Johnell Whyte Roberts Driven By Passion For Medical Imaging

Johnell Whyte Roberts’ decision to become a medical imaging practitioner was driven by experience that hit close to home. 

In an interview with JIS News, she shares that seeing her father navigate health challenges and having to undergo several scans to detect the source of his illness, was the genesis of her fascination with medical imaging.  

“He did ultrasound, interventional radiology, computed tomography (CT), x-ray, the whole works. Just seeing how these persons actually helped diagnose what he had… that led me to the profession,” she says. 

Mrs. Whyte Roberts, who works at the  Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland, notes that from her early days in school, she had a passion for the sciences. 

She studied science subjects at Montego Bay High and at Montego Bay Community College, she did physics, mathematics, and biology, the perfect combination for a career in radiography.  

She later earned her bachelor’s degree in Diagnostic Imaging at the University of the West Indies (UWI). 

“It’s now called Radiological Sciences because the programme was revamped,” she tells JIS News. 

Mrs. Whyte Roberts shares that while the profession can be demanding, she finds fulfillment in knowing the critical role that imaging plays in patient care.  

“Radiology is the eye of medicine; we are the first to see. Without the doctors getting the proper imaging, they are probably at a standstill in diagnosing the patients,” she points out. 

She shares one experience which demonstrates the importance of radiology in saving lives. 

“There’s a patient… he had pleural effusion and he was coming [to the hospital] every two weeks. We were vital in [enabling the doctors] to diagnose that he actually had some form of cancer. Even though the signs were there, during the imaging and comparing all those x-rays that he did, we saw a mass eventually. The doctors were able to send him to other places for treatment, and he’s still around, and he’s very strong,” she says. 

Despite recent upgrades at the hospital, including a new digital machine, Mrs. Whyte Roberts tells JIS News that demand continues to outpace resources. 

 “We facilitate the health centres around Westmoreland, like 20, and private patients as well. If we get another machine, it will lessen the patient waiting time and I think a lot more persons will be served,” she points out.  

Regardless of the challenges that come with the job, Mrs. Whyte Roberts tells JIS News that her resilience is rooted in passion and purpose.  

“I have a passion for caring for people; that’s how I push through. I say, ‘Okay, Johnell, you’re going to help someone,”’ she notes.  

Mrs. Whyte Roberts is certified in ultrasound and currently upgrading her credentials through a new postgraduate programme.  

She’s excited about the future of imaging, particularly the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in CT scans.  

“We can basically manipulate whatever we do to help with the diagnosis. We can get some nice 3D images of the simplest nerves, the bones… If the doctors are able to see a full view of a body part, they will be able to say, ‘Okay, we can do this posteriorly, we can do it anteriorly,”’ she points out. 

 Even during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mrs. Whyte Roberts and her team remained committed.  

“Going home is like, okay, I have to take off my clothes outside. I have to head to the shower immediately without touching anything in the house. No matter how my baby wants to run to me… But the good thing is, and we thank God for it, no one in my department actually tested positive,” she tells JIS News.  

Through it all, she keeps her faith and her family close and trusts God to solve whatever challenges may cross her path.  

 “I say, ‘God, I leave the day in your hand. If it is your will, let it be done,’ she shares. 

To those considering working in the field, she offers encouragement, stating that the career path “is rewarding. You are exposed to a lot of stuff… and we need persons.”