David Hardwick grew up in central Illinois, where he graduated high school before joining the U.S. Army to finance his radiology education. In 1994, he graduated from a hospital-based X-ray program in Bloomington Normal, IL, and began his career as a staff technologist at Bromenn Regional Medical Center. Over the years, he gained experience in every department except Nuclear Medicine. His passion for the field was ignited in 1995 when he read an article about James Abraham and his journey as a Radiologist Assistant (RPA), inspiring him to pursue a similar path.
From 1995 to 2005, David actively sought clinical experiences in interventional radiology, the catheterization lab, CT, and radiography while also holding various management roles, including Executive Director of Radiology. In early 2006, he was accepted into the RPA program at Weber State University, where he graduated with honors in 2008, earning the title of Weber State Student of the Year under the mentorship of esteemed faculty members Jane Van Valkenburg, Robert Walker, Diane Newham, and Diane Kawamura. He began his career as an RPA at Lakeland Radiology, where he was one of the few working RPAs in Illinois. During his first year, he focused on developing policies and procedures to establish best practices in clinical settings.
From 2010 to 2013, David worked at a level one tertiary care center in Springfield, Illinois, primarily in interventional radiology with additional responsibilities in fluoroscopy for Springfield Radiologists, which eventually merged with Central Illinois Radiology Associates. In 2014, he and his wife, Shaunda, relocated to Georgia, where he joined the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. In 2015, he earned his Master's degree from Weber State University, shortly before accepting the position of Executive Director of Imaging Services at Grady Memorial Hospital, the largest and busiest radiology department in the Southeastern United States.
In 2018, David transitioned to a role as a radiology physician extender at Rome Radiology, where he currently manages a team of four radiology assistants. He has been an active member of the SRPE conference committee since 2007, serving as chair since 2016, and has held the position of Vice President for Wade Carrington and Jason Barrett. Throughout his career, he has built strong connections within the radiology community and looks forward to collaborating with the board and MAC to advance legislation for the profession.
David resides in Rockmart, Georgia, with his wife, Shaunda, who is also a radiology physician extender. David is committed to being tireless, focused, and dedicated to the betterment of radiology physician extenders.
