As part of our #RenaissanceRad series, we are featuring radiologists who are doing interesting clinical and go above and beyond the typical clinical journey. In this feature Q&A, we feature Renaissance Radiologist, Dr. B. Bobby Chiong MD who is not only an Interventional Radiologist and Chief of Interventional Radiology at St. Barnabas Hospital in NY, he is also a musician, rock climber, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert.
Q: Would you be able to provide a brief intro and bio about yourself?
A: I’m an interventional radiologist and the Radiology Department Chairman at St Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx. I am also an associate professor at the CUNY School of Medicine. I grew up in California, received my undergraduate degree in Theatre from University of Southern California, medical degree from UC Davis. I did residency training at SUNY Downstate and Harlem Hospital, then IR fellowship at Harbor-UCLA.
Q: What would you like to share with radRounds as your top goals now in your work?
A: During my training, I never thought I’d be chairman of a department. During residency training, I used to read a lot about military training. It made me feel better to read about people working harder than I was. Eventually I got into Jocko Willink’s books starting with Extreme Ownership. Applying those lessons in leadership and problem solving eventually got me promoted to chairman. My goal is to lead a team that providing excellent healthcare to my community.
Q: Why did you take this on?
A: Around a year ago during the early weeks of the COVID shutdown in NYC, I turned to playing music as many did. Through Twitter, I found many others doing the same. We started a loose organization #DocsWhoRock where we post our videos and give each other encouragement and collaborate with each other on musical projects. I wrote a little bit about it on my website brianchiong.com. My other interests are rock climbing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I won the IBJJF New York Open in my weight class at white belt in 2018. I’m currently a blue belt but training has been stalled due to the pandemic.
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Thank you Dr. Chiong for your interview. Please visit Dr. Chiong’s twitter page and his website here for more info, including his most amazing musical performances!
