Meet Karabo: Advancing MRI Access Across Africa

  • Karabo is a diagnostic radiographer specialising in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), using her skills to improve imaging access and shape the future of health care across Africa.
  • Through leadership training and mentorship, the Dell Young Leaders programme prepared Karabo to lead in a complex field just a few years after graduation.
  • Karabo has presented at international MRI conferences, co-founded professional development initiatives, and contributed to global efforts to expand diagnostic access.

Current Role

Diagnostic Radiographer

Career Field

Health

Degree

Bachelor of Radiography, 2019

  • Karabo is a diagnostic radiographer specialising in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), using her skills to improve imaging access and shape the future of health care across Africa.
  • Through leadership training and mentorship, the Dell Young Leaders programme prepared Karabo to lead in a complex field just a few years after graduation.
  • Karabo has presented at international MRI conferences, co-founded professional development initiatives, and contributed to global efforts to expand diagnostic access.

Current Role

Diagnostic Radiographer

Career Field

Health

Degree

Bachelor of Radiography, 2019

From Student to Specialist

Karabo always wanted to make a difference in health care. After learning about radiography from a neighbour, she discovered the power of imaging to diagnose illness without invasive procedures. With support from the Dell Young Leaders programme, she earned her radiography degree in 2019 and now specialises in MRI at a hospital in South Africa. She focuses on children and cardiac patients – fields where early detection can be lifesaving.

She’s received her postgraduate certificate in MRI in 2024, expanding her expertise in a field that’s constantly evolving. “MRI keeps evolving, which keeps pushing me out of my comfort zone,” she says. She’s also returned to the same hospital where she once shadowed professionals – now as a trained specialist advancing access to quality diagnostics.

Leadership in Action

The Dell Young Leaders programme helped Karabo see her future differently. Mentorship, leadership training, and mental health check-ins gave her the tools to lead early in her career. “You’re so focused on grades as a student,” she says. “But the real value comes from what the programme gives you outside the classroom.”

Karabo has already presented at international MRI conferences, co-founded professional learning spaces, and joined global committees focused on expanding diagnostic access – the kind of leadership that’s shaping the field from the ground up.

You’re so focused on grades as a student, but the real value comes from what the programme gives you outside the classroom.

- Karabo

Building Systems That Work for Everyone

Karabo’s next step is to become an MRI application specialist, helping health care teams use imaging tools more effectively. Long term, she wants to inform national health policies so that diagnostics are accessible across all communities. “We need systems built for everyone, not just those who can afford it,” she says.

She’s already working toward that goal: collaborating with peers to improve imaging protocols, contributing to policy conversations in South Africa, and making sure diagnostics are part of the health care conversation at every level. For Karabo, this work isn’t just about moving her career forward – it’s about making sure diagnostics are recognised as essential to quality care.

From Aspiration to Success

Dell Young Leaders are earning degrees across Africa and driving change in their communities through meaningful careers. Their stories show how support leads to long-term success.