Radiology Fueled Dr. Chris Goettl’s Wonder for Medicine

Tucson, Arizona native Chris Goettl, MD, always felt a call to medicine, even at a young age. Whether it was his service-oriented Catholic background or his interest in science that sparked his passion for medicine, it was in high school where that spark turned into a flame.

“I met an interventional radiologist in Tucson when I was in high school,” Dr. Goettl said. “That was my early window into the field, and it clicked for me.”

From there, he knew he wanted to be a part of the future of medicine by doing minimally invasive treatments for complex vascular diseases.

In 2008, Dr. Goettl applied and was accepted to the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and graduated with the Class of 2012.

“The college gave me a broad foundation in medicine and gave me a well-rounded medical education that wasn’t just science-based, but also based on the importance of human connection,” Dr. Goettl said. Aside from training Dr. Goettl to be an expert physician, the college helped him get further connected to his community.

“The experience let me develop friendships with countless physicians who are now practicing, and a lot of my classmates came back to practice in the valley,” Dr. Goettl said. “I have colleagues in almost every specialty in medicine and can call someone if I’ve got a problem that I don’t know how to address.”

Before enrolling in medical school, Dr. Goettl attended Notre Dame for his MBA. He said that having business training in medicine is one of the most valuable skills sets that a modern physician can have because of the complexities of hospital-based medicine and insurance.

“Having a business background is critical to understanding what medical practices need to succeed,” Dr. Goettl said. “It helps you also understand what patients need to succeed.”

As an interventional radiologist, Dr. Goettl hopes to continue the paradigm shift from hospital-based procedural medicine to making minimally invasive procedures available in community clinics and some rural locations.

“In our field, there’s been a huge shift over the last 10 years to being able to do things safely and effectively in the outpatient space,” Dr. Goettl said. “Now, more patients are being able to access those procedures in interventional radiology in rural locations.”

After graduation, Dr. Goettl completed a radiology residency at the University of Illinois – Chicago followed by an interventional radiology fellowship at Stanford University.

He returned to his alma mater, the UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Radiology and is passing his skills with patients onto future physicians. This year, he was selected as the college's Alumni of the Year. He will be honored during an event in February 2024.

Practitioners like Dr. Goettl are vital to the community of Arizona. By donating to the University of Arizona’s Fuel Wonder campaign, an investment is made not only to support future physicians, but also future patients.