Looking Ahead to Cape Town: Ubuntu and the Power of Community

My name is Katy Keenan, and I am the current chair of the Annual Meeting Program Committee (AMPC). I was a member of the AMPC from 2020-2023, and I am very excited to lead the AMPC in planning our annual meeting for 2026. I am a scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the United States, where I work on quantitative MRI and low-field MRI research. I am excited for you all to come to Cape Town, South Africa, for our next annual meeting, 9-14 May 2026!

In preparing for this meeting, I learned about the Southern African philosophy, Ubuntu [oo-BUUN-too], which is roughly translated as “I am because we are.” (Yes, many in our community think of the Linux operating system when they think of Ubuntu. The Linux OS took its name from this same philosophy, given the community-oriented nature of the Linux project.) Ubuntu is something that we regularly practice in our community: collaborative research and joint development projects across scientists, engineers, clinicians, radiographers, and vendors for positive impact in MRI.

Over the next 10 months, as we build towards the annual meeting (remember: 9-14 May 2026), we will highlight Ubuntu in our community. To start, I would like to thank our many African members who are helping me learn about the continent and plan for the annual meeting in Cape Town, and in particular, those African members of the AMPC, past and present, who taught me about Ubuntu.

The AMPC is a good example of Ubuntu: it is an amazing committee of dedicated people  in our community who work very hard. Out of these collective efforts, the annual meeting takes shape, and it is much better with the contributions and compounding ideas of the committee. The AMPC is working on some great ideas to make this a meeting of sharing stories, learning, networking, and highlighting our community’s scientific efforts.

Over the past few years, as preparation for Cape Town started, many people have told me their stories of how MRI is and can be used in Africa. If you have a story about Ubuntu, whether inside Africa or not, that you’d like to share, please let us know.

In your own preparations for Cape Town, please keep an eye out for the upcoming Abstract Writing virtual seminar series. The Indian Chapter is working with the AMPC to organize a series of virtual meetings to help prepare abstracts for the annual meeting (submission deadline is 29 October 2025).

I look forward to seeing you all in Cape Town, 9-14 May 2026!

Katy Keenan, Ph.D.
2026 Annual Meeting Program Chair