Catherine Naliaka Nyongesa Watta (née Catherine Naliaka) (born in 1970), is a Kenyan

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

radiation oncologist A radiation oncologist is a specialist physician who uses ionizing radiation (such as megavoltage X-rays or radionuclides) in the treatment of cancer. Radiation oncology is one of the three primary specialties, the other two being surgical and m ...

, who is the founder, owner and chief executive of Texas Cancer Centre, in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

, the capital and largest city in the country.

Background and education

She was born in Kenya, . She attended Kenyan elementary and secondary schools. She studied at the University of Nairobi School of Medicine, graduating with a

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

(MBChB) degree. In 2002, she was admitted to the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. There, she was enrolled into a three-year residency program to study to become a radiation oncologist, graduating in 2005 with a

Master of Medicine Master of Medicine (MMed) is a postgraduate professional clinical degree awarded by medical schools to physicians following a period of instruction, supervised clinical rotations, and examination. The degree usually takes three years to complete, ...

(MMed) degree, in

Radiation Oncology Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...

. Later she was elected as a Fellow of the College of Radiation Oncologists of South Africa (FCRO (SA)).

Career

Following her specialized training in South Africa, she returned to Kenya and was hired as a Consultant radiation oncologist at

Kenyatta National Hospital The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Kenya. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Ministry of Health. It is also the teaching hospital of the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences. It is the 2nd l ...

, the largest tertiary-care public referral hospital in the country. The case load was heavy, and all patients could not be helped, in the public setting. In 2010, Nyongesa and her husband, a practicing pharmacist in the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

-area,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States, started Texas Cancer Centre Nairobi. Initially the Centre only offered chemotherapy treatment as an outpatient service. Later, the couple borrowed KSh100 million (approx. US$1 million), to built an inpatient facility at a second location in Nairobi. With assistance from the

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the U.S. and one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers ...

, the Nairobi center acquired and installed a radiotherapy machine, set up a diagnostic laboratory and acquired x-ray machines and ultrasound equipment. As of March 2015, the centre had over 70 full-time staff, handling over 150 outpatients daily, and offered accommodation at a reasonable fee to out-of-town outpatients. As of July 2017, the Texas Cancer Centre has expanded to a total of four locations in Nairobi and Eldoret.

Family

Dr. Catherine Nyongesa is a married mother of three children.

Other considerations

She is the first woman radiation oncologist in Kenya. She serves as Chairwoman of the Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO). She is the clinical coordinator at the Cancer Treatment Centre of Kenyatta National Hospital. She is also an honorary lecturer at the

University of Nairobi , mottoeng = In unity and work , image = Uon emblem.gif , image_size = 210px , caption = Coat of Arms of the University , type = Public , endowment ...

References

External links