UH Division Chief of Breast Radiology Prioritizes Access, Accommodations and Advancements for Patients

UH Clinical Update | June 2025

Holly Marshall, MD, knows there’s so much more to a mammogram or breast MRI than the radiologic test itself. The details of the patient experience matter almost as much.

Holly Marshall, MD

In her 16 years at University Hospitals, now as Division Chief of Breast Radiology, Dr. Marshall has worked with this in mind, helping create a welcoming and respectful environment for patients undergoing these tests. At the same time, she’s championed a collaborative approach for breast imaging specialists across the system for establishing shared processes and protocols -- always with patient needs and access as the guiding principle.

The development of the new Breast Center at UH Ahuja Medical Center is a case in point. Dr. Marshall led the team in making every decision by putting patients first, from choosing a welcoming color palette to determining where patients should sit as they move through the breast imaging process.

“We wanted to know what the journey through the center would look like,” Dr. Marshall says. “We role-played all of the different ways patients could experience it.”

Dr. Marshall has also led the team in helping create a better patient experience. Patients having a breast biopsy now have a single nurse assigned to them for the entire process, to promote continuity and reduce anxiety. Dr. Marshall has also been instrumental in getting patients more timely results of their tests.

“Renowned for her focus on the patient experience, Dr. Marshall is a leading expert in her field,” says Donna Plecha, MD, Chair of Radiology and Ida and Irwin Haber and Wei-Shen Chin, MD, Chair in Radiology. “She has minimized delays in test result notifications and improved access for patients, who can now schedule biopsies within seven days of receiving recommendations. Thanks to Dr. Marshall’s leadership, UH Breast Centers are thriving, enriched by her passion and dedication to her specialty.”

In recognition of this outstanding work, UH CEO Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair, recently named Dr. Marshall a “Dinner with the Doc” honoree.

Dr. Marshall is also an innovative clinician and researcher. She was the major impetus in bringing contrast-enhanced mammography to Northeast Ohio and performed the first contrast-enhanced guided biopsy at UH.

Dr. Marshall says she credits the UH culture of innovation for making such advancements possible for our patients.

“One of the great things about University Hospitals is that they really support us,” she says. “Because of the support we receive, we're able to offer our patients everything that's out there, and we also tend to be the first ones to offer it.”

In addition, Dr. Marshall is an investigator on a $3.1 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health looking at using magnetic resonance fingerprinting to determine whether chemotherapy for breast cancer is working – just seven to 10 days after the first cycle. Right now, these assessments are done four to six months after the completion of chemotherapy. Better, earlier information could give patients more effective treatment options, Dr. Marshall says.

Meanwhile, the UH breast radiology team is growing – from six specialists to 14 in the last five years. Culture is a major reason why, Dr. Marshall says.

“We feel that we have so much support at the senior top level that it just all trickles down,” Dr. Marshall says. “Our goal is to continue to create a positive and incredible place to be a patient.”

To nominate a physician for this honor, download the Cliff Appreciates Nomination Form.