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AAPM Presidents Column
Gary A. Ezzell, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale
hat should the AAPM commit resources to? What is worth doing, and at what cost? The membership expects the Board of Directors to decide such questions carefully and wisely. To that end, the Strategic Planning Committee of the Board met in Dallas after the Spring Clinical Meeting along with the officers and council chairs. The Board members present were John Antolak, John Bayouth, Ed Jackson, Doug Pfeiffer, and Mark Rivard. We had the goal of deciding which of the many AAPM activities are critical to AAPM's health and so worthy of ongoing Board attention. We also identified which initiatives, underway or new, deserve to be considered strategically important. The committee's report to the Board will help set the agenda for the summer and RSNA meetings as well as provide guidance to the budget development. In this article, I will describe some of the ideas being brought forward. Science Council, chaired by Dan Low, will be investigating creating a mechanism for AAPM members to share datasets and protocols. Examples include CT protocols, therapy cone-beam CT protocols, and sample output data for SRS cones. There are many issues to be considered, such as concerns about liability, if and how to provide peer review, how to organize the information, and what resources will be needed to create and maintain this tool. This will not be easy, but there is a pervasive sense that Included in this issue: this would be a valuable resource. Chair of the Board p. 3 Science Council will also be working on a long-range effort to President Elect p. 4 create a nationwide event reporting system to capture near Ad Hoc Committee of misses and deviations that are not reportable by regulation. the Board Report p. 6 AAPM will not do this alone; ASTRO is moving toward this Executive Director p. 8 and AAPM will be an important partner in this effort. Our Editor p. 9 Workgroup on the Prevention of Errors in Radiation Therapy, Professional Council p. 10 chaired by Eric Ford, has produced a report on the data Education Council p. 11 structures to be used in such a system that has been approved p. 12 by the ASTRO Board and is under review by AAPM. That is a Leg. & Reg. Affairs p. 13 first step, and there will be many challenges, but both of our Health Policy/Economics societies believe that this will lead to significant improvements 2012 Awards p. 16 in patient safety. CAMPEP News p. 19 p. 20 Both Professional and Administrative Councils are continuing ACR Accreditation p. 23 AAPM's efforts to ensure that board-certified medical Spring Clinical Mtg Report p. 24 physicists are appropriately utilized in clinical practice. NPSC Report p. 25 Professional Council, chaired by Per Halvorsen, is working So. Cal Chapter Report with accrediting bodies. As reimbursement becomes more and RAMPS Chapter Report p. 27 more tied to accreditation, it is important that the competing ORVC Chapter Report p. 29 accreditation bodies be consistent in their expectations of Persons in the News p. 31 physicists' roles. The licensure and state regulatory activities
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continued - President's Column fall under Administrative Council, chaired by Melissa Martin. AAPM's efforts to promote licensure of medical physics has been expensive and so far only legislative action in Massachusetts remains viable, and so the Board will be considering how to best reallocate those resources. We have a strong and positive relationship with the Council of Radiation Control Program Directors, and so we will continue working with them to develop the 'Suggested State Regulations' such that qualified physicists are properly required. Professional Council is actively working on Medical Physics Practice Guidelines that will influence accrediting bodies; as additional resources become available we can turn these out more quickly. Promoting the creation of medical physics residencies is in the domain of Education Council, chaired by George Starkschall. While our field is doing reasonably well on the therapy side, we remain challenged by the lack of imaging residencies. Seed funding of imaging residencies by AAPM is a possibility. Those are some of the key long-range initiatives that the Strategic Planning Committee will be recommending that the Board support. The magnitude of the financial commitment will depend in large measure on the outcome of the vote on the dues increase. Our budget will remain balanced; whether and how soon these ideas can move beyond the talking stage will hinge on energy, enthusiasm, and money. The Board takes very seriously our fiduciary responsibility to the Association. We need to manage our resources carefully while we position ourselves for the future.
UCSD Price Center - all 2012 Summer School sessions will take place in the Price Center Theater
Medical Imaging Using Ionizing Rad iation: Optimization of Dose and Image Quality
http://www.aapm.org/meetings/2012SS/ 2
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K, after three months on the job, I can tell you I am extremely impressed with the level of activities and volunteerism demonstrated by our membership! The scope and depth of your involvement in safety, regulatory and image quality endeavors is a credit to your standing as professionals in this increasingly complex healthcare enterprise.
