Specialties & ConditionsMedical Imaging Meet the Team
Medical Imaging Specialists
When getting any medical imaging procedure done, these are the specially trained pediatric professionals who are part of your child's healthcare team.
Radiologists are pediatric doctors who interpret your child's images. Our radiologists are board-certified physicians who specialize in pediatric imaging. Technologists and sonographers work under a radiologist's direction, which is based on an order from your child's doctor, your child's medical history and current symptoms. A radiologist completes a report on your child's exam, which when done is automatically faxed to the doctor who ordered your child's exam.
Child life specialists help prepare and educate you and your child. Using medical play, developmentally appropriate language, and safe exploration of medical equipment, these trained professionals help translate the medical environment to your child. Child life specialists will work with you and your child to create a coping plan for their imaging exam. Learn more about how our child life specialists can help your child.
Technologists position your child for the exam, and control the computer that takes images. These licensed professionals have completed formal education and training in a specialized area — such as x-ray, CT, MRI, interventional radiology, ultrasound and nuclear medicine. Working under the direction of a radiologist, our technologists are credentialed with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologists and Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety.
Sonographers control the equipment and perform special techniques to create ultrasound images from your child's exam. Also working under the direction of a radiologist, our sonographers are board certified by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Pediatric hospitalists and anesthesiologists are pediatric doctors who specialize in sedating your child, if the exam requires it. They will talk with you about different sedations and answer any questions that you have. They supervise the medical imaging sedation nurses.
Sedation nurses work with our pediatric hospitalists and anesthesiologists to safely sedate your child. Before the exam, they ask you and your child questions about your child's health and medical history. They also monitor vital signs and give your child contrast, if ordered by your radiologist.
A medical physicist and MRI physicists make sure our imaging procedures are safe and appropriate for kids, and that we maintain our high imaging standards. The medical physicist makes sure all equipment is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Our MRI physicist selects, sets up and optimizes MRI protocols, imaging quality assurance and control and MRI physics education.
Cynthia K. Rigsby, MD, FACR
Chair, Department of Medical Imaging (Radiology); Earl J. Frederick Distinguished Professorship in Radiology
Ramez Abdalla, MD
Attending Physician, Medical Imaging (Interventional Radiology)
Sameer Ansari, MD
Attending Physician, Medical Imaging (Interventional Radiology)
Donald R. Cantrell, MD, PhD
Attending Physician, Medical Imaging (Interventional Radiology)
Safwan S. Halabi, MD
Associate Chief Medical Informatics Officer; Vice Chair of Informatics, Medical Imaging; Director, Fetal Imaging; Attending Physician, Medical Imaging (Radiology); Section Head, Fetal Imaging
Jonathan D. Samet, MD
Division Head, Body Imaging; Section Head, Musculoskeletal Imaging
Daniel M. Schwartz, MD
Section Head, Medical Imaging (Radiography and Fluoroscopy)
Darshan E. Variyam, MD
Attending Physician, Medical Imaging (Interventional Radiology)
Mary R. Wyers, MD
Attending Physician, Medical Imaging (Radiology); Program Director, Pediatric Radiology Fellowship
Julie Chesterton, APRN-NP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Medical Imaging (Interventional Radiology)
Jannell Bichl, APRN-NP
Family Nurse Practitioner, Medical Imaging (Interventional Radiology)