Meghan R. Clark, MD, joins UNC Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the Interventional Radiology division. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, in 2013 and her Medical Doctorate from West Virginia University School of Medicine in 2018. She completed her surgical internship in 2019 and her Integrated Interventional Radiology Residency at the University of Virginia in 2024.
Meghan sat down to discuss what inspired her to become an interventional radiologist, her advice to those interested in radiology, and why she would like to converse with Barack Obama.
What attracted you to the Department of Radiology at UNC?
It was really the culture that attracted me to UNC’s Interventional Radiology program. Even as a medical student, when I interviewed for residency, the people I met and connected with made UNC stand out as a special place. While I ended up doing my residency at UVA, the idea of coming to Carolina was always in the back of my mind. At UVA, I crossed paths with Nikki Keefe, who started at UNC in January 2022. When I was looking for the next phase of my career, we discussed the possibility of coming to UNC, and the more we talked about it, the more I knew it was the right move for me. I’m excited to get to know the people more, explore the area, and become part of the Tar Heel community.
Why did you choose to become a doctor?
I don’t even remember deciding to become a physician. I’ve always loved people and science, and I thought medicine was a perfect way to combine both of those things. At one point, I entertained the idea of pursuing a basic science career but realized I would miss out on connecting with patients. While the basic sciences and research play a profound role in helping patients, I really wanted opportunity to form relationships with people one on one and to make a difference one person at a time.
What attracted you to Radiology and your subspecialty?
Some people struggled with different parts of medical school, and the anatomy lab was that place for me. I an effort to minimize my time in the anatomy lab, I learned a lot of anatomy through radiology. I enjoy art and find a lot of medical imaging to be quite beautiful. While I enjoyed looking at images, I never entertained the idea of being a diagnostic radiologist in medical school because a patient-facing specialty was important to me, and my misconceived perception of diagnostic radiology at the time was that it was not patient-facing.
While doing a vascular surgery rotation during medical school, I discovered interventional radiology. Through IR, I found my love for diagnostic radiology. I was captivated by the minimally invasive endovascular procedures. One day on rotation I just had this “aha” moment when I realized that this was the future of medicine and what I wanted to do for the rest of my career.
What medical advances would you like to see in your specialty in the next five or ten years?
There’s a lot of opportunity for AI in medicine, but I think there is a lot of potential to optimize our procedural planning. For example, we have 3D data from CTs, which almost all our patients have prior to an IR procedure – this information could be harnessed to make suggestions for procedural optimization, from patient positioning to inventory selection.
Why choose academic medicine?
I was spared from a career that would be less fitting and less exciting for me by many incredible Interventional radiologists who invested in me and showed me the incredible field of IR. I feel the need to pay it forward. It’s really gratifying to expose medical students to interventional radiology and then see their journey to become IRs. I also think it’s exciting to take them through entry-level cases and watch them progress.
What’s your advice for people who want to become a radiologist?
You should do it – you are going to love it. The challenge with exposure to radiology in medical school is that it is akin to watching others play video games; it’s not nearly as fun to be an observer compared to being the primary player. Actually doing radiology is very cool. Unfortunately, IR and DR have very low visibility during medical school, so people don’t learn about them until later in their studies. My advice is there is a home for everyone and it’s never too late to explore a career in radiology – I know many people who started (and even finished!) other residencies and then made the switch.
What’s a piece of advice you would give your younger self?
Everything will work out. Showing up prepared and being excited is enough.
What profession did you want to be when you were a kid?
I wanted to be an attorney. My grandfather was an attorney, and I liked going to his office. The ladies in his office were so nice and he had Coca-Cola in his fridge, and I thought, “this is the life” because I didn’t have Coca-Cola in my fridge at home.
If you could pick the brain of someone alive or dead, who would it be and why?
I would love the chance to meet the Obamas. They’re both incredible humans, so socially graceful and just brilliant. They navigate challenging situations with such tact. I’m always impressed with how gracefully they handle things and treat people with respect. I really admire them.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I would love to have the ability to teleport. I love to travel. As a resident I got 15 vacation days a year, but I managed to do a good bit of traveling throughout training. Although I love exploring new places, I don’t particularly love the airport parking, long plane rides, and transfers that are often required to get there. The ability to fast-forward through a transatlantic flight would be awesome.