To bring you up to speed on a few things that Ive been involved in during these first few months, Id like to start with a continuing dialogue with the leadership of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD) regarding the development of additional imaging residencies. Dr. Valerie Jackson, President of SCARD, presented material provided by Tony Seibert and me on this topic at their spring meeting. This material included information regarding the history of how the ABR requirements for 2012 and 2014 evolved, some information on the number of currently available residencies, the expected demand for Qualified Medical Physicists (QMP) in imaging and the recommendation that we form a working group of SCARD and AAPM members to develop a strategy for increasing the number of residencies and residents. This work group plans to meet once or twice over the summer and bring recommendations back to the full SCARD membership at their fall meeting. As the principle beneficiaries of this effort, AAPM may need to be prepared to invest financially to initiate additional imaging residencies. However, we will make this investment with the commitment of the radiology chairs to sustain the newly created slots into the future. On March 27th Gary Ezzell, Angela Keyser and I met with ASTRO leadership including Leonard Gunderson, Colleen Lawton, Mary Martel and Laura Thevenot. While I believe that Gary and Angela will also be reporting on the meeting, Id like to point out that the topic of residencies in radiation oncology physics was discussed. Interestingly, it turns out that there are only about 90 radiation oncology residents each year. If we make a rule-of-thumb assumption that one physicist is needed for each oncologist, then we are probably not too far off on the number of radiation physics residencies, approximately 80 today, with the equilibrium demand. While AAPM will certainly continue to accumulate and analyze data regarding manpower as it becomes available, it does appear that we are close to meeting those needs today and there is no need to panic about 2014. A couple of weeks ago I attended the Southwest Chapter meeting in Oklahoma City. First, the local organizing committee put together an exceptionally strong venue to have the scientific sessions, meetings and social event. Second, the program committee put together a diverse scientific program that included presentations by a number of trainees, and the quality of these presentations certainly bodes well for the future of our profession. Finally, Russ Tarver presented information regarding the upcoming vote on an increase in the AAPM dues. It has been almost seven years since our last dues increase and Russ made a strong presentation of how our good stewardship of resources has allowed us to weather the recent financial storm without the increase, but how this continued stagnation of our dues will preclude us from reaching several strategic goals. There was lively discussion, both for and against the change, but in the end a straw poll indicated that about 75% of the attendees were in favor of increasing our dues to make the additional financial resources the Association needs to meet its strategic goals available. I am also chairing an ad hoc committee to evaluate the way the editors of our four means of communication are compensated. The four publications are Medical Physics, Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics (JACMP), Newsletter and the AAPM web site. Obviously, Medical Physics is the most significant of our publications in terms of its impact on science and our budget. JACMP is an important journal that AAPM absorbed as part of the merger with the American College of Medical Physics. The Newsletter and web sites serve as tools for communicating other types of information to our members and constitute important aspects of our communication plan. The ad hoc committee will work with the oversight bodies of each publication to gather information regarding the editor(s) effort and other
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continued - President-Elect's Column needs of that office, consider the financial impact of the publication to the Association and balance in all the other intangibles that contribute to the value of these publications to the AAPM. In the end, the ad hoc committee will make recommendations to the board through EXCOM regarding how each of these editorial offices should be compensated. Finally, I want to put in my support for the proposed dues increase. While we have managed to make due for the last 6-7 years on stagnant dues, this has been done at the cost of strategic planning and execution. For those that havent participated in budgeting through councils/committees/etc. the last few years, the council chairs have been asked to prepare flat budgets. This means that anything new must be funded at the expense of an existing activity. Weve been able to get along, but to be strategic and have the Association serve you by being proactive, we need to increase our financial capacity and provide for new programs. In this time of the constantly changing horizon for healthcare, the AAPM must be prepared to be active through volunteer effort and financial investment in the future. I encourage you to carefully consider the value that AAPM represents for your profession and make a decision for the future by voting for this dues increase. In closing, I once again want to express my personal thanks to all those AAPM members who give tirelessly of their time and energy to make the Association vibrant.
