pride, emotion, and inspiration as graduates, their loved ones, and faculty gathered for the Department of Radiology’s annual Graduation Celebration. Held in a festive atmosphere complete with a cocktail reception, dinner, and a moving awards ceremony, the event honored the outstanding achievements of our graduating residents and fellows—individuals who have grown into exceptional clinicians, scholars, and future leaders in the field. From their very first readout to their final call shift, each graduate has left an indelible mark on our department. The celebration served as both a joyous send-off and a heartfelt thank you for the passion, resilience, and commitment they brought to their training. Meet the Graduates Diagnostic Radiology Residents We proudly recognize the following residents who completed their rigorous training: Dr. Andrew Campbell Chief Resident, Dr. Tyler Glass Dr. Cristina Guzzetti Dr. Matthew MacLean Dr. Ellen Jones Dr. Bhavana Pottabatula Chief Resident, Dr. Henry Stiepel Dr. Jordan Taylor Dr. Janet Zhang Vascular and Interventional Radiology – Integrated Dr. Bryan Harris Vascular and Interventional Radiology – Independent Dr. Austin Evans Dr. Jared Weinand Senior IR Chief,

Three researchers from Virginie Papadopoulou’s ENHANCE Lab—which focuses on human performance in austere environments—were honored with UHMS President’s Awards at the recent joint Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) conference. Their achievements highlight the lab’s innovative approach to gas physiology modulation and its commitment to translating research into real-world impact. Celebrating Award-Winning Research Danica Grant, an undergraduate researcher in the ENHANCE Lab, received the UHMS President’s Award for Best Overall Resident/Trainee Poster Presentation. Her project, titled “Technical validation of a custom MATLAB interface for higher throughput analysis of ultrasound-based cardiac output estimation with relevance to inert gas loading,”presented a streamlined computational tool for improving cardiac output analysis. The work supports better assessment of inert gas dynamics in extreme environments. Josh Currens, a PhD student in the lab, earned the UHMS President’s Award for Best Oral Presentation by a Resident/Trainee for his research titled “Divers tend to produce individually consistent venous gas emboli grades after conducting the same dive multiple times.” His findings provide compelling evidence of consistent individual physiological responses to repeated dive exposures—insights that could inform personalized decompression strategies. Dr. Arian Azarang, research faculty member and former postdoctoral researcher in the ENHANCE Lab, received

Dr. Muthu Kumar Sakthivel, MD, Assistant Professor, Cardiothoracic Imaging and Director of the Cardiothoracic Imaging Fellowship Program, has been elected as a Fellow of the Society for Cardiovascular MR (FSCMR)! This is a truly prestigious honor, recognizing pioneers in the field of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dr. Sakthivel is the first person from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to receive this distinction. Despite many challenges, I remained focused on improving my skills as a cardiovascular imager, which enabled me to achieve this honor. This recognition belongs as much to our Cardiothoracic Imaging team as it does to me. I’m excited to continue this important work and further strengthen our Cross-sectional Cardiac Imaging fellowship. I’m also eager to collaborate with Dr.Rebecca Hansen to enhance and enrich our Pediatric Cardiac Imaging program.