When you meet Dr. Jiang—though he’ll quickly tell you to just call him David—you get the sense of someone who’s both grounded and adventurous. That balance is what brought him back home to North Carolina and into a new role as Assistant Professor of Musculoskeletal Radiology at UNC.
David’s story begins just down the road. Growing up in Durham and Morrisville, then attending UNC as an undergraduate, he never imagined that his career would circle back to Chapel Hill. “Medical training takes you all over the country,” he says, reflecting on his years of school and residency. “But when I heard there was an opening at UNC, I had to jump on the opportunity to come back and be part of a great program where I grew up.”
The road to medicine wasn’t a straight line. As a college student, David thought he might be an engineer. Later, he considered surgery. But it was a roommate in medical school who first opened his eyes to radiology. “He walked me through the day-to-day workflow, and it wasn’t what I expected at all. There was problem-solving, diagnostic reasoning, and even procedures. That combination drew me in.”
Within radiology, musculoskeletal imaging caught his attention during residency rotations. The chance to delve into sports injuries and explore the mechanical questions of how the body moves appealed to his love of science and logic. “MSK gives you a little more breathing room than some subspecialties,” he explains. “You can take the time to work through diagnoses and treatment options—it’s intellectually rewarding.”
Academic medicine, for David, was an easy choice. Teaching has always been part of who he is. Before medical school, he taught MCAT prep courses and loved helping students discover their strengths. “If I left teaching behind, I’d lose a big part of why I enjoy medicine,” he says. “There’s also a camaraderie in academic medicine that really resonates with me.”
Ask him how he spends his free time, and the answer comes easily: running and hiking. Whether pounding local trails or heading west to the mountains for longer hikes and trail runs, the outdoors is his way of recharging. He also has a lifelong love of music, having played violin from childhood through college, as well as trumpet in marching band. “Classical music was always around in my house—thanks to my mom,” he adds with a smile.
When asked to describe himself in one word, David doesn’t hesitate: dedicated. Friends might also add loyal and disciplined. He’s quick to point out that he tries to live by advice he’d give his younger self: “Don’t talk yourself out of opportunities—let other people tell you no.”
Welcome home, David. UNC Radiology is lucky to have you.