NOW AVAILABLE: AAPM Career Services now provides both expert career advice for job seekers and expert recruitment advice for employers hiring! Visit the Career Services site (http://www.aapm.org/careers) and click on left-side Resources navigational links to access this material.
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continued - Ad Hoc Committee of the Board on Dues Strategy Report protocols, SRS output data, checklists, etc. A formalized information exchange will provide support and confirmation to individuals working on special projects, as well as on routine work. Developing (with other societies) a national event reporting system for errors and near misses. The AAPM must be proactive about creating a national reporting system before another agency mandates it for us. By being the author of such a system, we have the ability to define inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as put in safeguards for privacy. If we dont do it, at some point another administrative body will.
Figure 2
These initiatives will have significant direct impact on the AAPM Membership, as well as impact on the field of Medical Physics. They need to move forward expeditiously. The Membership must be willing to step up and support the profession that returns so many significant rewards to us. The proposed dues increase is actually quite small in comparison to some of the trivial things that we purchase each and every month, and is critical to ensuring that these initiatives move forward. This is something every Member must consider when it is time to cast a vote this coming summer. The following is the proposal that will come before the Members in May. It will be discussed at the Annual Business Meeting in Charlotte and be voted on by the full Membership thereafter. Institute a $100 increase in dues with an annual increase of 3% Institute a $50 discount for Members with less than 5 years tenure The process for implementation: May 9, 2012 Voting Members receive notification of proposed dues increase comments solicited and forwarded to Secretary August 1, 2012 - Secretary presents the proposal at the Annual Business Meeting and reports on the comments received. Open discussion is encouraged. August 22, 2012 The electronic voting system opens for all Voting Members September 19 Deadline for submission of votes AAPM needs your YES vote and the Association is counting on its Membership to ensure the continuing health of the profession. This proposal has the strong support of both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee and Members are urged to support this dues proposal.
Figure 3
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While it may be hard to imagine, plans for the 2013 Spring Clinical Meeting are already underway. The meeting will be held on March 16 19, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. New AAPM Reports The report of AAPM Task Group 179: Quality assurance for image-guided radiation therapy utilizing CT-based technologies is now available online at: http://aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_179.pdf AAPM Task Group 147: Quality assurance for nonradiographic radiotherapy localization and positioning systems is now available online at: http://aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_147.pdf Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Programs This year sixty-one undergraduates competed for five AAPM Summer Fellow positions (SUFP), plus an additional slot provided by funding from the Southern California Chapter of the AAPM. The program is designed to provide opportunities for undergraduate university students to gain experience in medical physics by performing research in a medical physics laboratory or assisting with clinical service at a clinical facility. In this program, the AAPM serves as a clearinghouse to match exceptional students with exceptional medical physicists, many who are faculty at leading research centers. For more information on the program, go to: http://www.aapm.org/ education/SUFP/default.asp In addition to the SUFP, six undergraduate students competed SUFP Fellows for two AAPM MUSE (Minority Jaeburn Chung Undergraduate Summer Experience) (Sponsored by SCCAAPM) Summer Fellow positions. The MUSE Anil Sethi Paul Leo program is designed to expose Mahadevappa Mahesh Hannah Ponek minority undergraduate university George X. Ding Lauren Rigsby students to the field of medical Rob B. Mooij Sean Rose physics by performing research Jean Pouliot Stephanie Sodergren or assisting with clinical service at U.S. institutions (university, clinical facility, laboratory, etc.). The charge MUSE Fellows Mentors of MUSE is specifically to encourage Desmond Fernandez Chris Beltran minority students from Historically Omar Orbe-Toledo Eduardo G. Moros Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) or non-Minority Serving Institutions (nMSI) to gain such experience and apply to graduate programs in medical physics. For more information on the program, go to: http://www.aapm.org/education/MUSE/ Mentors Dimitre Histrov Hristov Students participating in the program SUFP and MUSE programs are placed into summer positions that are consistent with their interests and are selected for the program on a competitive basis. Each Summer Fellow receives a $4,000 stipend from AAPM.
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Editor's Column
elcome to the 3rd issue of this year. This issue contains a number of articles updating various activities and issues pertaining to the Association. I would like to draw your attention to the Ad Hoc committee report on page 6 regarding the rationale behind the proposed membership dues increase and I would like to encourage readers to read this article and respond positively.
