Earlier this year, Justin Blackman (IMP Class of 2027) received recognition in the abstract competition at the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting. The abstract he presented, “Reducing Wait Times for Outpatient Liver Biopsy on South Vancouver Island, BC,” placed third in the Quality Improvement Project category.
We sat down with Justin to learn more about the abstract—which he co-authored with Dr. Vamshi Kotha—and the project behind it, as well as his experience at the CAR Annual Scientific Meeting.
Hi, Justin! Congratulations on your third-place win at the CAR Abstract Competition. Could you please tell us what the abstract was about?
Our abstract described a quality-improvement project aimed at reducing how long patients on South Vancouver Island waited for an outpatient liver biopsy. These biopsies are often needed to diagnose cancer or determine the next step in treatment, so prolonged waits can be extremely stressful and may delay care. By reorganizing how procedures were reviewed, booked, and performed, our team reduced both the typical and longest wait times by more than 60 per cent, without adding staff, equipment, or new infrastructure. We also eliminated the use of a biopsy technique that sometimes left patients needing a second procedure.
Can you tell us a little bit about the project behind the abstract?
This was a Physician Quality Improvement (PQI) project completed through Island Health’s medical imaging department in Victoria and undertaken as my second-year FLEX project. I worked with Dr. Vamshi Kotha, Island Health’s Interventional Radiology Section Head, as well as our PQI project mentor, Dr. Al Buckley, and PQI project coordinator, Katie Hopper. The broader team also included radiologists, booking staff, nurses, technologists, and departmental leadership.
Because this was quality improvement rather than traditional clinical research, we focused on understanding the existing workflow and testing practical changes in real time. We used Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to test changes one at a time and refine them based on the data.
The interventions included centralizing procedure bookings, creating a consistent group of radiologists to review biopsy requests, introducing a dedicated procedural radiologist shift, and revising booking templates and supports for staff. I helped collect, analyze, visualize, and interpret the data used to plan each change and study its impact during the PDSA cycles. I also helped prepare project deliverables and summaries for knowledge translation, then developed and delivered the project abstract and presentation at the CAR 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting.
The project showed me how sustained improvement often comes from repeatedly testing and refining several coordinated changes rather than relying on a single solution.
What inspired you to enter your abstract into the CAR competition?
The project seemed particularly well suited to the CAR competition because it demonstrated how radiologists can improve patient care not only through individual clinical decisions but also by redesigning the systems in which care is delivered. The results were tangible and locally relevant, but the underlying challenges—including growing demand, limited resources, and complicated workflows—are shared by imaging departments across Canada. I saw the competition as an opportunity to share what our team had learned and to show that meaningful improvements do not always require major new investments.
How did it feel to present your work and place at the competition?
Presenting at the CAR 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting in Montréal was both exciting and intimidating. I have always tried to be the least knowledgeable person in the room (which anyone who knows me will tell you comes quite naturally) because that is where you learn the most. That philosophy feels rather daunting, however, when you are the person standing at the front of the room with the microphone. Placing in the Quality Improvement Project category was therefore a wonderful surprise and a very proud moment. More than anything, it felt like recognition of the entire team’s success and of the time and effort that many people invested in changing a complex clinical process.
What interests you about radiology?
I am drawn to radiology because it combines broad clinical problem-solving with technology, anatomy, and procedural medicine. Radiologists contribute to the care of patients across nearly every specialty, often at pivotal moments in diagnosis and treatment. I particularly enjoy the challenge of synthesizing complex clinical and imaging information into a clear answer that helps move a patient’s care forward. Radiologists are also, in many ways, systems specialists: they are positioned at the intersection of clinical care, data science, technology, and health-system operations, giving them a front-row seat to how patients, information, workflows, and decisions move through the healthcare system.
The annual CAR Abstract Competition celebrates the work of radiologists and radiologists-in-training. Prizes are awarded to the top-ranking presentations in the Quality Improvement Project, Radiologist-In-Training Research Project, Scientific Research Project, and Educational Exhibit categories.