From ballet to breakthroughs: The remarkable journey of Dr. Dorothy Bulas

What began as a passion for ballet evolved into a lifelong pursuit of innovation that allowed Dorothy Bulas MD, FACR, to find her rhythm not on stage, but in the radiology department.

As a child of Eastern European immigrants who came to the U.S. after World War II, Dorothy was raised with a strong sense of resilience and gratitude. Her mother, a physician trained at the University of Heidelberg, helped plant the seeds of a future in medicine. But before pursuing that path, Dorothy was devoted to ballet, dreaming of a life on stage. It wasn’t until she outgrew the physical limitations of the profession that she turned her curiosity toward science and eventually enrolled in a competitive six-year medical program right out of high school.

Initially, Dr. Bulas pursued pediatrics, drawn to the joy and complexity of working with children. But during her residency, she found herself increasingly drawn to radiology.

“I realized I was always sitting in the radiology department,” she recalled. “I loved the detective work. It was like reading mysteries every day.”

This fascination led her to complete a second residency in radiology, an uncommon path that blended her love of diagnosis with her background in pediatrics.

Dr. Bulas’ arrival at Children’s National Hospital came by way of serendipity and mentorship. After a rotation at Johns Hopkins, a respected radiologist encouraged her to connect with peers in Washington, D.C. What began as an exploratory trip quickly became a defining moment: she was offered a fellowship at Children’s National.

“I came to Children’s National and never left,” she said. “It felt like home.”

Over the past three decades, Dr. Bulas has helped shape Children’s National as a hub for innovation- particularly in fetal imaging. As one of the first to specialize in prenatal radiology at a freestanding children’s hospital, she was at the forefront of integrating fetal ultrasound and MRI into clinical care.

As a Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology, Dr. Bulas has remained a vital part of the hospital’s growth as a nationally recognized pediatric radiology division including perinatal imaging. “We were doing fetal MRIs before it was common. It was a new frontier. And now, it is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing areas in pediatric radiology,” she shared.

Despite the technical complexity of her work, what drives Dr. Bulas most is her connection to families. “Some of the most heartwarming parts of my career have been counseling families through difficult diagnoses, then seeing them return years later with healthy children.”

She has been part of remarkable cases including conjoined twin deliveries and pioneering fetal surgeries, always maintaining a sense of humility. “You can’t predict everything,” she says. “These families put their trust in us during the most vulnerable time of their lives.”

In recognition of her groundbreaking contributions, Dr. Bulas has received numerous awards- including the Radiologic Society of North America Outstanding Educator Award, the Society for Pediatric Radiology Gold Medal Award and the Beverly B. Wood Award for Outstanding Pediatrics from the AAP. Still, she remains humble.

“Nothing I have done has been alone. It takes a village – the sonographers, the technologists, the nurses, the leadership. Children’s National has always supported me, and for that, I’m grateful.”

Outside of clinical work and research, Dr. Bulas has also shaped the future of the field through education. She was part of the inaugural cohort of the hospital’s Master Teacher program and has served as a leader in national and international radiology societies including past president and chair of the Society for Pediatric Radiology, past president of the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging and current Chair of the Commission on Pediatric Radiology for the American College of Radiology . A fierce advocate for global outreach, she’s helped establish observerships and pediatric radiology training programs in underserved regions around the world.

“There are over a billion children globally who lack access to imaging,” she noted. “That’s something we can and must work to change.”

Dr. Bulas encourages the next generation of healthcare professionals to remain open to possibility.

“I never imagined I’d be doing this. When I started, fetal imaging didn’t even exist. But if you stay curious and committed, your career will take you to places you never dreamed.”

With decades of expertise and an unwavering dedication to children and families, Dr. Dorothy Bulas has shaped the field of pediatric radiology one image, one patient and one breakthrough at a time.