CAPE TOWN – “Ubuntu,” — humanity toward others — is the overarching theme for the 2026 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) meeting, and for incoming ISMRM president Petra Hüppi, MD, that theme will continue in some form.
Petra Hüppi, MD, will assume her role as ISMRM president at the end of the society’s 2026 meeting in Cape Town.AuntMinnieThe ISMRM gathers experts from around the world to advance healthcare in the MRI specialty, including physicists, chemists, biologists, engineers, physicians, and radiologists. Hüppi, who is concluding her term as ISMRM vice president, said that this interdisciplinary collaboration is a great strength for the society.
“That richness of diversity — of backgrounds, perspectives, and knowledge — is something I have never found in any other professional society,” said Hüppi, who will begin her presidential term at the conclusion of ISMRM 2026. “And that is what makes the [ISMRM] so unique and I am proud and honored to lead … as president.”
As for the spirit of “ubuntu” at ISMRM 2026, Hüppi said this theme “took us more than 30 years to find the perfect expression,” which is present in South Africa.
And despite continued challenges in accessibility for patients seeking care around MR imaging, Hüppi said ISMRM 2026 introduces some in the MR community more broadly across Africa, while advancing the vision of expanding minds and improving life through magnetic resonance.
“Our mission — to foster a vibrant, collaborative, international, and interdisciplinary community that promotes discovery, innovation, and clinical translation in magnetic resonance — could not have been more relevant than here on the African continent,” she told AuntMinnie.
At her home institution, the University of Geneva in Switzerland, Hüppi is leading research on pediatric health, having a longstanding interest in the developing human brain. She has either led or been a part of over 350 published studies in this area.
One study published in 2025 that she was a part of explored how music-based interventions affect cardiorespiratory interactions in preterm infants in the NICU. Another study she co-led, which used MRI, assessed how music impacts brain cortical microstructural maturation in preterm infants.
Hüppi credits advanced MRI techniques for helping her and colleagues uncover how early-life experiences and medical conditions influence brain development in newborns and children.
“This work has also helped us design interventions that support both structural and functional brain development, including personalized music-based therapies shown to improve outcomes in prematurely born infants,” she told AuntMinnie.
Her research led to Hüppi receiving the ISMRM Gold Award in 2023 for “contributions to the understanding the brain microstructure of the developing white matter,” according to the ISMRM in its award announcement.
After ISMRM 2026, Hüppi will return to leading her department at the University of Geneva by providing new insights toward care for women, children, and adolescents. At the same time, she will lead the beginning of preparations for ISMRM 2027 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. That meeting will center around the theme “Development in Every Dimension.”
Read AuntMinnie’s ShowCast for full coverage of ISMRM 2026.