By John Wallace
Dr. Bradley Spieler is a native of the greater New Orleans area and completed nearly his entire education in New Orleans (including medical school at LSU in New Orleans graduating with AOA honors). The education he received away from New Orleans included his residency and his fellowship in abdominopelvic imaging, which he completed at New York University in New York City, graduating as fellow of the year, an award recognizing excellence in resident education.
Prior to his medical training, he attended Tulane College where he graduated summa cum laude. He is a product of the local public school system, hailing from Bonnabel High School, where he was the valedictorian. He is an avid world traveler, music lover, devoted Saints fan and enthusiast of all things New Orleans.
Dr. Bradley Spieler, front left, loves helping people through his work and through the nonprofit he founded.
Spieler is board certified by the American Board of Radiology, currently serving as the vice chairman of scholarly activity and research for the LSU Department of Radiology and practicing as a member of the abdominopelvic and emergency imaging sections at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. He holds the rank of associate professor of radiology with joint appointments in the departments of internal medicine, urology, cell biology and anatomy.
He had a unique answer when asked, “Why radiology?”
“My challenge in choosing a career path as a third-year medical student was that I loved all my rotations. Radiology provided me the opportunity to incorporate all the things I was passionate about across a myriad of medical disciplines into one,” Spieler said.
When asked to describe his greatest accomplishment, Spieler’s reply did not talk about one goal he achieved. He, instead, focused on the future.
“Being in a position where I can help others achieve their dreams,” is what he considers his greatest accomplishment.
When it comes to mentors, Spieler lists several individuals who have assisted, motivated and inspired him.
“Dr. Alec Megibow and the late Dr. Michael Macari are the most influential mentors of mine when it comes to radiology,” Spieler said. “They are champions of a patient-centered approach and consistently providing value to every task in radiology. Because of them, I approach every case as if it was a loved one.”
“They also stressed that a team-based approach is critical to the success of our field and most importantly in providing excellent patient care. Consequently, I have made it a priority to provide mentorship to not only trainees and junior colleagues but to any health care professionals that I interact with, especially within radiology. Sharon Mohammed is currently a radiologic technologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City. Moreover, she is a prolific author and educator. I have had the privilege of providing guidance to her and collaborating. She embodies the collective vision to workflow in diagnostic radiology that we should all strive for and has served as steadfast inspiration to me.”
His list of mentors continues.
“I owe success in my career to a cadre of mentors in addition to Drs. Macari and Megibow, including Dr. Neil Baum of Tulane University, Dr. Elizabeth Hecht of Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Janis Letourneau of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Dr. Robin McGoey of University Medical Center in New Orleans, Drs. Louis Schruff and Brad Shore of Reliant Radiology LLC, and Dr. Khaled Elsayes of University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,” Spieler said.
Spieler is an imaging leader who serves as an active mentor to medical students and residents.
He also is an active contributor to clinical literature. Spieler is the co-course director for multiple interdisciplinary conference series involving the departments of surgery and internal medicine. He is also faculty on multiple regular medical student and resident conference series particularly in the department of medicine. He also serves as a coordinator for the longitudinal radiology elective for second-year medical students and career advisor for senior medical students entering the radiology match.
Spieler is actively involved in multiple university-based committees. Nationally, he is an active member in multiple societies including the American Roentgen Ray Society serving as an item writer for CME activities and consulting editor for the American Journal of Radiology for genitourinary imaging. He is also a manuscript reviewer for multiple journals. He is a grant reviewer for the Louisiana Biomedical Collaborative Research Program and is an active member of the Liver Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) Tumor Response Working Group (TRWG) which is endorsed by the American College of Radiology. Spieler is also an active member of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) as well as the Association of University Radiologists where he has held leadership positions and regularly participates in the Radiology Research Alliance and Alliance of Leaders in Academic Affairs in Radiology.
He has also founded the nonprofit Saints Fans Being Saints Program in association with the Spirit of Charity Foundation and University Medical Center New Orleans. Proceeds benefit children and immediate family members of those diagnosed with a life-threatening illness identified by the University Medical Center in New Orleans’ Palliative Care team. He also continues to serve the community through active involvement in other nonprofit organizations.
Friends and family are important to Spieler.
“I’ve been blessed with a wonderful wife, Catey-Batte Spieler, and three amazing children, ages 3, 2, and eight months. All of our family live here in New Orleans and for the most part within the greater New Orleans area as well as throughout Louisiana,” he said. “My mother and father always encouraged me to look for the best in people and stressed the importance of travel. We believe that friends are the family you choose and as a result I have been fortunate to develop friendships with individuals from all over the world.”
It appears that Spieler is living his best life and perhaps that goes along with the reason he loves his work.
“As a radiologist, I am afforded the privilege of not only caring for patients but also the opportunity to aid a range of health care professionals,” Spieler said.
