Interventional Radiologist Combines
Expertise and Empathy
Sometimes, the higher you climb, the more difficult it becomes to relate to others. For Seng Ong, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin interventional radiologist, the opposite is true: Years of advanced training have bolstered his dedication to patients.
Dr. Ong just finished a fellowship in vascular interventional radiology. “I chose to receive training in vascular intervention here because the hospital has the reputation of being a premier institution with nationally recognized physicians,” Dr. Ong explains. “It offered me a vast training experience in vascular and non-vascular interventions, and I found it has a strong emphasis on complete clinical management of interventional patients. We have access here to an interventional clinic, in-hospital consultations, patient admissions and post-procedure follow-up care — representing a holistic approach in taking care of patients.”
The fellowship is only the most recent step in a career that includes advanced training in surgery and radiology. And it’s not the end of his education — this summer, Dr. Ong will begin a second fellowship in pediatric radiology at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
According to William Rilling, MD, Medical College interventional radiologist and director of Interventional Radiology at Froedtert & Medical College, Dr. Ong’s effectiveness goes beyond medical expertise. “His strength,” says Dr. Rilling, “is how much he cares for patients.” While he loves surgery and says he is attracted to complicated cases, Dr. Ong stays focused on the real reason for healthcare: people. “We are not here just to do procedures,” he says, “but to make the patient’s experience a good one.”
Born in Malaysia, Dr. Ong attended high school and medical school in Australia and did his internship and surgery residency in England. He completed a diagnostic radiology residency (1999 – 2003) and the vascular interventional radiology fellowship (2003 – 2004) at the Medical College of Wisconsin.