When it comes to certain kinds of diagnostic imaging, it is said that a little incision makes a big difference. That’s because a tiny incision — made by NorthBay Health’s interventional radiology specialists — can help NorthBay Health’s Heart & Vascular team members locate blood clots or blocked veins or arteries, and then provide the imaging that helps them guide catheters to remove the clots, or place stents to open up blocked veins and arteries.

The interventional radiologist is an important part of the Heart & Vascular team, and can be found alongside NorthBay’s heart specialists in its catheterization labs or in diagnostic imaging, using such tools as ultrasound, flouroscopy, and/or CT scans.

But, interventional radiologists can also be called upon to work with other specialists, such as trauma surgeons, urologists, neurologists and oncologists, according to Christopher Lee, M.D.

“On any given day, I might also do a biopsy on a thyroid tumor, place ports for chemotherapy, do lumbar punctures for neurosurgeons, or place nephrostomy tubes for an urologist, glue a spine fracture back together or fix blocked dialysis access points,” he explained.

This kind of specialized radiology expertise will naturally cross many department lines, Dr. Lee noted, and it works especially well at NorthBay because of the organization’s size.

“NorthBay may be a ‘small’ hospital, but it is big on the kind of advanced level work we do here. NorthBay is independent, and that means nimble. We can effect change here and we have done that by building and expanding our Interventional Radiology program so that we’re now seeing a large increase in the volume of our work, particularly as we support NorthBay’s growing Heart & Vascular program and many other departments throughout NorthBay.”

Meet Interventional Radiologist Christopher Lee, M.D.

Christopher Lee, M.D., obtained his medical degree from UCLA, did his residency in diagnostic radiology at Albany Medical Center in New York, and obtained his fellowship in interventional radiology from the University of California, San Diego.

After several years of working in the Bay Area, he came to NorthBay Health in 2018, charged with expanding NorthBay’s interventional radiology services.

“While we may work alongside NorthBay’s cardiologists in the Cath Lab, we also support specialized imaging needed by our neurologists, urologists, oncologists, general surgeons and others,” he explained.

“I had no idea what kind of place NorthBay was at first, except to think it was a ‘small’ hospital, but we’re doing very big things here. We’re independent, nimble, and when we want to get something done, we can make it happen. The teams here are good to work with and the program is great. Now, I say this is my ‘forever’ hospital.”

Meet Interventional Radiologist Alex Penn, M.D.

Alex Penn, M.D., obtained his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, did his radiology residency at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and earned a fellowship in vascular and interventional radiology at Oregon Health Sciences University.

He joined NorthBay’s IR team in 2020.

“I am impressed by the dedication and outstanding care that our hospital and clinic staff provide to our patients. As an IR, I get to collaborate with many different medical specialties and I appreciate the diverse and collegial atmosphere that NorthBay supports. It is very satisfying that even though almost all IR procedures are minimally-invasive, that we have a significant beneficial impact on our patients.”

Outside of work, Dr. Penn enjoys spending time with family as they bike on the Iron Horse Trail. “I’m a huge Costco fan and like hearing about great deals and seasonal items for sale. I also enjoy playing the piano. Although I grew up learning classical music, I’ve more recently begun learning movie and pop songs.”