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Spotlight Series: Featuring Amal Saleh Nour from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Amal Saleh Nour
Professional Title: Neuroradiologist, School of Medicine
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fellowships: Neuroradiology
ASPNR member since 2022
For how long have you been a member of the ASPNR and how has the society enhanced your career? I’ve been a member of ASPNR for 3 years, but I’ve been involved since the ASPNR meeting in New Orleans 2019. ASPNR has given me the opportunity to meet so many pediatric neuroradiologists whom I call friends now. It’s an amazing society that is inclusive, an excellent platform to learn and share experiences.
Do you have a colleague or mentor who inspired you in your career? It’s very hard to pick one mentor, I think all my professors, colleagues as well as people in the neuroradiology circle that I have come across have played an incredible role in my career. But I would say family is the most important and have played a critical role in my journey.
As a Neuroradiologist practicing in Ethiopia, are there perspectives you would like to share with our membership? Unfortunately, practicing in a resource limited set-up is quite frustrating. Making the diagnosis and contributing to the management of patients is hampered by several factors. Patients usually come late to health care facilities, radiology equipment is frequently out of service if they are available to begin with and a good number of our patients might not be able to afford the investigation. Once everything aligns, even making a difference in 1 person’s life is rewarding.
What is the biggest challenge of your job? Convincing everyone that investing in radiology equipment is a must. Although I understand the reasons behind some of the decisions, I find that it’s extremely challenging to do our work without the necessary imaging modalities.
What is the best part of your job? I love what I do, reading out cases, teaching, participating in multidisciplinary sessions.
We understand that you are a "proper football" (aka soccer) fan! Which teams do you follow and cheer for? I’ve always loved “proper football”. I watched the game growing up, played a little bit here and there and now enjoy watching it with my family. I’ve always been a Liverpool fan, through good days and bad. I’m thrilled that Liverpool has been crowned 2025 champions of the premier league!
Is there any guidance or advice that you would like offer to our members, especially our young professionals, regarding opportunities for international collaboration? There is an immense potential for international collaborative work. The cases we see in our set-up are quite different to what you see in the global north. I love having visiting professors come to our institution. It’s also important to bring fellows and residents to see a different aspect of health and disease epidemiology as it broadens one’s mind, and the shared expertise is amazing for patient care. There’s also a lot that can be done regarding research, a huge potential to conduct meaningful work.
I’ve met great people during ASPNR society meetings and platforms from America as well as outside America. I keep in touch with members in the UK, Jordan, India and South Africa. It’s amazing what happens when you travel to different parts of the world, you learn a great deal from their culture, their experience and their own unique perspectives.
July 2025
