The Department of Medical Physics and Imaging Sciences (MPIS) was born from the department of Radiology. Radiology department had been created historically at the inception of the then Medical School of the University of Zimbabwe to service other departments for the teaching of diagnostic radiology only, serving undergraduates in the various disciplines. This model fitted in very well with a small department with a modest staff establishment. That is reason why in the absence of radiologists in the late 80s and early 90s it made sense to merge it with the Department of Surgery.
The advent of the first MMed in Radiotherapy and Oncology through collaboration with WHO in the early 90s and the introduction of the two Bachelor of Radiography (Hons) Degrees in Therapy and Diagnostic about a decade later. This made it inevitable for the department to regain its independence from the Department of Surgery in 2010 since it had become apparent that this was necessary to reflect its mandate as expressed by the scope of radiation medicine stated below. MPIS became independent from oncology in 2020.
Scope of Radiation Medicine
The Medical Physics and Imaging Sciences Department is home to the training of diverse health care givers in different disciplines whose commonality is the medical use of ionizing radiation covering fields of clinical specialization Clinical Radiology, Radiography (Diagnostic and Therapeutic) and Medical Physics. All these are different but related disciplines in Radiation Medicine that, to an extent, share the same fundamental basic sciences which are to do with the wide range of imaging techniques and cancer therapy.
Chairperson
Dr Edith Majonga
Qualifications: BSc (HRD), MSc Radiography, PhD in Clinical Epidemiology