Meet Sam Galgano. We asked him questions about his past, future, and what working in Radiology means to him.
What is your name and title?
Sam Galgano, M.D., associate professor, section chief of Abdominal Imaging, and vice chair of Quality and Patient Experience at UAB.
What is your background at UAB?
I came to UAB for residency in 2013 and have stayed since. I completed an embedded fellowship in Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics during the fourth year of radiology residency followed by a fellowship in Abdominal Imaging. I joined faculty upon completion in 2018 and haven’t left.
Why did you choose UAB?
UAB offers such a strong program for training, the decision was easy. The cases are complex and at such a high volume that it almost forces you to become an excellent radiologist. Birmingham is an amazingly easy city to live in and our family has been more than pleased to stay.
Can you provide a brief work history and where you are currently?
As I said above, I appear to be a UAB lifer. I work clinically in both the Molecular Imaging and Abdominal Imaging sections. I was previously the Abdominal Imaging fellowship director and was involved in the creation of our new Women’s Imaging fellowship in conjunction with the section of Breast Imaging.
What encouraged you to become a physician?
To be honest, I am not completely sure. Both my parents are not physicians and didn’t attend college, but they always encouraged me to do what interestI realized how much I enjoyed the diagnostic and procedural puzzle solving we provide for patient care.
What do you consider the biggest success of your career?
Wow, tough question. The most meaningful success of my career thus far has been the revitalization of our section, fellowship program, and the downstream effects. I find that I tend to lead by example with a lot of energy and restructured our reading room and training to more closely meet the needs of our trainees and most importantly, show that we are having fun at work. This has resulted in a significant increase in interest in the fellowship and subsequent retention of residents and fellows on faculty with us. Watching our trainees become better radiologists than me has really provide me a great deal of joy.
What is one piece of advice you would give to current residents, fellows and/or new faculty?
I am a big opportunist and believe that things come your way for a reason. Even if an opportunity is presented to you that you have limited experience and/or interest in, I encourage you to try it out and do your best and you will often be surprised with the results.