Five questions for Katharina Banzhaf

What exactly do you do at the Charité?
I work at the radiology department. We take X-rays, cross-sectional images of the body (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging), and assist in angiography (an invasive method) to visualize vessels or treat vascular diseases such as occlusions, stenoses, or anomalies. Mainly we perform examinations that are based on ionizing radiation or magnetic fields. Our department is available for patient care in a three-shift model, around the clock, all year round. We serve almost all patients of the Virchow-Klinikum. Because therapies require, in most cases, radiological imaging. We strive for adequate and technically high-quality examinations so that therapies can be started promptly.  
 

How did you come to work at the Charité?
I grew up in the Swabian Alps and always wanted to learn many new things both professionally and privately. And I wanted to travel the world. I completed my education in Tübingen. After passing the state examination, I moved to Munich to work in nuclear medicine and neuroradiology. Afterwards, I ended up in the MRI research field in Bonn to work on neurodegenerative research. During my time in research, I thought about hospitals that combine research and patient care, and which one of them would offer me a wide range of different diseases to quench my thirst for knowledge. The solution: Charité.  

Why do you like working at the Charité?
I particularly like the interdisciplinary work of all departments and the fact that the focus is always on people. In addition, flat hierarchies facilitate a pleasant working atmosphere. Due to the wide range of different specialties and the many (inter)national experts, you not only see a lot, but you are also very close to innovative medicine. Mainly through the coronavirus, I learned a lot of new things about intensive-care medicine. Patients on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) support were rare in radiology before the pandemic. ECMO patients are also much more unstable and difficult to examine. Since the beginning of the pandemic, MTRA have been regularly examining patients on ECMO support and have been able to gain knowledge and experience and have virtually become ECMO experts for radiological imaging. I found this to be a great experience. To jointly acquire new knowledge in an interdisciplinary way in order to examine patients in the best possible way. Good radiological imaging allows intensive care physicians to initiate the appropriate therapy.
I am also a technophile, which is another reason I enjoy working at the Charité. The Charité has modern equipment of the latest generation. This allows me to be up to date with the latest science. 
 

What do you want for your professional future?
In general, I am satisfied because I have chosen a profession that involves lifelong learning allowing me to continuously quench my thirst for knowledge. This makes the profession a kind of journey without a destination. My personal objective for the future will be education. We need well-trained MTRAs so that the profession has a future. I would also like to ensure that the exciting and impressive profession becomes better known and arouses the interest of many people. There are still far too few who know what we do or who we are. My goal is to retire with a clear conscience and – when I need radiographic imaging – that I will be examined at the highest level of science. I hope to be able to put up my feet and enjoy my retirement in 2060 [laughs]. 

What was your most stirring recent experience at the Charité?
A young woman had contracted Covid during her seventh month of pregnancy. For a long time, we didn't know if she would make it. After the premature birth of her baby girl, she was placed on ECMO support for several months. For weeks, the ECMO system ran at its highest level to supply her body with enough oxygen. After the acute phase was over, the woman recovered. They were able to take her off ECMO support and she was discharged for rehab. Just the other day I saw a TV program about her, during which she talked about her story and Covid. It made me very proud that I could contribute to the improvement of her condition through the examinations I performed in the intensive care unit or with computer tomography. The example of this patient illustrates very well how all disciplines work together like pieces of a puzzle. Only if everyone makes their contribution will all these different pieces of the puzzle form a joint picture. Of course, as MTRAs we also see patients who do not make it. But it is those stories, like that of the young woman with Covid, that exponentially increase the motivation and energy to become even better for the patients.