Radiologist of the Month May 2022

Join us in congratulating our latest radiologist of the month, Dr. Axel Kayembe from Dakar, Senegal. Below is the full interview with Dr. Kayembe. Follow us on social media to find out who will be the next radiologist of the month!

What’s your background and how did your passion for radiology begin?

Hi, my name is Axel Kayembe, a 5th-year student in the radiology and medical imaging residency program at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal. After graduating from medical school in 2013, I was not destined to pursue a career in radiology. On the contrary, I saw myself later as an internist or resuscitator. As radiology was not taught much during my second cycle of medical studies, I had only a vague idea of what the profession of radiologist consisted of, which I considered a simple worker in the dark rooms. However, my conception of the job changed as I went along when in my daily practice during my clerkship I discovered that the radiologist was a major player in patient care, that he was even at the center of most diagnostic and therapeutic; that he possessed a transversal knowledge of the different fields of medicine, from pediatrics to gynecology without forgetting the organ specialties; and that like a detective using his investigative talents, he used his advanced knowledge of radiological semiology when reading thousands and thousands of images to make the right diagnosis. I was also amazed by all the equipment at his disposal, all equally sophisticated. I found my way, that’s what I wanted to do and I went for it.

How did you find out about Collective Minds and what has your experience been like?

I discovered Collective Minds during the containment period, towards the end of 2020. During a monthly webinar organized by a French professor specializing in musculoskeletal imaging who was using the CMRAD platform as support. I immediately fell under the spell. It was now possible for me, from my personal computer, from my home, to access numerous imaging exams of all modalities and to receive advice from a whole community of radiologists around the world, especially radiologists specialized in the field of subspecialty. It is important to note that in my residency program, as in many countries in French-speaking Black Africa, access to MRI is not easy. With Collective Minds, I have access to dozens of complete MRI exams that are regularly uploaded, which has enabled me to familiarise myself with this examination modality, to navigate exactly as I would on a console in a radiology practice on the different acquisition planes, to recognize the different sequences and master the basics of reading MRI exams and the normal and pathological semiology of the different organs.

What would you like to see added to the service?

One improvement I would like to see in CMRAD is the addition of training files where only clinical information is provided. The diagnosis or even a reading model by a referent radiologist is provided in the viewer, to allow the youngest to practice. The addition of a MIP tool would also make a huge difference.

Do you believe Collective Minds will make a difference for patients?

It makes a huge difference. I will illustrate this with my own case. In my home country, there are few radiologists trained in modern imaging techniques, so most examinations are still interpreted abroad. With Collective Minds, I have the opportunity to seek advice on complex cases from a radiological community and to receive advice from leading experts in the different areas of our specialty and its various subspecialties. This is an advantage for the patients!

Thank you Axel for being a part of the Collective Minds global community and congratulations to becoming our radiologist of the month for May 2022!

Would you like to join Dr. Kayembe and +8000 radiologists to share, discuss and learn from each other? Head over to www.cmrad.com to sign up for your own free account! Click here to see more news and events on Collective Minds!