Diagnostic Radiology Residency
The Spectrum Health/Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Diagnostic Radiology Residency offers a robust training experience with a case volume to trainee ratio among the top in the nation. This includes cases in rare diseases and post-transplant studies.
We are fully accredited by the ACGME and have received ESIR (Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology) designation. The program is four years long, plus an integrated Transitional Year. We accept three residents each year.
From the Program Director
Welcome to the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University diagnostic radiology residency program. I’m happy you decided to visit our website and learn more about our program.
This residency program is unique in many ways.
First, we are affiliated with Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, a large medical school. However, our program is not part of a hierarchical academic department. It is through this relationship that we can offer the very best of a busy community-based clinical program and the academic opportunities of a university. Our residents are the primary focus of our educational efforts and our faculty have full freedom to educate without many of the requirements of other institutions. The incredibly favorable faculty to resident and examination to resident ratios combined with the absence of fellows insure optimal practical experience and caseloads in diagnostic and interventional rotations. Our residents have board pass rates well above the national average and go on to obtain fellowships at prestigious institutions all over the United States.
Second, our radiology residents work with two different private practice radiology groups; Advanced Radiology Services and Mercy Health Saint Mary's board-certified radiologists (Kent Radiology). This exposes them to two of the most common radiology practice types in the United States today.
Advanced Radiology Services is made up of 157 board certified radiologists and they are the largest group of subspecialized radiologists in the state of Michigan, with >20 interventional radiologists, >17 musculoskeletal radiologists, >25 neuroradiologists, and >9 pediatric radiologists with ongoing subspecialty recruitment. Radiologists from Advanced Radiology Services work at Spectrum Health West Michigan, which is made up of 14 hospitals and 150 ambulatory sites. Spectrum Health performs over 1.2 million radiology studies per year!
Residents also work with Mercy Health Saint Mary's board-certified radiologists (Kent Radiology) in a more typical private practice setting. Mercy Health Saint Mary’s is a non-profit 300-bed acute care teaching hospital. Mercy Health Saint Mary’s is the West Michigan Renal Transplant Center and provides residents with exposure to a variety of renal failure-related radiological studies. They also opened the region’s first diagnostic Breast Center in 1983, which is the site where residents complete most of their mammography rotations. The Lacks Cancer Center at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s is a comprehensive, dedicated cancer hospital.
Lastly, in addition to the stellar clinical training, our residents select a non-interpretive track at the end of their R1 year to supplement their clinical education. Those tracks include research, clinical educator, artificial intelligence/informatics, quality improvement, advocacy, leadership, and business/entrepreneurship. The non-interpretive track consists of one on one faculty mentorship and a capstone project to be presented in the R4 year.
We are dedicated to helping you become one of the best radiologists in the world and are looking forward to meeting you when you come visit us in beautiful Grand Rapids, MI!
Andrew Woodrow, MD
Program Director
Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program
- MR: 22 units
- 16 - 1.5T MRI
- 6 - 3T MRI, including a 3T surgical suite in the OR
- CT: 25 units
- PET/CT: 1 unit
- SPECT/CT: 3 units
- Fluoroscopy: 14 rooms
- Angiointerventional suites: 10
- Gamma cameras: 12 units
- Ultrasound: 40 units
- Digital radiography: 20 units
- Digital portable radiography: 20 units
- 1 - 1.5-T MRI unit
- 1 - 1.5-T Mobile MRI unit that services one to two days a week
- 1 - 3-T MRI unit
- Multi-slice CT: 4 units (3 128-slice and 1 64-slice)
- PET/CT: 1 unit
- SPECT/CT gamma cameras: 2 units
- Fluoroscopy: 3 rooms
- Angiography suites, bi-plane included: 2
- Regular gamma camera: 1 unit
- Ultrasound: 5 units
- Total radiography units (CR): 4 units
- C-arms: 6 units and O-arm: 1 unit
- Portable CR machines: 5 units
- Digital Tomosynthesis mammography: 2 units
- AIRP
- Body CT/MR
- Cardiac
- Chest
- Emergency radiology/night float
- Elective (e.g. senior mini-fellowships)
- GI/Fluoroscopy
- MRI
- Musculoskeletal
- Neuroradiology
- Interventional
- Pediatrics
- Mammography
- Nuclear medicine
- Ultrasound
In keeping with the tradition of physician as teacher, residents have many opportunities to teach their colleagues, medical students and patients. The radiology residents teach Michigan State University and other visiting medical students the pertinent radiographic and CT findings (normal and abnormal) anatomy during their first year. In addition, the residents participate in resident-run interdisciplinary conferences in which they teach the clinical residents their patient’s pathological imaging findings.
- Three letters of recommendation, preferably at least one from a radiologist
- Personal statement
- Medical school transcript
- Dean’s letter
- USMLE Step 1 Score Required (even if you are an osteopathic medical student)
- USMLE Step 2 CK Score Preferred
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West Michigan - A Great Place to Call Home
As the second largest city in Michigan, Grand Rapids is an amazing place to work, live, play and explore. This vibrant city is known for some of the best festivals in the world, like ArtPrize, and is only a short 45 minute drive to Lake Michigan. The city has been recognized by numerous sources, including The New York Times, where Grand Rapids was ranked as one of the 52 Places to Go. Additionally, Thrillist consider Grand Rapids the best food city in the state of Michigan, and in 2018, Trulia chose Grand Rapids as the Hottest Real Estate Market to Watch in the country. Grand Rapids is a city with endless experiences for people of every age. Learn more.
Meet Our Faculty
Class of 2024
Class of 2023
Class of 2022
Class of 2021
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Get to know our residents
Our residents are a diverse group from a variety of backgrounds with unique experiences and interests. We look forward to getting to know you as well!
Many of our alumni have moved on to subspecialty fellowship training, see where they've gone!