RSNA Member Spotlight: Jonathan Revels, DO
Learn more about a fellow RSNA member
Jonathon Revels, DO, works remotely from Albuquerque, NM, as a clinical assistant professor of body imaging for the Department of Radiology at New York University (NYU)–Langone Health in New York.
Previously he served as an assistant professor and section chief of cardiothoracic imaging in the Department of Radiology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
Dr. Revels earned his medical degree at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Vallejo, CA, and completed his diagnostic radiology residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. He has completed fellowships in both body imaging and thoracic imaging at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Dr. Revels is the education committee chair of the North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging and is a committee member of the American Board of Radiology Online Longitudinal Assessment Cardiac section.
Often recognized for excellence in educational exhibits by societies across radiology, Dr. Revels was recently named a 2022 RSNA Honored Educator Award recipient. He has also been honored for his efforts as a reviewer for several journals including Abdominal Radiology and Clinical Imaging.
Dr. Revels serves as assistant deputy editor for the genitourinary and chest radiology sections of RSNA Case Collection and as a colorectal cancer screening reviewer for RadiologyInfo.org.
What or who sparked your interest in radiology?
I’ll be completely honest, I discovered radiology late in my medical school rotations. I initially thought I wanted to go into otolaryngology but after a 10-hour surgery that went on beyond midnight, I realized that I might not be cut-out for the surgeon’s lifestyle. I essentially became lost—but I realized that what I loved about surgery was primarily the anatomy and not so much the procedures themselves. That was when my now wife, Alana, told me that I should become a radiologist. Funny enough I later found out it was her goal for me since we began dating.
What has been the best professional accomplishment in your career?
Receiving the RSNA Honored Educator this year was a truly speechless moment for me. I had to have my wife read the email just to make sure I wasn’t misreading it. I appreciate all the opportunities I have been given by so many phenomenal friends and colleagues. The award has shone so much joy and happiness onto all the hard work we all put into each project that I was lucky enough to be part of over the past year and in previous years.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in building your career?
I can say without hesitation that my biggest challenge has been making sure I take time out of my schedule to be with friends and family. As I look back on those people I have lost over the years, I will forever be saddened that I didn’t take the time to see them more and call them more. I wish I could tell my past self that there will always be opportunities to pursue scholarly endeavors, but that the opportunities to eat dinner with my grandparents and listen to their stories is not eternal.
What RSNA resources do you use/have you used to assist you with your professional development and in your daily practice?
My career has been helped so much by attending the RSNA annual meeting. The people I have been able to connect with during the annual meeting have been truly instrumental in growing and shaping my career. Many have become close friends and colleagues and others have been sources of inspiration for what I hope to become.
As for my daily practice, I am constantly utilizing the RSNA journals. Whether I need a quick review on the updated Bosniak classification of cystic renal masses, or if I want to learn more about interstitial lung abnormalities, the RSNA journals offer practically endless educational content and learning opportunities.
When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your free time?
This year I set a goal to finally garden, and I successfully grew mammoth sunflowers, tomatoes, jalapenos, and herbs, which brought me so much joy and happiness. I should probably say I am more physically active than I have been lately, but I won’t lie. I still make it to the bouldering gym at least once a week and now that it has begun cooling off, I am able to go for walks and hikes around Albuquerque.
Being half Vietnamese, I am obsessed with finding really good Vietnamese food, and I am lucky that Albuquerque has so many great offerings ranging from the more commonly known pho to other dishes like bun bo hue and my favorite sweet treat, banh da lon which is a steamed cake with mung bean filling. Those things just remind me of my family and make me happy.
For More Information
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