The Joint 4th Tanzania Neuroradiology & 2nd ISMRM African Chapter Conference

Dr. Nivedita Agarwal is a distinguished neurologist and neuroradiologist, holding dual board certifications. She leads the Pediatric Neuroradiology Unit at the IRCCS Eugenio Medea Scientific Institute in northern Italy. Dr. Agarwal received her medical training in both Italy and the United States. She has taught at universities in the US, UK, and Italy. A sought-after speaker, she has presented at numerous national and international conferences. Dr. Agarwal is also an accomplished author, having written a book, multiple chapters, and several peer-reviewed articles. She actively participates in both international and national scientific societies and is deeply committed to teaching, mentoring, and advancing translational clinical research.

Dr. André van der Kouwe graduated from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, with a Master’s
degree in electrical/bioengineering, and obtained a PhD from The Ohio State University. In his graduate
work, he developed a system for continuous electrophysiological monitoring of critically ill
neurointensive care unit patients. Since 2000, he has worked on magnetic resonance imaging acquisition
methods at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General
Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He is interested in methods for real-time motion correction for brain
imaging, and enjoys a productive collaboration with his colleagues at the University of Cape Town.

Dr H.K. Shabani has worked in the neurosurgery field for over 17 years. He has established a pediatric neuroendoscopy service for hydrocephalus and spina bifida in Tanzania. He is the Co-Director of the Tanzania Neurosurgery Education Program in colaboration with Weill Cornell University NY. He is the NIHR collaborator, working on neurotrauma multicenter clinical research. He has more than 46 publications from various fields in neurosurgery. Dr Shabani is also a member of WFNS Global Neurosurgery forum, WFNS Neurotrauma Committee, Subsaharan Network for Congenital Birth Defect Surveilance and the Subsaharan Network for pediatric neuro-oncology research.

Frances Robertson is a senior research officer in biomedical engineering at the University of Cape Town where she is on the MRI staff at the Cape Universities Body Imaging Centre (CUBIC). She has a BScEng in electrical engineering and a PhD in biomedical engineering from UCT. Her research primarily involves using neuroimaging to understand the effects of perinatal HIV infection and early antiretroviral therapy (ART) or in utero HIV and ART on the developing brain. She has a particular interest in magnetic resonance spectroscopy, as well as methods for combining multimodal imaging data to better predict cognitive and clinical outcomes from neuroimaging.

Iris Asllani graduated from University of Tirana, Albania, with a degree in Theoretical
Nuclear Physics after which she was awarded two consecutive Fulbright Scholarships
that supported her Master's and PhD research at the University of Washington, US.
She spent her early career at Columbia University, NY, where she spearheaded the
Arterial Spin Labeling program at the then newly established MRI Center. She holds a
dual faculty appointment in Neuroscience, University of Sussex, UK, and Biomedical
Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, US. The focus of her research is the
development of physiological MRI methods for quantitative assessment of brain
metabolism. Prof. Asllani is passionate about teaching and engaging students in global
engineering solutions. She is a faculty advisor for Engineering World Health
(EWH)/Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and serves as the Vice-Chair of the
Consortium for Advancement of MRI Education and Research in Africa (CAMERA).

Gerald Adam Mrema is the Head of Radiology and Imaging Services at the Ministry of Health in Tanzania. He holds a Diploma in Radiography from Muhimbili University (2004), a Bachelor's degree from the University of Johannesburg (2008), and a Master's in Diagnostic Ultrasound from ECUREI, Uganda (2018). Currently, he is pursuing a PhD at Texila American University in Guyana. With extensive experience in the field, Mrema has served as the Head of Radiology since 2018 and previously as Deputy Head from 2016 to 2018. He has made significant contributions to the development of national standards and guidelines for radiology services, including equipment guidelines (2018), service standards (2019), COVID-19 imaging protocols (2020), and a strategic plan for 2022-2026. He is currently working on the first draft of National Standardized CT Protocols.

Neurologist Muhimbili National Hospital - Mloganzila

Honorary lecturer Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences & Research fellow on Epilepsy, HoU Neurology Muhimbili National Hospital

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Research), Associate Professor of Diagnostic Imaging (Research), Brown’s University

Stephen Jermy is a Junior Research Fellow working at the Cape Universities Body Imaging Centre (CUBIC) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He is also currently enrolled as a PhD student in the Division of Biomedical Engineering at UCT, supervised by Prof Ernesta Meintjes and Prof Ntobeko Ntusi, where his research focuses on developing and testing a cardiovascular diffusion tensor imaging (cDTI) sequence. He received his BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering from UCT. Stephen is a part of the CHI’s Cardiac Imaging and Inflammation research group, led by Prof Ntusi.

Dr. Edward Kija is a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and Muhimbili National Hospital, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. He received his undergraduate training at the University of Dar Es Salaam and post graduate training in Paediatrics at MUHAS and subsequently sub-specialty training in Paediatric Neurology in Cape Town at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital where he received a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Dr. Kija is a Senior Lecturer at MUHAS where he trains undergraduate and postgraduate students, provides clinical care and conducts research. His main research areas include Childhood Onset Epilepsies, Neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism and Cerebral Palsy.

Dr Kija is an Executive member of the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) and a board member of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE-Africa).

Nationally, he has worked to raise awareness and improve care for Neurological disorders including Autism and Epilepsies.

Chair, LOC African Chapter of ISMRM Joint Conference

Head of the 4th Tanzania Neuroradiology Conference.

Treasurer, Tanzania Radiology Society (TARASO)

Fund Raising Subcommittee Member.

Head of Scientific Committee

Head of Conference Venue and Items Committee.

President, Tanzania Radiology Society (TARASO)

Radiologist, Lecturer

Head of Fundraising Committee.

Former Registrar, Medical Radiology and IMaging Professionals Council (MRIPC)

Head of Logistics Committee

Head of Information Technology and Media Committee

Member of Information Technology and Media Committee,

Medical Physicist

Head of Entertainment Committee

Member of the Fundraising Committee

Vice Chairman Medical Radiology and Imaging Professionals Council (MRIPC) of Ministry of Health.

Secretary of Tanzania Radiology Society (TARASO)

Member of the Logistics Committee

Radiology Resident at Muhimbili University of Health Allied Sciences

Member of Information Technology & Media Committee,

Head of Healthcare Technical Services

Resident Radiology at Muhimbili University of Health Allied Sciences. (MUHAS)

Resident Radiology

Muhimbili University of Health Allied Sciences (MUHAS)

Member of the Fundraising Committee

President, African Chapter of ISMRM