The change artist: Tarek Hanna, MD
By Sam Marie Engle
If you need someone to see the big picture first, and then redesign it, turn to a painter like Tarek Hanna. As the new vice chair of diagnostic imaging and the director of the Division of Emergency and Trauma Imaging (ETI), Dr. Hanna is blending the art of leadership with the art of medicine to help change the muddled landscape that is clinical care into a vibrant scene that uplifts everyone.
“At every level employees of Emory Radiology express frustration in various aspects of their jobs and I hope to be able to reduce some of that and allow people to do their jobs better. I also want to remain responsive and flexible and help solve problems as they come up to make the departmental operations function more smoothly,” he says.
Since he started in January, he admits, “I’ve been doing a lot of on-the-job learning, which itself has been both fulfilling and fascinating.”
Dr. Hanna has enjoyed a bit of a head start, having served as interim director of the ETI division from last February until he was named division director in November 2022. The ETI division has endured enormous growth and change in the past 5 years, with faculty growth, faculty turnover, and service expansion.
“We’re an unusual division that is built on shift work. It’s a challenge to determine an optimal workload when emergency and trauma care is so unpredictable."
“At every level employees of Emory Radiology express frustration in various aspects of their jobs and I hope to be able to reduce some of that and allow people to do their jobs better. I also want to remain responsive and flexible and help solve problems as they come up to make the departmental operations function more smoothly,” he says.
Since he started in January, he admits, “I’ve been doing a lot of on-the-job learning, which itself has been both fulfilling and fascinating.”
Dr. Hanna has enjoyed a bit of a head start, having served as interim director of the ETI division from last February until he was named division director in November 2022. The ETI division has endured enormous growth and change in the past 5 years, with faculty growth, faculty turnover, and service expansion.
“We’re an unusual division that is built on shift work. It’s a challenge to determine an optimal workload when emergency and trauma care is so unpredictable."
Generational Change
Dr. Hanna notes that in less than 20 years, Emory Healthcare has grown at least fivefold. From serving just Emory University Hospital, Emory Radiology has grown in that same short timespan to serving Emory University Hospital Midtown, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Emory Johns Creek Hospital, and now Emory Decatur and Emory Hillandale hospitals. Add to that the department becoming the 24/7 provider of trauma imaging interpretations at Grady two years ago, and it’s, well . . .
“It’s been monumental,” he says. “It seems the more we expand the more they want us to expand, but I’m excited about helping to improve the department in ways that benefit our people and our patients, both for the short and long term.”
The changes afoot speak to a generational shift, says Dr. Hanna, who came to Emory for medical school in 2002, followed by diagnostic radiology residency and a fellowship. “I have a long history with Emory Radiology. My uncle was an MSK radiologist here. I did a project as a medical student with (former department chair) Dr. Bill Casarella. During my residency, I worked with (emeritus faculty members) Dr. Bill Torres (former vice chair of clinical affairs) and Dr. Kay Vydareny (former associate director of the Diagnostic Radiology Residency program and Cardiothoracic Imaging Division director). So I remember what they did and the standards they set, and I learned from their leadership, which are big shoes to fill. That said, it’s also nice to be part of a team that’s new and young. There’s an element of working together and learning together and setting our own path.”
Leading by Listening
Dr. Hanna understands what's required for success and it isn't being bossy. “One of the most important aspects of leadership in a system the size and complexity of Emory Radiology is communication.” More specifically, “Two-way communication: listening frequently, taking action, and then responding back clearly and transparently in a way that makes people feel heard and that lets them know we are here to both respond to their problems and help move the organization in a positive direction. So many issues occur from miscommunication that I think can be avoided!”
A powerful tool for such listening is the strategic planning process. “It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to be part of deciding where we want to put our resources and time for the next 5-10 years. We’re seeking a lot of input and I’ve been impressed with how people are responding.”
What they hear, loud and clear, is that employees need help. “Especially in the wake of COVID pandemic, there’s even more need to take care of employees and to be transparent and not intrusive. If we can make our people feel valued and keep the patient at the forefront we can get where we want to go,” he says.
Painting a Picture
And now about the paint. Dr. Hanna laughs a bit self-consciously. “As far back as early high school, I’ve painted. I took a lot of art history classes in college but worked on my technique for fun. In medical school I used it as a de-stressing outlet. I do landscapes and architectural scenes mostly, but I’ve also done portraits.”
This makes sense for a person who likes to work out relationships and organizational structures, and loves the visual aspect of diagnostic radiology. Does the painting help with the job now?
“I started a project in late December and early January but with the new VC role, I had stop for a bit. Everything takes more time when you first start doing it,” he confesses. He hopes to return to painting in a few months.
Dr. Hanna says he likes to give away art to friends and family. He’s even sold some through coffee shops, “just for fun.” What else does he do for fun?
“When I'm in town, I'm a big foodie - I love going out to restaurants of all sorts and eating! I'm always reading reviews of new places opening around town and keeping a list of places I want to try. I also love traveling both around the country and around the world.”
Better than Before
Like a lot of people, Dr. Hanna is hoping 2023 will be better than 2022. “2022 was a little bit of a rough year for me, I had some personal challenges and also herniated a lumbar disc and ended up spending a fair bit of time seeing doctors and doing physical therapy.”
Better than before seems to be Dr. Hanna’s theme, from being part of the leadership team to the department’s strategic plan, and even to his own career.
“After I finished my fellowship, I went into private practice, and, really, I didn’t find it fulfilling. I looked at my job and couldn’t envision doing this for the rest of my career: doing diagnostic imaging without interaction with colleagues and no continuing education.”
