MIR Goes Global
Faculty members at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are at the forefront of advancing radiology to improve lives — not only in the St. Louis community, but around the world. Here are a few of the MIR-led projects that are helping to provide the necessary training and tools to improve patient care far and away from home.
Manu S. Goyal, MD, associate professor of radiology, is part of a team of radiologists reviewing and studying brain MRIs to evaluate the degree of brain involvement by malaria in children living in Malawi, Africa. This large multidisciplinary team is using the new portable Hyperfine brain MRI scanner and running clinical trials aimed at lessening the damage of malaria in affected children. In addition, they plan to assist the current sole radiologist at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, to help train future radiologists there locally.
Fernando R. Gutierrez, MD, professor of radiology, facilitates radiology education throughout Latin America via collaborations in Puerto Rico, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and beyond. From coordinating training opportunities for budding radiologists to taking MIR’s subspecialty expertise to a global stage, these efforts have expanded the MIR “family” and knowledge to a broader audience. In February 2022, a team from MIR was the first to be welcomed as the exclusive speakers at the Radiological Society of Puerto Rico’s annual meeting.
Read more about Gutierrez’s work in Latin America in Focal Spot (Fall/Winter 2022).
Sharlene A. Teefey, MD, professor of radiology, brings ultrasound to the rural village health centers of the Masaka Diocese of Uganda to help pregnant women and address the challenge of obstetric fistula. Midwives trained in basic obstetric ultrasound identify high-risk obstetric conditions and educate mothers about fistula. Data from Teefey’s Safe Birth Project shows an increase in antenatal visits and improved outcomes for high-risk pregnancies. Microfinancing projects were also introduced to the village health centers, which help pregnant women afford their health-care costs.
Read more about Teefey’s work in Uganda in Focal Spot (Fall/Winter 2020).
