Cathy Chen, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Radiology faculty in July 2025 as a clinical assistant professor in the breast imaging section. She completed her undergraduate studies in chemical and biological engineering at Princeton University before earning her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.
Learn more about her background and hopes for her new role.
Can you share your professional background and experiences prior to joining our institution?
Chen: My husband, Alex Mullen, and I both grew up in Oxford, Mississippi, and were very excited to match at UAB for diagnostic radiology training. We have been here since. Alex recently joined the neuroradiology faculty.
What inspired you to pursue a career in this field?
Chen: Alex was the first of the two of us to become interested in radiology. He really encouraged me to take a closer look at the field, and he was totally right that I would love it.
I love that diagnostic radiologists have the privilege of caring for so many patients who come through the doors of the hospital and through our clinics. I’m constantly learning and being challenged. Breast radiology is a perfect fit for me. From our standardized language to our procedures and patient care, I’m grateful to be in this subspecialty.
What is your primary area of expertise within your field, and what sparked your passion for it?
Chen: I am a breast imager, which means I specialize in imaging and procedures such as screening mammograms, biopsies, and localization of lesions prior to breast surgery. With proper screening and workup, breast cancer can be caught early and treated. Our patients are often mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, and wives, so they are often the ones caring for others in their lives. We have the honor to care for them.
What aspects of your new role here are you most excited about?
Chen: I love the breast section here at UAB. I have so much respect for Dr. Stefanie Woodard, the attendings, and support staff. I’m excited to help contribute to the wonderful work they are doing for our special patient population. I definitely feel the impact of my work every day.
What are your goals for making an impact through both your teaching and patient care in this role?
Chen: I hope to inspire more medical students to consider diagnostic radiology as a specialty. Radiology is an incredible field that can be tailored to so many different types of people and interests. It is a job that needs to be done by a physician, and as stewards of the specialty and our patients, it is in our best interests to promote a robust pipeline of medical students to radiology. I hope to address common apprehensions about the field as well as be an example for students to see how a career in radiology might look. Lastly, I am always working on projects with medical students.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Chen: We’re excited to be here and plan to stay here. Having completed training at UAB, we’ve already had the chance to get to know a lot of people in this medical community, but we’d never say no to more friends. Please say, “Hi.” or reach out! We have two daughters (4 and `) and enjoy spending time out and about in Homewood.