Vishal Kumar, MD, Interventional Radiologist Spotlight
December 14, 2023
In his early days as a faculty member, Vishal Kumar, MD, was first introduced to the concept of ikigai by colleague, Christine Glastonbury, MBBS. Ikigai is a Japanese word that refers to one’s reason for being; a synergy between what you love to do, what the community needs, and what you can be paid to do. Kumar has held onto that idea as the key to balance between passion, purpose, and profession. He describes it this way, “If you are compromising time to not be with family and loved ones, then you must make sure that time is going towards a good cause.” Kumar has also applied ikigai to balance his work as an interventional radiologist, alongside his many other professional roles as a program director, educator, mentor, and colleague.
Kumar was born in Canada to parents of Indian descent. He grew up in North Carolina, before moving to California while he was in elementary school. The oldest of four siblings, Kumar knew he wanted to pursue a medical career as he felt understanding the human body and physiology was the closest he could reach to magic.
While in medical school at UCLA, Kumar first intended to specialize in oncology or cardio-thoracic surgery, based on his interest in the procedural skills and the potential impact of cancer therapies. However, as he proceeded through his medical school rotations, he was assigned a radiology preceptor, and his plan began to change. Kumar admitted, “At first, in radiology I felt like a visitor in a foreign country and did not speak the language.”
Observing the scientific marvels embedded in the procedure techniques, Kumar found himself increasingly captivated by the field. Today, Kumar jokes that he would now do this job for free if he could, but quickly admits that would go against the principle of ikigai. In his mentor, Kumar also saw an admirable work-life balance in radiology. He said, “Sometimes it felt like I was watching a movie or something out of the future. The IR suites are really nothing short of magic. And then I saw that after he scrubbed out, he and his partner traveled the world as yoga influencers!”
Kumar completed both his residency and his fellowship at UCSF, graduating in the same class as department colleagues Tom Hope, MD, Mike Ohliger, MD, PhD, and Jason Talbott, MD, PhD. Kumar’s first residency interview was with Mark Wilson, MD, Radiologist-in-Chief at Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG). Kumar recalls being immediately impressed by Wilson choosing to personally interview residents while also designing and now managing the hospital’s new interventional radiology suites co-located with the operating rooms. Kumar fell in love with UCSF through his example, “Dr. Mark Wilson has been an incredible focal point in my career. Without him I wouldn’t exist in this identity as a faculty member at UCSF. He inspired me.”
Kumar’s research interests are medical education and recruiting future radiologists, with a focus on predicting interventional radiology's future in the wake of its transformation into a distinct specialty. Kumar notes that Wilson’s mentorship has shaped many aspects of his career, including an early invitation to join the radiology faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Kumar explained that “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the central pillars of my work. It continually drives me to do better, and to find ways to integrate equity into our research, our practices, our policies, and our outcomes. The moment you go on autopilot, you must assume you are complicit in the system.” In 2022, Kumar co-hosted an 8-part podcast series on equity in education and patient care with the BackTable Podcast, a program offering radiologists offering practical advice to their peers. The series, featuring interviews with experts and covered the origins of health inequality, the language of race and oppression, LGTBQ+ care, police in medical spaces, among other topics.
Preserving ikigai amid his work and research, Kumar loves spending time with his wife, 8-year-old son and pandemic puppy as well as his extended family in the Bay Area. He is an avid cook who has taken the next step to become a gardener, and he is a drone-photography enthusiast, flying his device high above the city to capture the world from a new point of view.
