Irene S. Tsai
Biography
Irene S. Tsai, M.D., is the Fong and Jean Tsai Endowed Chair of Women's Imaging, Medical Director of Breast Imaging, and Division Chief of Breast Imaging in the Department of Radiological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She also serves as Medical Student Clerkship Director for the UCI School of Medicine Breast Imaging Elective and as MQSA Lead Interpreting Physician for multiple UCI Health breast centers. Tsai received her Doctor of Medicine from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, completed her residency in diagnostic radiology at UCLA, and completed a fellowship in breast imaging and women's imaging at UCLA.
Tsai has built a career focused on breast imaging and women's health, with particular attention to addressing health disparities in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community. She spearheaded and organized the UCI Asian American Women's Health Symposium in 2023 and 2024, bringing together physicians from across UCI Health to provide free education to the AANHPI community about preventative breast health and women's health screening. Her research contributions include work on improving screening mammography access through patient portal self-scheduling and self-referral pathways, and she serves as the sole radiology reader for the I-SPY 2 clinical trial at UCI, assessing treatment response in breast cancer patients.
Tsai has been recognized as Orange County Physician of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association in 2023, 2024, and 2025. She has received the Outstanding Department Service Award and Outstanding Patient Care Award from the UCI Department of Radiological Sciences. Tsai completed the UCLA Anderson School of Management Women's Leadership Institute in 2024 and the Association of Academic Radiologists Management Program in 2024. She is a member of the Society of Breast Imaging, American Roentgen Ray Society, and American College of Radiology.
Return to topEducation
- B.S. in Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 2005
- M.D., David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 2010
Distinctions
- Certificate of Merit Award, Radiologic Society of North America, 2013
- Fong and Jean Tsai Endowed Chair of Women's Imaging, 2021
- Orange County Physician of Excellence, Orange County Medical Association, 2023-2025
- UCI School of Medicine Recognition for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month for addressing health disparities in the AANHPI community, 2023
- Leo G. Rigler Award for Outstanding Senior Medical Student in Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 2010
- Outstanding Patient Care Award, UCI Department of Radiological Sciences, 2025
- Outstanding Department Service Award, UCI Department of Radiological Sciences, 2024
- Summa Cum Laude, University of California, Irvine, 2005
Areas of Expertise
- Breast Imaging
- Screening Mammography Completion Rates
- Axillary Lymphadenopathy Management
- COVID-19 Vaccination Effects
- Self-Scheduling Patient Portal Utilization
- Architectural Distortion Diagnosis
- Breast Lymphoma Imaging
Recent Publications
- Young C, Tran M, Tsai IS, “Axillary Venous Malformation Detected During Breast Imaging: A Case Report” (opens in new tab), UCLA Radiological Sciences Proceedings, 2025.
- Cortes G, Chen WP, Ziogas A, Rashidi A, Tsai IS, Sadigh G, “Using Self Scheduling to Improve Screening Mammography Completion Rates” (opens in new tab), Journal of the American College of Radiology, vol. 22, pp. 307-314, 2025.
- Rashidi A., Cortes G., Chen W.-P., Argyrios Z., Tsai I., Sadigh G., “Reply” (opens in new tab), Journal of the American College of Radiology, vol. 22, pp. 1112-1113, 2025.
- Tran MG, Cortes G, Choi HW, Young JJ, Tsai IS, “Case Based Review of Breast Lymphomas” (opens in new tab), Current Radiology Reports, vol. 12, pp. 41-50, 2024.
- Wilsen CB, Ikeda DM, Ojeda-Fournier H, Hovanessian Larsen LJ, Trinh L, Joe BN, Fischer CP, Sheth PA, Sohlick RE, Rosen EL, Downey JR, Aminalolama-Shakeri S, Yamashita MW, Tsai IS, Chalfant JS, “Survey on Management of Unilateral Axillary Lymphadenopathy after Recent Ipsilateral COVID-19 Vaccination” (opens in new tab), UCLA Radiological Sciences Proceedings, 2023.
- Sadeghi B, Tran J, Tsai IS, Sadigh G, “Role of Online Patient Portal Self-Scheduling and Self-Referral Pathways to Decrease Health Disparity for Screening Mammography” (opens in new tab), Journal of the American College of Radiology, vol. 21, pp. 147-153, 2023.
- Tran T, Tsai IS, Choi H, “Solitary Metastasis to the Breast From Thigh Myxoid Liposarcoma” (opens in new tab), Cureus, vol. 15, no. 9, pp. e45559, 2023.
- Bayginejad S, Choi HW, Tsai IS, “Incidental Asymptomatic Breast Hemangioma in a 69-Year-Old Man: A Case Report” (opens in new tab), UCLA Radiological Sciences Proceedings, 2023.
- Choi HW, Storer L, Chow L, Tsai IS, “Male Breast Hemangioma” (opens in new tab), RSNA Case Collection, 2022.
- Choi HW, Young JJ, Chow L, Tsai IS, “Xanthogranulomatous Mastitis” (opens in new tab), RSNA Case Collection, 2022.
- Chan T, Yu T, Tsai I, “Diagnostic Mammogram and Ultrasound” (opens in new tab), Absolute Breast Imaging Review: Multimodality Cases for the Core Exam, Springer, pp. 121-191, 2022.
- Hoyt AC, Tsai IS, “Breast Imaging” (opens in new tab), Management of Breast Diseases Second Edition, Springer, pp. 157-178, 2016.
- Lee EW, Suh RD, Zeidler MR, Tsai IS, Cameron RB, Abtin FG, Goldin JG, “Radiofrequency Ablation of Subpleural Lung Malignancy: Reduced Pain Using an Artificially Created Pneumothorax” (opens in new tab), CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 833-836, 2009.
Contact Information
Email: itsai@uci.edu
Phone: (714) 509-6114
Address: 101 City Dr., Orange, CA, Irvine, CA 92868
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Last updated on 3/12/2026.