In addition to regular columns, this issue contains updates on the upcoming annual meeting along with AAPM awards information and other reports including local chapter news. Also featured in this issue are the Persons in the News six AAPM members who are also members of the American College of Radiology (ACR) were bestowed as fellows for their service to the college. In addition, it was a great pleasure to attend this years award ceremony at the ACRAnnual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference where Dr. Richard Morin received the ACR Gold Medal, one of the highest awards given out by the college each year. Congratulations Rick! Finally, I would like to congratulate all the recipients of the 2012 AAPM Awards and Honors (pages 16-17). I am looking forward to the Awards Ceremony and Reception in Charlotte, North Carolina. continued - Executive Directors Column Election Process online only! Elections for the 2013 Officers and Board Members-At-Large will open on June 20 and will run through July 11. Again this year AAPM will use the Bulletin Board System (BBS) during the election process to allow members to discuss issues of concern with the candidates and the election in general. The election process will be online only so be alert for email announcements. Upcoming AAPM Meetings Looking for a way to engage with medical physicists in your local area? Consider attending a local chapter meeting. Many chapter meetings offer MPCECs for participating. For a list of meetings, go to: http://www.aapm.org/meetings/chaptermeetings.asp The 2012 AAPM Summer School, Medical Imaging Using Ionizing Radiation: Optimization of Dose and Image Quality, will take place on June 24-29 at the University of California, San Diego Campus. Make sure to register by May 9th to receive discounted registration fees. Additionally, two Self Assessment Modules (SAMs) will be included in Wednesdays program (no extra fees). AAPM offers scholarships in the form of a waiver of tuition for the Summer School. This year, there were a total of thirteen applications. Congratulations to the five 2012 recipients: Samuel Brady, Justin Ducote, Ching-Yi Hsieh, Lorretta Johnson and Zhihua Qi. In addition, Capintec sponsors two $500 grants to assist with other expenses related to the Summer School. Capintec established these grants to honor the memory of Arata Suzuki, Ph.D., who was part of Capintec for more than 20 years. Ching-Yi Hsieh and Zhihua Qi are the recipients of the 2012 Suzuki grants. For details, go to: http://aapm.org/meetings/2012SS/ The AAPM 54th Annual Meeting will be held July 29 August 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The full meeting program will be available online by May 11. Make sure to register by June 14 to receive discounted registration fees. Remember, the program organizers have planned a dawn-to-dusk" program (8:00 AM 6:00 PM) of Educational, Professional and Scientific Programs to allow more sessions in areas of particular interest with less parallel track overlap. More information on the 54th AAPM Annual Meeting is available online at: http://aapm.org/ meetings/2012AM/ .
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Reminder: Economics Committee provides reimbursement webinars In January, Economics Committee Chair Jim Goodwin and consultant Wendy Smith Fuss presented webinars for our members on the 2012 final rules by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (physicians and outpatient centers) and the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (hospital-based centers). The slide presentations remain available for download from the AAPM website at http://www.aapm.org/meetings/default.asp?tab=5#MeetingsPanel. Should you have any questions or requests for future presentations, feel free to contact Jim Goodwin, or Lynne Fairobent at AAPM HQ (lynne@aapm.org). Supervision As many of you know, the concept of appropriate professional supervision is crucial in clinical practice. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have defined three levels of supervision of clinical procedures: General, Direct, and Personal (in increasing levels of involvement by the senior practitioner). The AAPM has a professional policy (PP-18) which affirms this principle for clinical medical physics, and CMS makes certain assumptions relative to medical physics supervision for many billable procedures. Many of our Task Group reports (such as TG-101 and TG-135) address supervision of specific procedures, but we do not have a concise, cohesive position on professional supervision that could serve as a foundation for most duties within the scope of practice of clinical medical physics. Tony Seibert convened an Ad-Hoc committee on the subject last year, and he provided a good description of the groups charge in the most recent Newsletter. With the Ad-Hoc committee actively working to prepare its recommendations, and the professional policy scheduled for review and possible revision this year, we have an opportunity to address this important principle in a manner that could provide broad guidance for future Practice Guidelines and Task Group recommendations. If you have specific suggestions or concerns related to this topic, please contact Lynne Fairobent at AAPM HQ (lynne@aapm.org). Professional Track sessions at the Annual Meeting Doug Pfeiffer and Chris Serago have been busy preparing the Professional Track sessions for the Annual Meeting in Charlotte, and the resulting program contains many presentations of direct relevance to the professional practice of medical physics. In addition to sessions on Practice Guidelines in medical physics, there will be sessions on practice management techniques, ethics in action (case scenarios with panel discussion), journal article review, publishing, Practice Quality Improvement (part of MOC), and accreditation of clinical programs. Join us in Charlotte for some very relevant how to sessions!
