Radiologist Gillian Battino, MD, is throwing her hat into the ring for next year’s Democratic race for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently published a profile on the physician and 51-year-old married mother of six after she announced her intention to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022.

Battino is a breast imaging specialist who has spent much of her time working with RAD-AID International, an organization that brings radiology services and education to low-resource regions. She was crucial in developing Guyana’s first diagnostic imaging residency while building its CT and breast cancer screening programs, the news outlet reported Thursday.

If elected, she would become the first female physician in the Senate. And while she’ll likely face a crowded field of candidates, Battino has no plans of backing down.

"I’m very, very serious about this race," Battino said to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We are in this race to win it. We have a wonderful energetic group of people working day and night all the way from the east coast to California. This is no joke here. I just want to be clear about that."

Read more from the interview below.