SPOTLIGHT
IN FOCUS TOBIAS GILK
BY JOHN WALLACE
T
obias Gilk, M.Arch, MRSO, MRSE, is a senior vice president at RADIOLOGY-Planning (RAD-Planning), but he may be best known as a design specialist and MRI safety guru. It was his study of “design” that led him to the realm of imaging. One thing led to another and he soon found he had become an expert on MRI safety.
Tobias Gilk, M.Arch, MRSO, MRSE, is a senior vice president at RADIOLOGY-Planning
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ICEMAGAZINE | JULY 2022
He explains that a “long series of left-hand turns” – like those made by NASCAR drivers – are what his career path resembles. “Through a long series of lefthand turns … seriously! I applied to get my master’s in architecture with the intention of becoming a designer of live theater buildings,” Gilk recalls when asked how he entered the imaging field. “I suppose I should have looked at the job prospects for theater designers before starting architectural school, but once I was there I realized that this was a very unlikely career path. After I graduated with my master’s in architecture I was resigned to be a ‘regular’ architect, and the summer I started with my first firm I was essentially ‘gifted’ to the local hospital to be their resident architect from our firm.” “Quickly I became the hospital’s go-to radiology designer, and designed MRI, CT, and gamma camera suites. Through that, I fell in love with radiology and – in particular – MRI,” he adds. “In 2002, I was designing another MRI suite when the original ACR white paper on MRI safety came out, and the hospital directed me to incorporate the physical safety
requirements,” Gilk continues. “This was the beginning of me falling down the rabbit-hole of MRI safety, and that project led me to a deep interest in MRI safety.” When asked about his greatest accomplishment, Gilk paused to think before answering. “This is hard to think of when I regularly think of what more I want to accomplish, but there are several things I am very proud of. I’m deeply proud of the building of RAD-Planning … a specialty firm that does the work that I love most,” he says. “I’m also very proud of having helped in the development of planning and design standards for radiology facilities, including for FGI, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and best practices for facility MRI safety design for the American College of Radiology. And I’m also deeply proud of having helped to found the American Board of MR Safety and furthering MRI safety knowledge and practice.” He was reluctant to name a mentor, instead insisting that many people have helped him throughout his career. “There are so many people who have helped me, I’m a bit skeptical
ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL
