Dr. Mini Pakkal
Associate Professor of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto
Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network
Teaching Philosophy
Mini's approach is shaped by years of building curricula that work across many different training systems—UK fellowships, Canadian residencies, and international visiting programs. She believes cardiothoracic imaging becomes intuitive when learners are given a clear framework first, then exposed to real cases to see the framework hold up under pressure. Her teaching emphasizes pattern recognition grounded in basic understanding, and honest discussion of the cases that do not fit the pattern.
About
Dr. Mini Pakkal is an Associate Professor of Medical Imaging at the University of Toronto, where she has been on faculty since 2014 after seven years as a consultant cardiothoracic radiologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust in the UK. She serves as Fellowship Program Director of the Medical Imaging Fellowship at the University of Toronto—the largest such program in Canada. She also directs the Advanced Cardiac CT course at the University of Toronto's Advanced Education and Imaging Centre and co-directs the UK Cardiac CT course. Internationally, she sits on the RSNA Committee on International Radiology Education (CIRE) and is a regular invited speaker at the ACR Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP) cardiothoracic section.
Subspecialty Focus
Courses Being Built with Dr. Mini Pakkal (Coming Soon)
Cardiac MRI
A new course being built with Dr. Mini Pakkal. Details coming soon.
Coming SoonHighlights & Awards
- Fellowship Program Director, Medical Imaging Fellowship, University of Toronto — the largest medical imaging fellowship program in Canada
- Director of Cardiac Education, Joint Department of Medical Imaging (UHN, Sinai Health, Women's College Hospital)
- RSNA International Visiting Professorship in Thoracic Education to Thailand (2019)
- Member, RSNA Committee on International Radiology Education (CIRE)
- Invited faculty, ACR Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP) — Cardiothoracic section
- Director, Advanced Cardiac CT Course, University of Toronto Advanced Education and Imaging Centre; Co-Director, UK Cardiac CT Course
- Multiple University of Toronto teaching awards for excellence in cardiothoracic radiology education
Select Publications
- Pakkal M, Dennie C, Hague CJ, et al. National Core and Advanced Cardiac Imaging Curricula: A Framework From the Canadian Society of Thoracic Radiology Education Committee. Academic Radiology, 2023.
- Pakkal M. Editorial Comment: Deep Learning Algorithm Outperforms a Radiologist, or Does It? AJR American Journal of Roentgenology, 2022.
- Augustine A, Robinson Vimala L, Irodi A, et al; Pakkal M (senior author). Diagnostic Value of Connective Tissue Disease Related CT Signs in Usual Interstitial Pneumonia Pattern of Interstitial Lung Disease. Indian Journal of Radiology & Imaging, 2023.
- Rogalla P, O'Brien C, Pakkal M, et al. CT-Fluoroscopy Guided Percutaneous Biopsy of Cardio-Pericardial Masses. Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal, 2024.