The Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA) will be having its annual meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada over August 3-5. HealthCare Business News spoke with Dr. Mario Pistilli, executive director of Imaging Services at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and AHRA president, about what the meeting will have in store for attendees and about his own professional background.

HCB News: Who or what inspired you to follow a career in healthcare?
Dr. Mario Pistilli: I wish I had some powerful inspirational story but honestly it was the advice of my college academic advisor that steered me to healthcare. I did not have a family member in healthcare or an influential mentor in healthcare. I was lucky in being heathy growing up so I really did not have much exposure to healthcare careers.


I was a clueless kid in suburban Chicago heading to college with no idea what I wanted to do when I was instructed to go and see my academic advisor and she asked me what I wanted to major in. I said, “I don’t know what that means”. She said, what do you want your focus of study to be in. I again was totally confused and she could tell I was not understanding. She said, what do you want to be when you graduate – and I said a doctor. That wasn’t true but was the first thing that popped in my head. Truthfully I had not really though about it up until that time. She recommended I not do pre-med or biology and steered me to allied health fields as she said if medical school didn’t work out that I could have a profession that I could get a job in.

Thankfully she was a very practical person and steered me eventually to Nuclear Medicine Technology which was a great fit for me as I loved science and math. I really did not know much about the field all through undergrad until I landed at my clinical internship. I was lucky that I was fascinated with the field and had wonderful mentors during my internship year that sparked my life long love of all Imaging modalities.

HCB News: How did you first become involved with the AHRA?
MP: As my leadership journey grew some mentors in my life recommended that I get involved in a professional society and learn from others outside the four walls of the hospital I worked at. AHRA was the logical choice and is the go-to place for Imaging leaders.

When I started with AHRA I did not know anyone at all, there was no one at my institution or no one that I knew that was a member so I just joined off the website. I joined the membership committee for Illinois which was a great entry to meet and connect with lots of people.

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