RSNA Member Spotlight: Gráinne Murphy, MBCHb, BAO, MMedSc
Learn more about a fellow RSNA member
Gráinne Murphy, MBCHb, BAO, MMedSc, is a consultant radiologist at University Hospitals Birmingham in the U.K. After attending medical school at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland, Dr. Murphy completed a one-year internship and a two-year surgical training program in Cork before entering radiology training based in Cork University Hospital and Mercy University Hospital.
While a radiology resident, Dr. Murphy earned a master’s degree in sports medicine from UCC. She completed her radiology residency and attained her fellowship of the Faculty of Radiologists (RCSI). Dr. Murphy spent a year practicing radiology in Dublin before moving to Toronto where she completed additional fellowships in body and musculoskeletal imaging, and spent a year as a research fellow in molecular imaging.
A member of the RSNA Professionalism Committee, Dr. Murphy is interested in human factors and error reduction in radiology. She is also focused on furthering the advancements that have already been made in wellness, equality and inclusivity in the profession.
What or who sparked your interest in radiology?
I first became seriously interested in radiology during my intern year. It feels like a very long time ago now, being before the introduction of e-requests. At the time, the interns were dispatched on foot to visit the radiology department with requests for scans and to discuss urgent reports. The unexpected positive for me was that the radiology registrars (residents) brought us through their thought process in choosing the correct examination and would often talk us through the findings on scans.
I realized that it was a specialty that encompassed many facets of medicine and surgery and offered a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients that appealed to me. I was fortunate that one of the consultant (attending) radiologists, Dr. Peter MacEneaney, provided mentorship and encouragement which was particularly helpful when I was considering radiology and going through the application process.
I am grateful to all in Cork, Dublin and at the Joint Department of Medical Imaging in Toronto (UHN, Mt. Sinai and St. Michael’s Hospital). I received so much support and encouragement from too many people to mention.
What has been the best professional accomplishment in your career?
In a way, I think it was organizing a course on human factors for RSNA and speaking at it. I think I might have a mild dose of impostor syndrome, so it felt like an accomplishment to be a pretty average radiologist bringing something new to the meeting and seeing people respond favorably and gain benefit from it.
I’m so grateful to RSNA for being such a welcoming and enthusiastic organization. I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Kate Hanneman, who was instrumental in taking a chance on the topic and pushing it forward, and the speakers who participated in the sessions we ran were outstanding.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in building your career?
I think the biggest challenge has been dealing with my own fallibility. I believe most of us want to be good at what we do, feel useful, and do our best for the patients. Realizing that error happens was, and continues to be, a struggle.
I’ve dedicated a lot of time and thought to why I made errors and trying to reduce my probability of repeating them. It’s a daily learning process and a quest to become better. Perhaps I’ll be closer to cracking the code by the time I retire.
What RSNA resources do you use to assist you with your professional development and in your daily practice?
I use RadioGraphics and Radiology frequently in my daily practice to keep myself up to date and to try to provide useful and accurate reports. There tends to be a paper answering whatever question I have, thankfully.
I’ve started to explore EdCentral and think it will be a very useful addition to my practice and continuing education.
I don’t think any other event quite matches the annual meeting. It’s impossible to get to absolutely every talk, but the virtual meeting is a fantastic resource, and full of so much material. I use it whether I’ve made it to Chicago or not. The special delight of the in-person meeting is the networking/socializing. You never know who you’ll bump into, and even the radiology “celebrities” are generous with their time and knowledge!
When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your free time?
I’m very slowly taking some flying lessons, which has been an exercise in patience and resilience, thanks to various issues—including the weather. I’ve really enjoyed stretching my brain and challenging myself in a different way. Apologies to my instructors for any fillings that were broken during my landings.
I try to keep generally active and to also get to the gym a few days a week in the hope of counteracting sitting on my chair all day scrolling through scans. As an antidote to having no windows in the office, I also try to travel when I can, but have a very long list of places I still need to see, even within Europe. Seoul was a recent favorite, but having family in New York City and Ireland means I tend not to spend too long without short visits to both.
For More Information
Connect with Dr. Murphy on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grainnemurphy
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