In a case of being in the right place at the right time, Ryan Christie, MD, one of the department’s first members of the emergency and trauma imaging faculty invited Dr. Hanna to give a lecture to the Emory residents in 2013 on the Atlanta job market at the resident retreat. It went so well, Jamlik-Omari Johnson, MD, ETI division director Omari encouraged him to interview for a faculty position in the division.
“I did and took the job,” he says with a smile. “I think change is exciting. I don’t want to do the same thing every day all the time. Working here keeps me on my toes. It’s rewarding. The practice mix I have and having the opportunity do education and research and administration and service, that’s really exciting. Every day is different.”
The recipient of the Emory Radiology Rising Star Award and the Outstanding Contributions to Research by a Junior Faculty Member Award, Dr. Hanna is making the most of opportunities.
The best part, he says, is making it better than before for others. “If one to three years from the time I started this role, I can tangibly improve the work environment, culture and happiness of our faculty and staff while continuing to provide exceptional patient care, I'll consider that a success.”
And picture perfect.
Dr. Hanna notes that in less than 20 years, Emory Healthcare has grown at least fivefold. From serving just Emory University Hospital, Emory Radiology has grown in that same short timespan to serving Emory University Hospital Midtown, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Emory Johns Creek Hospital, and now Emory Decatur and Emory Hillandale hospitals. Add to that the department becoming the 24/7 provider of trauma imaging interpretations at Grady two years ago, and it’s, well . . .
“It’s been monumental,” he says. “It seems the more we expand the more they want us to expand, but I’m excited about helping to improve the department in ways that benefit our people and our patients, both for the short and long term.”
The changes afoot speak to a generational shift, says Dr. Hanna, who came to Emory for medical school in 2002, followed by diagnostic radiology residency and a fellowship. “I have a long history with Emory Radiology. My uncle was an MSK radiologist here. I did a project as a medical student with (former department chair) Dr. Bill Casarella. During my residency, I worked with (emeritus faculty members) Dr. Bill Torres (former vice chair of clinical affairs) and Dr. Kay Vydareny (former associate director of the Diagnostic Radiology Residency program and Cardiothoracic Imaging Division director). So I remember what they did and the standards they set, and I learned from their leadership, which are big shoes to fill. That said, it’s also nice to be part of a team that’s new and young. There’s an element of working together and learning together and setting our own path.”
Leading by Listening
Dr. Hanna understands what's required for success and it isn't being bossy. “One of the most important aspects of leadership in a system the size and complexity of Emory Radiology is communication.” More specifically, “Two-way communication: listening frequently, taking action, and then responding back clearly and transparently in a way that makes people feel heard and that lets them know we are here to both respond to their problems and help move the organization in a positive direction. So many issues occur from miscommunication that I think can be avoided!”
A powerful tool for such listening is the strategic planning process. “It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to be part of deciding where we want to put our resources and time for the next 5-10 years. We’re seeking a lot of input and I’ve been impressed with how people are responding.”
What they hear, loud and clear, is that employees need help. “Especially in the wake of COVID pandemic, there’s even more need to take care of employees and to be transparent and not intrusive. If we can make our people feel valued and keep the patient at the forefront we can get where we want to go,” he says.
Painting a Picture
And now about the paint. Dr. Hanna laughs a bit self-consciously. “As far back as early high school, I’ve painted. I took a lot of art history classes in college but worked on my technique for fun. In medical school I used it as a de-stressing outlet. I do landscapes and architectural scenes mostly, but I’ve also done portraits.”
This makes sense for a person who likes to work out relationships and organizational structures, and loves the visual aspect of diagnostic radiology. Does the painting help with the job now?
“I started a project in late December and early January but with the new VC role, I had stop for a bit. Everything takes more time when you first start doing it,” he confesses. He hopes to return to painting in a few months.
Dr. Hanna says he likes to give away art to friends and family. He’s even sold some through coffee shops, “just for fun.” What else does he do for fun?
“When I'm in town, I'm a big foodie - I love going out to restaurants of all sorts and eating! I'm always reading reviews of new places opening around town and keeping a list of places I want to try. I also love traveling both around the country and around the world.”
Better than Before
Like a lot of people, Dr. Hanna is hoping 2023 will be better than 2022. “2022 was a little bit of a rough year for me, I had some personal challenges and also herniated a lumbar disc and ended up spending a fair bit of time seeing doctors and doing physical therapy.”
Better than before seems to be Dr. Hanna’s theme, from being part of the leadership team to the department’s strategic plan, and even to his own career.
“After I finished my fellowship, I went into private practice, and, really, I didn’t find it fulfilling. I looked at my job and couldn’t envision doing this for the rest of my career: doing diagnostic imaging without interaction with colleagues and no continuing education.”
In a case of being in the right place at the right time, Ryan Christie, MD, one of the department’s first members of the emergency and trauma imaging faculty invited Dr. Hanna to give a lecture to the Emory residents in 2013 on the Atlanta job market at the resident retreat. It went so well, Jamlik-Omari Johnson, MD, ETI division director Omari encouraged him to interview for a faculty position in the division.
“I did and took the job,” he says with a smile. “I think change is exciting. I don’t want to do the same thing every day all the time. Working here keeps me on my toes. It’s rewarding. The practice mix I have and having the opportunity do education and research and administration and service, that’s really exciting. Every day is different.”
The recipient of the Emory Radiology Rising Star Award and the Outstanding Contributions to Research by a Junior Faculty Member Award, Dr. Hanna is making the most of opportunities.
The best part, he says, is making it better than before for others. “If one to three years from the time I started this role, I can tangibly improve the work environment, culture and happiness of our faculty and staff while continuing to provide exceptional patient care, I'll consider that a success.”
And picture perfect.