Hoosain Mia Ebrahim, FBIPP, ASIS FRPS, FIMI is a distinguished international colleague, with a more than 40-year, illustrious career in Biomedical/Scientific imaging. He has been a continuous member of BPA/BCA for 33 years and represents an ideal example of international collaboration. He has had long-standing professional involvement in Clinical Imaging with active participation in research and teaching in South Africa where he established medical photography as a respected profession.

Until his recent retirement, Hoosain was the head of a large and busy Department of Medical Photography & Audio-Visual Services at the Medical University of Southern Africa, near Pretoria in South Africa. In this role, he provided professional imaging services to clinicians and other medical scientists to support patient care, research, medical education, communication and publications of their medical/scientific papers. Hoosain has actively participated in clinical research by developing standardization of photography to document many clinical procedures. He has closely worked on research programmes with professors and consultants in large and respected departments of teaching hospitals and universities in South Africa. He trained and worked in one of the most prestigious and respected institutions, Charring Cross Teaching Hospital, London.

Over his long career, a good measure of Hoosain’s stature has been his active participation in eight different professional associations, where he has either held office, been professionally recognized, or been a member, including Fellowship in the Royal Photographic Society (FRPS) and The Institute of Medical Illustrators (FIMI). He is a recognized authority on Kirlian photography, which was the subject of his research for Fellowship in the British Institute of Professional Photography (FBIPP). In 2017, he successfully applied and was awarded ASIS FRPS (Accredited Senior Imaging Scientist & Fellowship) of the Royal Photographic Society, which is a highly respected qualification and award. He has continuously and successfully supported and promoted medical photography as a profession in South Africa.

In evaluating Hoosain's work, it's very impressive to see the wide variety of his presentations that have been given locally and internationally and to many different types of audiences. From Illustrators and scientific photographers to medical students and practitioners of forensic applications of imaging. His publications and teaching record are very strong. His impact on our field has certainly been confirmed by the many awards and recognitions he has received, as well as the lectures, workshops and publications he has presented, a sampling of which are shown below.

Selected Recognitions

• 2003 Awarded the Best Paper Prize for “Evidence-based practice and its effect on the medical photographer’s continuing professional development” presented at The Lennart Nilsson Conference on Medical and Technical Photography held at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2005 Presented with Chairman’s Award for excellent service to Academic Day held at the University of Limpopo – Medunsa Campus
• 2009 Presented with Chairman’s Award for excellent service to Academic Day held at the University of Limpopo – Medunsa Campus
• 2010 Awarded The Society’s Member’s Award and Honorary Life Membership of The Royal Photographic Society held at the Royal Society, London
• 2012 British Institute of Professional Photography Long Service Award in recognition of 35 years of membership.
• 2014 Awarded Lifetime Services Award from the Islamic Medical Association of South Africa (Tshwane Branch) held in Pretoria at the Annual Graduation Ceremony.
• 2017 Recipient of Chairman’s Award of the Medical Group of The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.

PRESENTATIONS/PAPERS READ (gleaned from over 16 pages of presentations!)

(Early Career)

• 1979 “Equipment for standardisation in medical photography” presented to the Medical Group of The Royal Photographic Society
• 1981 “Kirlian Photography – Fact or Fiction” Institute of Medical and Biological Illustration Conference held at Warwick University. Mr AR Williams was the copresenter
• 1982 “Kirlian Photography” presented on invitation at the Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa) *Chief Medical Photographer post offered
• 1983 “Kirlian Photography” South African Institute of Psychiatry “Visual Aids in Health Education” South African Association for Health Education (Sanched)
• “The validity of Kirlian Photography in Acupuncture” presented at the 54th Medical Association of South Africa (MASA) Congress held at the University of Cape Town

(Mid Career)

• 1995 “Kirlian Photography – a scientific basis for recording the energy fields of the physical body”, Art of Living Festival, University of Cape Town
• “Imaging of chromatograms by ultraviolet-induced fluorescence and its accurate colour reproduction” 8th International Symposium on Instrumental Planar Chromatography, Interlaken, Switzerland
• “The role of the camera as a measuring device in science” Training officers of the Criminal Record Centre, Pretoria
• “Kirlian Photography” Integrated Medicine for Health Workers, Sathya Sai Central Council of South Africa, Springs
• “Kirlian Photography – More Fact than Fiction?”, Hitchcock Associates, Bifsa Conference Centre, Midrand
• “A forensic medical photographer’s overview of footwear impression evidence”, 5^th European Congress –Scientific Image, EFSI (European Federation of the Scientific Image), Bilbao, Spain
• 1996 “A forensic medical photographer’s overview of footwear impression evidence”, Orange Free State Technikon, Bloemfontein
• “Standardisation in Forensic Photography” *Faculty of Dentistry, University of Stellenbosch, Cape
• “Forensic Odontology Imaging” *As above Univ. of Stellenbosch, Cape
• “Specialised techniques in forensic photography” *As above, Univ of Stellenbosch, Cape
• “Infrared and ultraviolet photography” *As above, Univ of Stellenbosch, Cape

(Late Career)

• 2014 “A brief overview of confidentiality, patient consent, privacy and human rights in medical photography” *presented to researchers on behalf of the Research Ethics Committee, Medunsa Campus – University of Limpopo
• “The dental digital imaging dilemma – uncertainties, integrity and authenticity” *As above, Research Ethics Committee, Medunsa Campus – University of Limpopo
• “The utilization of photography for research documentation – An introduction” Effective communication to diverse audiences meeting, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg
• “Presentation of research results in poster form” REME course, Medunsa Campus – University of Limpopo
• “Presentation of research results in poster form” presented to 2014 Research Day presenters, Medunsa Campus – Univ of Limpopo
• “A concise chronicled overview of stereoscopic imaging and its contribution to medical and forensic science” Prosthodontic/Periodontic Week-end Conference, Mongena Game Resort, nr Pretoria
• “Applied imaging in health sciences research” invited Plenary Speaker, Research Day, Medunsa Campus – Univ of Limpopo
• “Integrated care – the roles and responsibilities of a centralized digital clinical photographic service” Telemedicine and eHealth ’14, Royal Society of Medicine, London UK
• 2015 “Presentation of Research Results in Poster Form” REME course, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU)
• “Informed consent in clinical photography – patients and participants for research purposes” SMUREC
• 2016 “The Dental Digital Imaging Dilemma – Uncertainties, Integrity and Authenticity” First SAMHS Dental Technicians Clinical Day held at the 1 Military Hospital, Pretoria

CURRENT RESEARCH TOPICS

(Topics for personal research - self-directed academic study)

• Improving medical image-quality for store-and-forward telemedicine
• Optimum image-quality in the reproduction of radiographs for both projection and publication purposes
• Kirlian Photography – improving image-quality and colour in the recording of th energy fields in medicine and science
• The forensic digital imaging dilemma – uncertainties, integrity and authenticity
• Promoting medical photography and imaging science in the South African Health Sciences environment.