A new medical milestone is coming to East Africa this fall with the help of the Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences. In September 2026, Moi University will officially launch its two-year interventional radiology fellowship program, aiming to expand access to minimally invasive, life-saving procedures in the region. Matthew S. Johnson, MD, the Gary J. Becker professor of radiology research and director of global health in radiology education, has been instrumental in helping develop this program.
The program plans to enroll two fellows per year, with tuition set between $2,500 and $5,000 annually. The first of the two inaugural fellows will be Loice Sitienei, MBChB, Mmed, who currently serves as a faculty member at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and chief of radiology for Moi University. Applications are currently open for the highly competitive second position.
Addressing a critical shortage in East Africa
Interventional radiology, which uses medical imaging to guide minimally invasive surgical procedures, is a rapidly growing field worldwide. However, specialized training remains remarkably rare in East Africa.
With the addition of the Moi University program, there will be only four active interventional radiology fellowships serving a regional population of approximately 525 million people. Together, these programs graduate only about 10 fellows each year.
Current East African interventional radiology programs (institution/location, supporting organization, date established):
- University of Nairobi/Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, Rad-Aid, 2016
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Road2IR, 2019
- Makerere University/Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, Road2IR, 2022
- Moi University/Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya, AMPATH, 2026
Overcoming funding and geopolitical hurdles
Launching a specialized medical fellowship requires robust financial and logistical backing. Organizers are currently partnering with several corporations to secure consumable medical supplies. Additionally, a future fundraising campaign by the department that will be sent to its alumni is expected to bring vital funding to AMPATH to support the fellowship.
A primary need for the program is travel support. To establish a successful training cadence, organizers hope to mimic peer programs supported by Rad-Aid and Road2IR, which send teams of U.S. doctors, nurses and technicians to East Africa about four times a year for two-week stints.
However, global health work often requires navigating sudden logistical roadblocks. A training visit initially planned for October 2026, timed with the African Society of Interventional Radiology meeting in Dar es Salaam, has been postponed due to a recent Ebola outbreak in the region. While no cases of Ebola have been reported in Kenya, neighboring Uganda has reported several cases.
If the January 2027 trip proceeds, a full U.S. contingent will travel to Eldoret, Kenya, including Johnson, two other interventional radiology faculty members — one from the University of Vancouver and another from the MD Anderson Cancer Center — alongside two residents, an interventional radiology nurse and a technician.
Strength through collaboration
To ensure long-term success, Moi University is building deep synergies with established regional programs. Organizers recently met with Robert Dixon, MD, director of Rad-Aid Kenya to discuss cross-program collaboration, including:
- Shared in-person and remote lectures
- Joint case conferences and morbidity and mortality reviews
- Standardized testing protocols
- Collaborative research initiatives
The department has also been hosting a Zoom series with a rotating featured speaker that is open to those interested in Kenya for about a year. Through remote lectures, in-person exchanges and clinical mentorship, faculty from IU School of Medicine and Kenya have been working side-by-side through the AMPATH partnership to strengthen radiology education and patient care in western Kenya. A team of physicians from the AMPATH partnership recently completed the first TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) procedure at MTRH. It was the first time the procedure for patients living with advanced liver disease and life-threatening complications has ever been performed in Kenya.
