Carolyn L. Wang, MD

What do you wish patients knew about your specialty?

I see the field of radiology as the keystone to the practice of medicine. A lot of diagnoses are made via imaging, and it’s also through imaging that we can evaluate whether a treatment is working as intended. For patients who have cancer, it’s important to get imaging studies done by a radiologist with oncologic expertise —someone who sees various kinds of cancer, rare cancers and unusual complications on a regular basis. The person reviewing your scans should understand the latest treatments and the potential problems that those treatments can cause. At Fred Hutch, we have this knowledge and experience, and it helps us ensure that you’re diagnosed correctly, that your disease is staged appropriately and that your response to treatment can be accurately assessed.

How do you help patients?

I believe in a patient-centered approach to imaging review. There is a real person with real problems behind each of the imaging studies I read. One thing I’m particularly interested in is how radiology can influence people; for example, if patients better understood their imaging studies — and, therefore, their disease status — how would it affect their choices? I’m always looking for ways to improve the delivery of radiology information through tailoring my reports and educating colleagues and trainees. While I don’t often interact directly with patients, I still think of myself as traveling alongside them, helping to clarify the road ahead.

Provider Background

Specialty: Radiology

Abdominal imaging

I am the medical director of imaging at Fred Hutch as well as a board-certified radiologist. My clinical expertise is centered on interpreting imaging scans, such as CTs, MRIs and ultrasounds, to help diagnose disease and guide treatment decisions. As an abdominal imaging specialist, I collaborate on the care of patients with a variety of diseases, from Merkel cell carcinoma to liver cancer. 

My primary research focus is the safety and quality of imaging practices. One area of interest is exploring how to improve the management of contrast reactions. Sometimes patients can experience rare, yet life-threatening, allergic reactions to contrast materials (substances that visually improve imaging scan results). I’ve developed hands-on simulation coursework — similar in functionality to airplane pilot safety simulations — to help healthcare providers learn how to effectively manage these reactions and improve patient safety. Another area of interest is discovering and evaluating new imaging tumor biomarkers to better assess treatment responses.