Ali Tejani, MD

What is your current imaging informaticist role?

I’m a radiology resident and founder/resident lead for the Imaging Informatics and Business Intelligence Track (I2BIT) at UT Southwestern Medical Center. I’m also the Vice Chair for the SIIM Members-in-Training Committee (SMIT).

What do you love most about imaging informatics?

Imaging informatics is a multidisciplinary community, bringing together individuals with perspectives beyond the clinical domain. As a radiologist, this helps me think about problems more broadly, allowing me to understand technical considerations essential to translating potential solutions from ideas to practice. Working with the diverse imaging informatics community challenges me to think beyond the status quo in terms of how we use and exchange medical images. My colleagues inspire me to adopt a proactive approach to addressing evolving imaging needs.

If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would you choose?

I’ve always wanted to learn from Sanjay Gupta. I admire his ability to distill complex topics and connect with his audience. I hope to have similar skills as an aspiring imaging informatics and AI educator, as it can be intimidating to navigate this content without a guide!

What one thing, either industry-related or not, did you learn in the last month?

My wife and I recently toured the Universal Studios Backlots and learned about the history and “movie magic” behind our favorite films/TV shows. One of the lake sets takes 3 days to fill and holds 2.7 million gallons of water!

How do you define success?

I think the definition of success is subjective. In the short-term, I think of success as meeting expectations that I set for myself and fulfilling commitments that I have made to others. It’s tough for me to define long-term success, as it’s always an evolving vision!

What’s the last book you read or TV series you binged?

I’ve been catching up on The Mandalorian! It’s great to see how far live action has come since the first Star Wars series, while maintaining similar creativity for storytelling.

People love the networking at SIIM. Do you have a networking story?

It’s tough to just think of one! I’ve been shown kindness and generosity from all who I’ve encountered through SIIM. For example, when I first met Lindsey Shea Johnstone (virtually during the pandemic), she immediately emailed introductions to start integrating me in the community. At my first in-person SIIM meeting, she went out of her way to introduce me to everyone we met (yes, everyone!), including leaders in imaging informatics. Through these interactions, and my first volunteer involvement through SIIMcast, I had the privilege of getting to know Mohannad Hussain, Prasanth Prasanna, and Jason Nagels, who went to equal lengths to connect me with others in the SIIM community based on my interests and career aspirations. There are countless others in this community who continue to advocate for me beyond imaging informatics, and I am humbled by their generosity.