Dr. Balich attended the University of Illinois and received her medical degree from Northwestern University - Chicago. She completed her residency in diagnostic radiology at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, and her fellowship in cross sectional imaging, including musculoskeletal MRI at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland.

Dr. Balich received her board certification from the American Board of Radiology in 1997. She is also a member of the Radiological Society of North America and the American Roentgen Ray Society. Dr. Balich has written several articles and received awards for research on topics such as MRI of the shoulder and CT imaging of postoperative laryngeal cancer.