Eastern Radiologists is thrilled to welcome Joshua Wallace, MD MPH, a musculoskeletal radiologist, who joined our practice in July 2020. Dr. Wallace attended medical school at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and completed his diagnostic radiology residency and musculoskeletal imaging fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We are delighted to have you with us, Dr. Wallace! 

Coming from Chapel Hill, you are no newbie to North Carolina. Have you transitioned well to Greenville? 

I grew up in a tobacco town north of Durham and have been around the RDU area most of my life. I love NC. My sister has lived in Chicago and Cleveland for a while now, and it’s not for me. I want 4 seasons, options to go to the beach or the mountains on a weekend trip, and the proximity to get to Franklin St. when UNC wins a basketball championship. Everyone at Eastern has been so welcoming and friendly and, though we haven’t been able to be as social as we like, everyone we have met so far has been lovely. The transition has been smooth, we already traded our Costco card for Sam’s Club.

What led you to choose musculoskeletal imaging?

Physiology and anatomy were my favorite subjects in college, and musculoskeletal imaging offers plenty of that to keep me excited. I love the connection between physics and sports injuries and enjoy problem solving and using our technology to make diagnoses that will help people get back to running, playing, competing, or just living life more comfortably.

You were given the opportunity to provide imaging services in Malawi. How was that experience?

As a senior resident I traveled to Malawi to provide diagnostic and interventional imaging service in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, a landlocked country in southern Africa, which is one of the poorest nations on Earth. More importantly I brought educational materials as part of UNC Project Malawi, to improve the imaging experience of the house officers that lived there, to create a lasting impact after I left. The people I worked with were heroic, their bravery in the face of overwhelming adversity, and the ingenuity to overcome an extreme scarcity of resources inspires me to this day. I think about them often and would love to go back in the future, as an even more experienced radiologist.

Why Eastern Radiologists?

I met Brian Kuszyk, the president of Eastern Radiologists, in my second year of residency at a national conference in Washington D.C. and after speaking with him and learning about the group, I knew way back then I wanted to work here. I wanted to be in a large group where my subspecialty skills could be valuable. I also still wanted to be involved in teaching, and our affiliation with the Brody School of Medicine keeps me connected to medical students, fellows, and physicians in other specialties that are also interested in teaching and learning and getting better every day! We also get to work at a lot of smaller hospitals in more rural parts of Eastern NC and being the only Radiologist in a small town out there sometimes reminds me of being one of a few Radiologists in all of Malawi. It’s a great opportunity to help people get advanced imaging to improve their wellbeing.

You have a day off with some free time…what will you be doing? 

We will often take day trips to our family that live mostly within 2 hours from Greenville, or go to the beach. But if we are sticking around town: Sleep in until the 1-year-old wakes up. Make breakfast, I’m thinking coffee, pancakes, maybe omelets. Play with the toddler till she’s tired enough to take a nap. Read a book, work out (my wife and I have been going through most of the Beachbody series), lunch somewhere near a park, and then take it easy during the afternoon. Maybe play some video games if I’m really lucky. Cook something new and fun for dinner, watch a movie, and then get to bed and try to finish that book. Sounds pretty good to me…