Anna Meiners, MBA, RT(R)(CT), is the radiology manager at the UC Health Drake Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. This month’s rising star is a Cincinnati native pleased to be able to give back to her hometown community. ICE recently learned more about Meiners in a question-and-answer session.
Q: Where did you receive your imaging training/education?
A: I graduated from UC Blue Ash with my associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in radiology and then received my MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.
Q: How did you first decide to start working in imaging?
A: I knew early on I wanted to work in health care, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do. When I was a junior in high school, I had a conversation with one of the seniors that was going into radiology. I thought back on my own personal experiences in radiology when I broke my arm three different times as a child and decided that was the field I wanted to pursue.
Q: Why did you choose to get into this field?
A: My personal experience is what brought me to radiology, but I quickly learned I knew very little about radiology as a whole. The world of radiology is an expansive field that is ever-changing. It is simply astonishing the different ways we can care for patients within the realm of radiology.
Q: What do you like most about your position?
A: As a manager, I thoroughly enjoy being part of a solution to a problem. There is nothing that makes me feel more accomplished professionally than creating solutions that positively impact both patients and staff.
Q: What interests you the most about the imaging field?
A: I have always said that radiology encounters almost every patient within a hospital, whether it be inpatient, outpatient or patients coming through the ER. We, as imaging professionals, have the knowledge it takes to run the equipment that allows physicians to diagnose, monitor or perform treatment. One of my favorite metaphors I’ve seen regarding imaging professionals is “We are the eyes of medicine, and without us, all would be blind.”
Q: What has been your greatest accomplishment in your field thus far?
A: Looking back over the years, I would say my greatest accomplishment was building a successful mobile mammography program from scratch. From the refurbishments of the coach, to building my team, scheduling of events, to the success stories where cancer was found early simply because we took the screenings to women versus women having to take time out of their day to come to us. We created an environment that made it convenient for women.
Q: What goals do you have for yourself in the next 5 years?
A: My goal is to become a radiology director. I intend to continue learning and expanding my knowledge in radiology overall with a focus on the operations/business side of the field.
