Professor Mike Sathekge, Head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Pretoria (UP) and CEO of the Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), has been named a Fellow of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) a notable recognition, and the first of its kind awarded to someone from the African continent.

The fellowship, conferred in June, recognises his work within SNMMI as well as his pioneering contributions to nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, which among other things, enable targeted cancer therapies that are improving patient care in Africa. The SNMMI is a nonprofit scientific and professional organisation headquartered in Virginia, in the U.S. It promotes the science, technology and practical application of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.

In the same month, Prof Sathekge was awarded an honorary doctorate by North-West University (NWU) for his impact on medical science and clinical innovation in South Africa. 

“If is good that both myself and the university’s work is acknowledged because, of course, as you can imagine, you don’t succeed alone. So, if one is successful and acknowledged, it means university and my colleagues and staff, mentors and mentees are also similarly acknowledged. You don’t fail alone and you don’t succeed alone,” he said.

Prof Sathekge explained it’s important that South Africa invests in nuclear research to not only remain globally competitive, but also because nuclear medicine is essential for earlier diagnosis and targeted treatment of a range of conditions, particularly cancers, which are rising rapidly across the country and the continent. “If you find a disease very early, you are likely to take interventions and treatments early. That is what we really need,” he said.

He added that while advanced imaging and research can seem costly, they reduce overall expenses by enabling earlier and more effective treatment. “If we are going to pick up the disease very late, it’s going to be very expensive to treat.” 

Under Prof Sathekge’s leadership, UP and NuMeRI are driving clinical research and therapeutic advances that bring new treatments to South African patients through clinical trials, while ensuring these interventions address the needs of local populations. This is further emboldened by NuMeRI’s role as the Anchor Centre for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Rays of Hope initiative for cancer care. 

Anchor Centres are cancer centres which have shown resilience through decades of experience working with the IAEA to support their respective region. The IAEA Rays of Hope initiative (RoH) is aimed at helping member states establish or expand their capacities in radiotherapy and multimodality medical imaging.

“The more we encourage research in this, the more people will get medications brought to them via clinical trials, and the more we will also understand what is also affecting our patients specifically. Because, of course, even if we treat and we do trials, what affects people in the U.S. for example, might not affect people here as much. So, it is important to personalise therapies and have population-specific interventions,” he explained.

Prof Sathekge concluded that this dual local and an international acknowledgement underscores South Africa’s contribution in the field of nuclear medicine. “South Africa is really making inroads into advancement of nuclear medicine globally and that’s important to acknowledge.”