RSNA Member Spotlight: Mari Tassarotti, MD

Mari Tassarotti, MD, is a board-certified interventional radiologist and assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Tassarotti completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard College in Cambridge, MA, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in human developmental and regenerative biology with a secondary concentration in global health and health policy. She obtained her medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.

Dr. Tassarotti completed her integrated Interventional and diagnostic radiology residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School where she served as chief resident. Clinically, her interests lie in treatment of complex hepatic malignancies, deep venous interventions and women's health.

Additionally, Dr. Tassarotti is dedicated to graduate medical education and promoting gender diversity in interventional radiology. She serves on the editorial board of Daily Bulletin, the official newspaper of the RSNA Annual Meeting.

What or who sparked your interest in radiology?

I became interested in radiology after I did a two-week rotation with the Georgetown Interventional Radiology service in medical school. I was planning on becoming a urologist or nephrologist and decided to do the IR elective following the recommendations of my classmates who had enjoyed it. The variety of cases, the potential of the field, and the people I had the opportunity to work with had me hooked. One of my subsequent rotations was obstetrics and gynecology where IR saved the life of one of the patients on the service who had life-threatening post-partum hemorrhage. After that clinical experience, I committed myself to pursuing IR/DR.

What has been your best professional accomplishment?

The best professional accomplishment so far for me was when a patient thanked me for saving her life. We were consulted to embolize an intra-abdominal bleed. I remember thinking that the patient’s CT angiogram showed one of the most dramatic examples of active extravasation I had seen. The case was challenging but successful, and she stabilized clinically. The patient returned to IR about a week after her case for a drain placement I performed, and one of my colleagues informed her I was the physician who had stopped her bleed. She was very kind and appreciative. Seeing her improve clinically to the point where we could have that conversation was very meaningful to me. 

Additionally, at Columbia we work closely with our trainees and watching them grow and develop into interventional radiologists over the year has been immensely rewarding!

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in building your career?

I feel fortunate that my group and the department at Columbia have been very supportive of my efforts to build my career in terms of my clinical, educational and research interests. The biggest challenge I have faced, which is also a fortunate problem to have, is where to focus. There are so many interesting problems and unanswered questions in both interventional and diagnostic radiology it can be difficult to choose which to drill down on especially early on in your career. I believe it’s a constantly evolving process and clarity of direction is achievable through a combination of spontaneous opportunities, mentorship, and introspection.

What RSNA resources have you used to assist with professional development and your daily practice?

I frequently read the RSNA journals Radiology and RadioGraphics which help keep me abreast of the field. As someone who educates and works with trainees daily, I recommend RadioGraphics articles about procedures we perform to the trainees to review before cases. Reading them imparts strong foundational knowledge, which I believe helps residents learn even more during the actual procedure.

Additionally, when I was looking for my first job out of training, I found many of the recorded talks and resources on the RSNA YouTube channel to be informative and helpful as I navigated the job market, interviews and ultimately selecting a job. I’d highly recommend it to anyone entering the job market!

When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your free time?

Outside of work, I most enjoy spending time with my dog, Evie. My husband and I like to take her on long weekend walks around New York City during which we fill our camera rolls with photos of her. After work, I also like lifting weights, doing Pilates and eating sushi.

For More Information

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