RSNA Member Spotlight: Michael N. Patlas, MD

A prolific author, Dr. Patlas published over 235 peer-reviewed papers, editorials and book chapters. His paper The Clinical Importance of Visceral Adiposity: a Critical Review of Methods for Visceral Adipose Tissue Analysis was cited over 1,090 times. He presented over 260 invited lectures and scientific and educational abstracts.

Dr. Patlas received his medical degree from Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Israel, in 1995. He completed his radiology residency at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center at Jerusalem in 2000.

During PGY3 of his residency, Dr. Patlas presented at the RSNA annual meeting—a goal set by his department chair as a requirement to becoming an attending. He remained as an attending radiologist in the same department where he completed his residency, later moving to the University of Toronto in 2002 for the Abdominal Imaging Fellowship.

In 2004, Dr. Patlas became an assistant professor at the Department of Radiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He quickly rose through the ranks and was appointed section chief for emergency radiology in 2012 and professor of radiology in 2015. He was recruited to the University of Toronto in 2023 as a department chair.

What or who sparked your interest in radiology?

When I was a medical student, it was my job to go to the radiology department and organize urgent studies for patients under the care of my clinical team. I was fortunate to observe multiple real time ultrasound examinations, and I was hooked. Then, I was able to listen during “wet” reads of CTs of my patients, and the deal was sealed. I knew that I would become an abdominal radiologist.

What has been your best professional accomplishment?

As a physician, I was able to establish myself professionally and pivot from “pure” abdominal imaging to trauma and emergency radiology. It was not easy to earn the respect and the trust of trauma teams doing real-time reads of CT scans for multiple trauma patients at a Level 1 trauma center. However, it gave me immense satisfaction to realize that my work made a difference and allowed patients to avoid unnecessary surgery. 

As an editor, I was fortunate to put together a stellar crew which rebuilt the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal. Our team tripled the journal’s impact factor and doubled its number of submissions. We were able to shorten a turnaround time for first response for submissions from 84 to six days. I am eternally grateful for the advice of seasoned editors Dr. Jeffrey Klein and Dr. Christine Cooky Menias who helped us to advance the journal.

As a mentor, I was able to assist multiple trainees to establish themselves academically, publish numerous papers and secure positions at the top-notch academic institutions. I am a first-generation immigrant with English as a third language. I had tremendously benefited from the mentorship of Dr. Sanjeev Bhalla and Dr. Jorge Soto who opened many doors for me. Therefore, it was very important for me to pay it forward and mentor many immigrants who face the same challenges I encountered many years ago.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?

There are multiple challenges during any successful career. I never practiced and dictated in English and never used PACS before I arrived at Toronto in 2002. So, I started to write my reports and then dictate them, but it was incredibly slow. Weeks later, I realized that I must dictate like everybody else if I want to be up to speed.

A few years later, I had an additional challenge when voice recognition was introduced, and software was reluctant to struggle with my accent. However, I learned an important lesson to speak slowly which helped me later with my invited presentations and job interviews.

Recently, I had a major challenge transitioning to lead one of the largest imaging departments in the world. It took me some time to understand that it is not enough to have a clear goal. I must also convince my colleagues to follow me and provide the budget to support my vision. In addition, it is more important to facilitate the academic efforts of department members than advance my own career.

What RSNA resources do you use to assist with your professional development and in your daily practice?

I am a lifelong reader of Radiology and RadioGraphics. In my 30 years of experience, I have always been able to get help from RG when I come across a challenging patient. Furthermore, our learners are incredibly smart and up to date, so recent publications in Radiology provide me with a competitive edge when I discuss imaging findings with them. I also use RSNA resources for the majority of my CME requirements.

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

My wife and myself enjoy spending time with our family and friends. My wife and daughter share my passion for travel, learning new cultures and sampling new cuisines. We like to visit opera houses and museums across the globe.

Southern Ontario is a beautiful place to live. There are ample opportunities for hiking and swimming which I really appreciate.

For More Information

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