The birth of African Chapter of ISMRM

 

Genesis: The Long Road to a Chapter

In 2018, the ISMRM signaled its commitment to foster a more inclusive scientific society by establishing the Equity Task Force (later Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Ad Hoc Committee), led by Dr. Elizabeth Morris. At that time, Africa, with 49 members, represented 0.05% of the overall membership. Of the 49 members, only 19 held an active status and only 4 were Full or Associate Members, and, with the exception of South Africa, none were from Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, among over 9000 clinicians, physicists, engineers, biochemists, and technologists from all over the world, only 4 members from Africa were eligible to participate in ISMRM committees or to be nominated for the Society’s distinguished awards – Gold Medal and Fellow of the Society. To close this longstanding gap, Dr. Udunna Anazodo and Dr. Johnes Obungoloch met at the 2019 ISMRM Annual Meeting in Montreal, Canada, and carved a path towards establishing the African Chapter of the ISMRM to promote inclusion of MRI professionals from Africa in the ISMRM and to provide opportunities for collaboration. First, the Consortium for Advancement of MRI Education and Research in Africa (CAMERA) was established in October 2019 as a working group of the European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology (ESMRMB) to identify barriers to inclusion, improve MRI training, and build a network of MRI users in the region. Over the next four years, CAMERA mapped out a framework for breakthrough inclusion of Africa in the global MRI community following an in-depth needs assessment study and built a network of over 300 African MRI clinicians, physicists, engineers, computer scientists, and technologists. Leveraging funding awarded to the CAMERA Network in 2022 from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to support an inaugural Chapter’s activities, and the increased commitment of the ISMRM leadership to achieving excellence in MRI through inclusive representation, Dr. Udunna Anazodo and Dr. Johnes Obungoloch along with Dr. Godwin Ogbole and Dr. Edward Nganga, backed by an active network of African MRI users, initiated a petition for the African Chapter of the ISMRM. The rest as they say is history

 

Numbers: The Power of Tenacity

The African Chapter of the ISMRM represents tenacity in the face of complex challenges. It stands as a testament of the capacity to mobilize a global scientific community to effect transformative change in the scientific society. To establish a regional Chapter at ISMRM, a petition from at least 25 active ISMRM members, 15 of whom must be either Full or Associate Members, is required. The annual membership cost, too prohibitive for even an average radiologist in Arica to afford, posed a fundamental barrier to the formation of the Chapter. In 2022, ISMRM awarded 1-year Associate Membership Stipends to at least 21 MRI professionals based in Africa, increasing the number of active members in the region to 40. This financial assistance to attend the 2022 Annual Meeting exemplified the pragmatic approach discussed at the 2019 Annual Meeting equity events, where demonstratable actions at the Society level provides access to underrepresented groups to participate in meetings and leads to long-term equity improvements at ISMRM. The inaugural executive committee of the African Chapter consists largely of members who benefited from the stipend. Assistance to establish the Chapter also came from individuals at ISMRM and ESMRMB who participated in symposia/meetings/webinars advocating for improved access to MRI in Africa and raised awareness of Africa’s inclusivity to funding agencies, vendor partners, and the MRI community at large. These champions include Prof. Andrew Webb and Prof. Marion Smits, Past-Presidents of ESMRMB who offered a platform to jumpstart the Chapter through establishment of a network. Dr. Iris Asllani who organized events at ISMRM, co-wrote grants and continues to push for training MRI opportunities in Africa. Prof. Vikas Gulani, who ensured active vendor participation in ISMRM advocacy events. These vendors have continued to maintain active engagement with MRI researchers in the region. Within the region, Dr. Abiodun Fatade, a consultant radiologist, Managing Director of Crestview Radiology, Nigeria, and the Treasurer of the Inaugural Executive Committee of the African Chapter, is one of the strongest advocates for MRI in Africa. Dr. Fatade ushered a large network of MRI radiologists to the global MRI community and financially supports several local MRI events and capacity building initiatives in Africa. Other regional leaders in MRI research and training on the continent, Dr. Ernesta Meinjtes and Prof. Ntobeko Ntusi, provided indispensable insights in navigating the MRI research and clinical practice landscape in Africa. With her long-standing expertise in running a successful MRI research facility in Africa, the Chapter is privileged to have Dr Meintjes as the Vice Chair of the Inaugural Executive Committee. The Iberian Chapter of ISMRM was instrumental in drafting the petition for the African Chapter and their Chair, Prof. Rita Nunes, provided valuable feedback to bylaws. The Chapter by and large reflects the collaborative effort of several ISMRM members who have supported and continue to support MRI in Africa (Figure 1 above). Without underestimating the multi-faceted challenges the African researchers continue to face, this is an exciting time for MRI education and research in Africa with the ISMRM Chapter providing a seed that will flourish in the years to come.

 

See the original document  HERE, on Page 10-11 of 64.