Merve Ozen, MD
Associate Professor of Radiology
Mayo Clinic
Phoenix, Arizona
ozen.merve@mayo.edu
Disclosures: Consultant to Cook Medical, Boston Scientific Corporation, and Varian.

One of the most rewarding parts of an interventional radiology career is sharing your work and ideas with peers at meetings. Standing at the podium isn’t just about presenting data, it’s about connecting, inspiring, and advancing our field together. For many, however, the path to that podium can feel unclear. I’d like to share some advice I often give to junior colleagues who are just beginning their professional journey.

START WITH CURIOSITY AND RESEARCH

For me, it all began with research. As a trainee, I didn’t yet know where my interests would lead, but research gave me a framework to ask questions, test ideas, and contribute meaningfully. If you are starting out, don’t worry if your first project feels small. Every project is a building block. The key is to seek out mentors who will not only guide you scientifically but also model how to ask better questions and navigate the publishing and presenting process. A good mentor will help you refine your work into abstracts, manuscripts, and, ultimately, presentations.

FIND MENTORS AND ALLIES

No one arrives at the podium alone. Behind every successful presenter is a team of mentors, collaborators, and friends. Don’t hesitate to reach out to faculty members, senior fellows, or even peers whose work inspires you. Ask to join a project, volunteer to help with data collection, or simply ask for advice. These small steps build relationships that will open unexpected doors later. Mentorship is not only about academic guidance but also about encouragement, accountability, and believing in you when you’re just starting out.

VOLUNTEER AND SHOW UP

Professional growth also happens outside the lab and the clinic. Volunteer with societies, committees, or trainee sections. These opportunities allow you to meet people beyond your institution, gain visibility, and contribute to shaping the field. By showing up consistently, you will naturally expand your network. Often, the first invitations to speak or moderate a session come because someone remembers your enthusiasm and reliability in a smaller role.

PAY ATTENTION TO ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINES

On a practical note, pay attention to meeting deadlines. Many physicians miss opportunities simply because they weren’t aware of abstract submission dates. Keep a calendar, ask colleagues to share calls for abstracts, and don’t be afraid to submit early and often. Even if your abstract isn’t accepted the first time, the process itself is valuable practice.

PRESENTING WITH PURPOSE

When you do land a presentation, remember that clarity is more powerful than complexity. Organizers and audiences value speakers who can explain their message clearly, stay within time, and engage the room. Practice with friends or mentors, anticipate questions, and focus on telling a story rather than just showing data. Audiences remember passion and authenticity as much as they remember statistics.

INSPIRATION FOR THE JOURNEY

The podium is not an endpoint; it’s a milestone in a longer journey of growth and contribution. Be patient, stay curious, and celebrate every step along the way. If you keep seeking mentors, building friendships, and saying “yes” to opportunities, you’ll find that one day, almost without realizing it, you’re standing at the podium to not just present your work but also inspire those coming after you.

Parag J. Patel, MD, MS, FSIR
Professor of Radiology & Surgery
Division of Vascular & Interventional Radiology
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
papatel@mcw.edu
Disclosures: Advisory board for Boston Scientific, Medtronic, BD, and Penumbra; provides educational lectures for Gore, Sirtex, and Cook Medical.

There are multiple paths to the podium; however, there are some fundamental concepts that I think can help keep you coming back. Let’s review some of the advice I like to share with my graduating trainees and early career faculty.

TURN YOUR CLINICAL INTEREST INTO CLINICAL EXPERTISE

Identify your areas of clinical or practice interest. It may be in a specific clinical area (ie, venous, peripheral artery disease, portal hypertension) or within the practice (ie, coding, billing, practice administration). It helps to have more than one area of focus—perhaps diversify among a few clinical and practice needs. As you build your clinical volumes, grow your knowledge in that particular space. Specifically, learn all landmark papers and ongoing clinical trials, and periodically scan for new studies in your area of interest. The only thing preventing you from becoming an expert in the available data is your time and effort. Know these data well and commit this to what I call “walking around knowledge”—the knowledge that you carry while walking around and can casually drop if the conversation requires. Track your own clinical outcomes and then report your data. This may be a single-center report of outcomes, it may be part of a registry, it may be a lesson learned in your first 10 cases. Regardless of the theme, be a contributor to the body of literature in your area of clinical interest.

STAY WITHIN YOUR ALLOTTED TIME

If you are successful at the above, then you will likely be asked to present at the podium. It may be to share your submitted research abstract, provide an overview on the clinical topic, or a “tips and tricks” in management talk. As you grow more experienced in your career, the topics will trend to more nuanced or specific rather than broad overviews. Whether nuanced or broad, there’s one thing in common: the time allotted for the talk. Most meetings or invitations to the podium come with very strict timelines for when the slides are due and the overall length of the presentation. Remember, the organizers of the meeting have spent significant time planning for you and the other invited speakers. Respect that process, and commit to the provided guidelines.

FOCUS YOUR PRESENTATION AND PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Resist the temptation to provide all possible knowledge on the topic in your slide deck. The nature of podium talks is to provide a clear, concise presentation on the topic in as short as 8 to 10 minutes. This is easier as the topic becomes more focused. However, even broad overviews can be distilled to the hierarchical themes that are of utmost relevance to the audience. Make your slides more image-rich to convey a point that you can speak to and avoid heavy wording. Resist the pull to read to the audience directly from your slides.

Finally, practice, practice, practice your presentation—such that you have practically memorized each slide and the talking points flow effortlessly. This process will allow you to speak easily even in the event of an unexpected interruption (ie, audiovisual malfunction or question from the moderator).

Invariably, someone else is vouching for your expertise when you are invited to the podium. Reward their gamble by preparing yourself with some very achievable expertise and advanced preparation. If successful, you will likely be heading back to the podium again soon.