Zuhura Nkrumbih, MD, a visiting professor from Tanzania, Africa, recently visited the Breast Imaging Section within the Department of Radiology at UW–Madison for the Derek Harwood Nash International Fellowship. She was among the first class of Radiologist residents at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa, which started in 2007. Dr. Nkrumbih is now one of the few Radiologists practicing at MUHAS. She is also a University lecturer in her department, who is involved in teaching and supervising both undergraduate and post-graduate students. Tanzania has a population of over 57 million people, with a total of five specialized hospitals. This includes village dispensaries, district hospitals, regional hospitals, zone referral hospital, and national specialized hospital.
The Derek Harwood fellowship is a huge honor that is awarded from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), to individuals who reside outside the United States or Canada. The ultimate goal of this fellowship is to provide international faculty members with the opportunity to gain more knowledge about their specialty through in person experiences. The appointed fellow has to select amongst a given roster of host institutions with a focus on their field of interest. Dr. Nkrumbih chose the Breast Imaging section at UW-Madison due to her passion for women and imaging. This interest was acquired during her residency studies, as well as her dissertation work on Obstetrics.
In Tanzania, breast cancer is the second leading cancer mortality amongst women, followed by cervical cancer. There is an 82% predicted increase in number of new breast cancer patients diagnosed in Tanzania by 2030 (Source: http://globocan.iarc.fr). Dr. Nkrumbih’s ultimate objective is to learn as much as possible about the equipment, and the experiences from Radiologists around the world. She will use this information to teach Radiologists and residents in Tanzania in order to strive to improve diagnoses to decrease mortality rates from breast cancer.