Dr. Ernest Obbie Zulu

Dr. Ernest Obbie Zulu
ORCID: 0009-0005-3260-7717

Affiliations

• Northern Command Military Hospital, Ndola
• Wau UNOE Level 1 Clinic, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)

Professional Background

I am a medical doctor and a fellow in Diagnostic Radiology, with a particular interest in Neuroradiology. I hold a BScHB and an MBChB from the University of Zambia, as well as postgraduate training in Diagnostic Radiology from the Zambia College of Medicine and Surgery (ZACOMS). I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Neuroimaging for Research at the University of Edinburgh in April this year, with a focus on image analysis.

I am also a co-founder of the Enterprise Medical Imaging in Zambia (EMIZ) project, which explores the use of enterprise medical imaging and the integration of AI-supported technologies to improve medical imaging workflows in Zambia. https://emi.org.zm/

Alongside my developing interest in research, I currently undertake voluntary medical work with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), providing clinical service in an international and resource-constrained setting. This experience has strengthened my interest in developing practical, evidence-based approaches to healthcare that are relevant to settings where resources and specialist capacity are limited.

Mission Statement

My mission is to contribute to the development of locally relevant neuroimaging data and evidence in order to bridge the gap between advances in neuroimaging analysis and their practical application in resource-constrained settings.

Through the TRENNDZ fellowship programme, I hope to develop the knowledge and skills required to design and conduct rigorous clinical research in neurological non-communicable diseases (Neuro-NCDs), and ultimately contribute to the development of sustainable neuroimaging and Neuro-NCD research capacity in Zambia and to the translation of research findings into improved clinical practice.

Neuro-NCD Interests

Zambia is experiencing a growing burden of chronic non-communicable diseases alongside a high prevalence of infectious diseases, particularly HIV. Both non-communicable diseases and HIV can be associated with structural changes in the brain and may contribute to neurological morbidity.

My primary academic and professional interests are at the intersection of Neuroradiology, Neuroimaging and Neuro-NCDs. Specifically, I am interested in the use of MRI to investigate structural brain changes associated with neurodegenerative disease and the ageing brain. I am particularly interested in quantitative neuroimaging and the application of image-analysis methods to investigate these changes.

Keywords

Neuroradiology · Neuroimaging · Neuro-NCDs · MRI · Quantitative Neuroimaging · Image Analysis · HIV · Zambia · UNMISS