Throughout October we are marking Black History Month by promoting voices of our colleagues at UHP. Next to feature, is William Mukonoweshuro, a Consultant Neuroradiologist at the Trust…

“I have been a consultant Interventional Neuroradiologist at University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) for the last 22 years. Now in the twilight of my career, I often reflect on my achievements and wonder what factors facilitated or hindered my progress. Two factors stand out: serendipity and the support of others.  

I was fortunate to have supportive, loving parents who encouraged me to work hard, believed in me and allowed me to explore and challenge myself. I had a great education at well-resourced schools in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Many of my teachers, lecturers and trainers took a personal interest in helping me achieve my goals and encouraged me to push myself. 

While I have suffered the indignities of an exceedingly small number of patients refusing to be seen by me because of my skin colour or making racist jokes about black people in my presence, my overwhelming experience has been positive. I attended a multiethnic high school and was supported equally by my black, Indian, and white teachers. Colleagues and friends of all ethnicities have enabled my success in the UK. 

My decision to choose medicine was stimulated by a chance opportunity I had to observe an ophthamological surgical procedure at the age of 17.  

As a doctor, I had the great fortune to have trainers who believed in my abilities and took time to give me positive and negative feedback. My urology consultant when I was a houseman (Foundation doctor) directed me away from a surgical career allowing me to consider radiology. The neurosurgery consultants I worked for as a houseman encouraged my interest in radiology, deferring to my opinion on myelograms (a diagnostic imaging test), despite their vastly superior experience. 

Senior Radiology colleagues in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, gave generously of their time in mentoring me as I prepared for the Professional and Linguistics Assessment Board (PLAB). This is a test required for doctors who have qualified overseas and wish to practice medicine in the UK to gain GMC registration. They also demonstrated their complete confidence in my ability to pass the Fellowship of The Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR) exams. The generosity of a classmate and his wife who housed me for a full month in their flat in London gave me the start I required to launch my radiology career. 

I was the first recipient of the Michael Gelfand Medical Research Foundation Grant which part-funded my first year of Radiology studies. In fact, it was the persistence and encouragement of the Foundation’s secretary that got me to pursue the training opportunity at St Mary’s hospital in London after my visa to study radiology in Durban had been declined 2 weeks before my scheduled start date. 

Professor Gelfand was the son of Lithuanian Jews who had found refuge in South Africa. He was an incredibly intelligent, talented and inspirational man who served as a Physician, Pathologist and Radiologist in Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia).  At a time when western attitudes were largely disparaging of Africans and their culture, Professor Gelfand chose to understand those cultures and learn from the traditional healers. He encouraged black Africans to train to become doctors. 

I received incredible support and training in Radiology in London, Sheffield, Nottingham, and Manchester. I was the first ever diagnostic neuroradiology trainee in Sheffield. I subsequently moved to Manchester for Interventional Neuroradiology training where I was the first Neurointerventional Fellow to be based at Salford Royal Hospital. I had great neurointerventional trainers in David Hughes and Roger Laitt who showed great confidence in my skills and demonstrated their total commitment to my success, taking time to offer me career guidance and continuing to support me until I was established as a consultant.  

In all the time I have worked at UHP, I have had the great privilege of being allowed complete freedom to design and improve services for my patients and to put myself forward for any roles I thought would suit me. This has allowed me to make meaningful changes to patient pathways, introduce new services for the benefit of patients and introduce positive changes to the way we train our Radiology registrars.   I would hope the legacy of my professional experience will be for colleagues in underrepresented groups to feel empowered to take on more roles in leadership, knowing there are many more supporters of their progress than there are detractors.”

October marks the start of Black History Month 2024. Each year the commemorative month focusses on a theme – this year the theme looks at ‘Reclaiming Narratives’. The topic intends to highlight a shift towards recognising and correcting the narratives of black history and culture. This year, we will mark the week with a range of voices from our global majority colleagues and what ‘reclaiming narratives’ means to them as we celebrate and recognise the history and diversity of the people that make up our trust. Each week we will release a new blog.
You can read our first blog from Theresia Makatile, here.