His nomination in the NSTF-SAMRC Clinician-Scientist Award category came as a shock. He has been nominated by Dr Claire Armour Barrett, Head: Research and Development in the UFS School of Clinical Medicine, for his contribution to a novel imaging approach that could detect very mild disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients who would otherwise have been labelled disease-free.
“At the same time happy, grateful, and excited about this nomination, as we all know that this is a highly prestigious award in this country. This is my first time being nominated and I am honoured. I also see it as hard work paying off.”
“Kudos to the research team and the UFS that research of this nature, recognised by the NSTF-SAMRC, can be carried out in our facilities. It is also a win for the clinical specialty of nuclear medicine. I am very passionate about this specialty, and this is an example of how valuable it is in terms of clinical medicine and research.”
Nuclear medicine is highly valuable
Prof Evbuomwan, whose research previously won him the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) International Best Abstract Award for South Africa at the SNMMI 2023 Annual Meeting, says nuclear medicine is highly valuable in terms of early identification and treatment of disease. This is one of its greatest strengths and why there is currently a sudden increase in advocacy for this specialty worldwide. Prof Evbuomwan graduated last year with the first clinical PhD in nuclear medicine completed at the UFS.
“My research work involved the use of a radiopharmaceutical that could identify active disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, even in the absence of clinical signs. It could also predict early which patients were likely to have a severe form of the disease, thereby prompting early change in management. It also showed value in assessing treatment response in patients undergoing therapy.”
According to him, their work has given the rheumatologist another option for investigating patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It is also already beginning to create ideas for a potential therapeutic option in patients with this disease. This is a novel area that we in the country intend to explore in the near future. They are currently putting up several protocols for potential big nuclear medicine studies, especially in the area of early treatment of various cancers.