Meet Professor Magori
Professor Cassian Magori, the deputy principal of Weill Medical College and the head of the anatomy department, has traveled a remarkable path throughout his long and successful medical career. Learn more about his career.
With a diverse history of experiences including service as a physician in remote Tanzanian communities, study in England to become an anatomist, and most recently his work as a professor at the Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Professor Cassian Magori brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his post on the faculty at Weill Medical College where he has served since its inception.
Growing up in Msoma, over 150 km from Mwanza, Magori attended secondary school in Mwanza town. He recalls the days when the site where Bugando now stands was nothing but a hill, and when the only ‘hospital’ in town was a small clinic. He chose to follow a science track during ‘O’ levels, the equivalent of American high school, and became attracted to the field of medicine at a young age because he admired a physician’s ability to cure diseases and alleviate people’s suffering. With the goal of becoming just such a physician, he continued his undergraduate studies at Muhimbili, the national medical school in Dar es Salaam.
After completing his medical degree, Magori was sent by the Tanzanian government to serve in a remote area near the Zambian border, far outside his realm of familiarity. As he recalls, ‘When I was called by the Ministry to go to this place, it wasn’t even on the map!’ Despite the added challenges of a foreign environment, Magori quickly proved his talent as a doctor and his ability to adapt, and he was soon promoted to the position of District Medical Officer for the region. Though the struggling Tanzanian economy imposed many difficulties, Magori speaks positively of his time in this post and fondly remembers his colleagues and the fun experiences they shared
In 1975, Magori received a letter from the Tanzanian government selecting him for further studies in England to become a specialist in anatomy. ‘Life was very nice. The Tanzanian government brought me a letter and told me to come to Dar and wait for my plane. Wow!’ Magori boarded that plane in 1976 accompanied by several other Tanzanian doctors, some of whom are also now professors at Weill Medical College. Soon after arriving in England, Magori was joined by his wife, a Tanzanian, who then studied education and taught Kiswahili at the British Council. While both Magori and his wife were immersed in their studies, the couple had their first child in 1978.
In 1981, Magori and his family returned to Tanzania so that he could report for his new assignment at the Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences in Dar, where he had once been a student. Commenting on the strong ties that bound him and his Tanzanian colleagues abroad to their home country, Magori recalls that ‘back then, the majority of Tanzanians studying abroad came back. Everyone was eager to return home… Our age group who studied in England – we all came back.’ After returning home, he spent the next 22 years working and teaching at Muhimbili, leaving only in 2003 when he returned to Mwanza.
Persuading Magori to leave Dar originally took a bit of convincing from Professor Shija, the principal of Weill Medical College. But he now reports that ‘I’m happy to be closer to my original home. On weekends I can go home and in just a short drive I am with my family.’
Professor Magori is not the only one who is happy with his decision to come to Weill Medical College. His contagious smile and constant cheer are a delight to all at Bugando, and his commitment to the school and the training of young doctors sets an example to be admired and emulated. Magori and his wife now have five children, several of whom have followed their father into the medical field. They aspire to replicate the contributions Magori has made to his country as a teacher and healer.