Dr. Mahnoor is a Dow Graduate, a fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan, and a European Radiology diplomat. She has published more than 25 research articles. Along with multidisciplinary team meetings, Dr. Mahnoor has been actively involved in CT, MRI, Radiographs, and Ultrasound procedures at Dow University of Health Sciences. Against all odds, Dr. Mahnoor Hafeez beat her physical disability to become a medical doctor and specialized in Radiology.

Medical imaging undisputedly radicalized patient care. Tell us about its advanced capabilities subjected to the area you specialize in

Radiology is the mainstay of providing quality care to the patient.  It ranges from plain X-rays to complex cross-sectional procedures, such as CT, MRI, and PET as well as a wide variety of interventional radiological procedures that ensure a faster and more accurate diagnosis of complex diseases.

Radiology, as the center of the field of healthcare, helps doctors in making faster clinical decisions. A radiologist creates a roadmap for surgeons in planning operations via scanning thousands of images and data in record time. Recent advancements in radiology aim to enhance patient care and support better patient outcomes. Lately, there has been a buzz around incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into Radiology. E.g., computer-aided detection of diseases, virtual assistants, and voice recognition.

What were your findings in the paper, “Contributions and Challenges of Radiology in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic,” published in the Journal of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan?

This paper was my “letter to the journal editor” in COVID-19 times, highlighting the radiologists’ contributions and challenges. During the COVID 19 pandemic, medical imaging played a pivotal role in diagnosis, identifying severity, and management of the disease. Chest Radiography was the workhorse for lung parenchymal assessment as it surpasses the accuracy and limitations of RT-PCR. While CT scans are reliable in diagnosing asymptomatic high-risk patients, it also helps to identify patients with severe forms of COVID 19. Therefore, CT scans have 100% specificity in COVID pneumonia.

Speak about the key successes of your engagement in digital health and research in the area

I, as a Radiologist, am involved in the digital imaging part of healthcare. The combination of radiology with Information technology (IT) has led to the digitalization of radiology. It is the creation of visual images of the body for providing accurate disease diagnosis. I am part of a team comprising more than 20 staff radiologists, reporting patient scans simultaneously at multi-monitor workstations at dedicated cross-sectional suites, linked to central and peripheral CT and MRI scanners.

With digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) – a software to share images, we discuss complex patient cases with clinicians, surgeons, oncologists, and endoscopists at weekly and monthly thoracic tumor boards, gastrointestinal and breast multi-disciplinary meetings.

Do you notice the cost of advanced radiography restraints its expansion across societies? If so, how to overcome that?

We are familiar with the “health is wealth” concept. On the broader view, the cost of radiology is increasing because of advanced techniques. More importantly, we need to consider the value of the right diagnosis and timely interventions for quality patient care and management. Advanced radiology techniques are helping doctors make the diagnosis that they were not able to make otherwise. This shortens the decision-making time about the planned procedure and ensures better patient outcomes. I agree that advanced radiological facilities are a bit expensive, restraining their expansion among areas, but to be honest as an academic radiologist, how to overcome it, I don’t know its solution! I believe it would be a multi-step and multi- force process. Looking forward to a better radiology future throughout the world!

Kindly share your inspiring journey to become a known radiologist, who beats disability with confidence and helps others to overcome similar challenges in life and career, with us

Exploring medicine as a consultant radiologist has been a wholesome experience. Despite all the challenges and struggles, serving health has added a purpose and meaning to my life. From educating radiology residents as a faculty member of the university to participating in multi-disciplinary team meetings, from operating radiography equipment to interpreting the results and helping in the patient diagnosis being a radiology consultant is very rewarding.

I want to spread the message of positivity to all differently-abled people of the world: Don’t let barriers stand in your way to becoming educated and employed! “Remember, when you work for a larger purpose, then you not only enjoy your work but also endure the challenging times with greater ease. The key to success is integrity, and if knowledge is power, then with great power comes great responsibility.”