Name & Credentials (MD, DO, MBBS, etc.): Matthew S. Parsons, MD
Professional Title(s): Associate Professor of Radiology
Co-director, Head and Neck Imaging
Director, Emergency Neuroimaging
Assistant Program Director, Diagnostic Radiology Residency
Institution or Practice: Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of
Medicine
Where did you complete the following?:
Undergraduate: Miami University
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Radiology Residency: Saint Louis University
Fellowship(s): Neuroradiology – Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in
St. Louis School of Medicine
# Years in Practice: 14 # Years as ASHNR member: 10
Primary research, clinical, or educational interest(s): Image post-processing, resident education
What do you look forward to most about the ASHNR Annual Meeting? Learning those tidbits of knowledge that you can immediately take home and put to use. Catching up with prior trainees during breaks or for coffee/meals.
Do you have a particular ASHNR member or mentor that you admire (and why)? Franz “Jay” Wippold, M.D. – He set the perfect example of a fair section head, colleague, and friend. Whenever I am placed into challenging situations with difficult decisions to make, I just ask myself, “What would Jay do?”
What is your favorite (anatomic) part of the head & neck? Easy one for me – the brachial plexus.
What was your childhood dream job? Movies inspired several of my childhood dream jobs: a) Fighter pilot – “Top Gun” played a role here along with creating numerous airplane models. Unfortunately, developing myopia late in high school put an end to that dream. b) Archaeologist – The Indiana Jones series was an inspiration.
What is one thing people might be surprised to know about you? I believe that having a wide variety of interests is important. This belief has been solidified during the pandemic as my love of travel has been stunted. I do enjoy spending free time outdoors as it is a great stress release. I am an avid fly fisherman and usually find a way to work in at least one fishing trip during any vacation or work related travel. During the pandemic, I started to teach myself the art of fly tying. Thank goodness for YouTube! On weekends, I like to wake up early to drive curvy country roads outside of St. Louis. I also enjoy birding and identifying new species when I travel. At the last ASHNR meeting in Scottsdale, I noticed a large population of wild parrots (rosy-faced lovebirds) in the trees by the pools. These birds are native to Africa, but escaped from an aviary that was destroyed in a monsoon in the 1980s.