With UConn’s Help, Zambia’s First Radiology Residency Transforms into a Medical Leader in Southern Africa

Author: Dr. Jull Wruble

Date: December 15, 2025

In 2019, Zambia had only seven radiologists—and no training program—for a population of 19 million.

In 2021, UConn School of Medicine radiologist Dr. Jill Wruble helped develop the didactic curriculum for the country’s first radiology residency, launching GlobalRadZambia (GRadZ), an international collaborative that brings radiologists together to teach, mentor, and build community. Since then, GRadZ has supported the residency through virtual instruction, periodic on-site teaching, and efforts to strengthen diagnostic capacity, including helping programs acquire essential equipment.

By 2023, the impact was clear. Twelve new radiologists had graduated—more than doubling the national workforce—and Zambia had begun training physicians from three neighboring countries without radiology programs.

“Watching these physicians discover the potential of radiology to improve patient care—and reshape the region’s future through hard-earned skill and determination—has enriched my life,” Wruble says.

Here, she describes her experience with the program, and the remarkable success it’s enjoyed.

Veronica, GlobalRadZambia, and the Making of Zambia’s First Radiology Residency

Regal in bright chitenge, Dr. Veronica Sunkuta Sichizya moves purposefully along the narrow paths winding through crowded, open-air courtyards at University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. I walk beside her. We pass families crouching on the ground, mothers with children swathed to their backs, keeping vigil outside the wards day and night. Veronica has served these people for decades. The weight of that responsibility has only strengthened her resolve.

Exterior of 1,600 bed UTH is located in Zambia's capital Lusaka. — *1,600 bed University Teaching Hospital is located in Zambia’s capital Lusaka (Image Courtesy of GlobalRadZambia).*

Veronica grew up one of fifteen children, raised by a father who insisted that all his children be educated. She completed her medical degree at the University of Zambia School of Medicine and later pursued advanced radiology training in South Africa, along with her neurosurgeon husband. She then returned to Zambia because her family was there and because serving her community mattered to her.

University Teaching Hospital ward in Lusaka, Zambia. — University Teaching Hospital ward in Lusaka, Zambia (Image Courtesy of GlobalRadZambia).

For decades, she had been the country’s radiologist-general, reading studies of chronic HIV and TB, complex trauma, and advanced cancers. She coaxed dilapidated machines back to life, working during the days and late into the nights. Her stamina and purpose, grounded in faith, never wavered.

Read the full UConn Today article here.