Mercy Nachalwe Chipampe is a 2009 Chevening Scholar and a leading expert in radiography and mammography. She has made innovative strides in early cancer detection and treatment in Zambia.
After a fifteen-year career in radiography and radiation therapy, Mercy embarked on an MSc in Diagnostic Radiography in 2009, supported by a Chevening Scholarship at the University of Cardiff. The knowledge and skills she acquired enabled her to progress to the position of Principal Radiographer at Lusaka’s Cancer Diseases Hospital and to establish Zambia’s first one-stop breast clinic in Lusaka.
This pioneering initiative was subsequently expanded to all nine provincial hospitals across the country.
What were you doing before Chevening? What were your career aspirations at the time?
Before Chevening, I had been working as a radiographer at the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka since its opening in 2006. I witnessed many patients with advanced stages of cancer that had spread due to late diagnosis and treatment. I found this very demoralising and became determined to advance my studies and learn more about early detection and more effective methods of treatment.
What motivated you to apply for Chevening?
I know that the United Kingdom is a leader in the field of radiography and early detection of breast cancer through mammography. I thought that the hospital could benefit from my exposure to these new skills and processes. I felt a deep sense of urgency; I could not continue treating patients that were just coming to the hospital to die. I wanted to gain the skills needed to detect diseases early, offer treatment to women, and give them a chance to live.
What is the most important lesson you learned during your Chevening experience?
During my time in the UK, I had the opportunity to engage with a variety of healthcare professionals and was introduced to numerous new procedures and techniques. After returning to Zambia, I was eager to apply what I had learned. Together with my team at the Cancer Diseases Hospital, I successfully established a one-stop breast clinic in Lusaka, which encouraged women to come in for screening. Following the success of the Lusaka clinic, we expanded this initiative to all nine provincial hospitals in Zambia. As the only trained mammographer in the country, I was honoured to be appointed as the ‘trainer of trainers’ for radiographers nationwide.
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