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The content of each section is managed by the individual committees of the Education Council that have responsibilities for the various topical areas. The Medical Physics Education of Physicians Committee is the first to develop a complete guide, Physics Education for Diagnostic Radiologists and Residents, in the first phase of the project. Their work is providing an excellent model for the development of other sections. The objective is to provide information based on actual experience with the various educational resources. That is the source of much of the content especially for the section for radiology residents. All AAPM members are invited to provide comments, recommendations, or requests direct to the appropriate committees or to the Project Coordinator, Perry Sprawls, using the Feedback tab on the web site.
The 2012 AAPM elections will open for online voting on June 20, 2012. The deadline to submit your vote electronically will be July 11, 2012.
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Lynne Fairobent, College Park, MD ACR Reaffirms Definition of Qualified Medical Physicist At the 2012 ACR Annual meeting, the ACR Council passed several resolutions. Of interest to medical physicists is Resolution 42, Definition of a Qualified Medical Physicist.
BE IT RESOLVED, That the American College of Radiology adopts the following Definition of a Qualified Medical Physicist as revised: A Qualified Medical Physicist is an individual who is competent to practice independently in one or more of the subfields in medical physics. The American College of Radiology considers certification, continuing education and experience in the appropriate subfield(s) to demonstrate that an individual is competent to practice one or more of the subfields in medical physics, and to be a Qualified Medical Physicist. The ACR strongly recommends that the individual be certified in the appropriate subfield(s) by the American Board of Radiology (ABR), the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine, or the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP). A Qualified Medical Physicist should meet the ACR Practice Guideline for Continuing Medical Education (CME). The subfields of medical physics are*: Therapeutic Medical Physics This pertains to (1) the therapeutic applications of x-rays, of gamma rays, of electrons and charged particle beams, of neutrons, of radiations from sealed and unsealed radionuclide sources, (2) the equipment associated with their production, use, measurement and evaluation, (3) the quality of information and images resulting from their production and use, and (4) associated patient and personnel radiation safety issues. Diagnostic Medical Physics This pertains to (1) the diagnostic applications of x-rays, or gamma rays from sealed and unsealed sources, of ultrasound, of radiofrequency radiation, of magnetic fields, (2) the equipment associated with their production, use, measurement and evaluation, (3) the quality of information and images resulting from their production and use, and (4) associated patient and personnel radiation safety issues. Nuclear Medical Physics This pertains to (1) the therapeutic and diagnostic applications of radionuclides (except those used in sealed sources for therapeutic purposes), (2) the equipment associated with their production, use, measurement and evaluation, (3) the quality of information and images resulting from their production and use, and (4) associated patient and personnel radiation safety issues. *Previous medical physics certification categories including radiological physics, therapeutic radiological physics, medical nuclear physics, diagnostic radiological physics and diagnostic imaging physics are also acceptable. The ACR shall review all appropriate guidelines and technical standards to ensure that each contain this definition of Qualified Medical Physicist where indicated; 1996, 2006, amended 2008 (Res. 7). In addition the ACR Council passed the following resolutions. Copies of these documents will be posted on the AAPM website. Resolution 34. ACRAAPM Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of Computed Tomography (CT) Equipment Resolution 35. ACRAAPMSIIM Technical Standard for Electronic Practice of Medical Imaging Resolution 36. ACRAAPMSIIM Practice Guideline for Determinants of Image Quality in CSC Digital Mammography Resolution 37. ACRAAPMSIIM Practice Guideline for Digital Radiography
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NEW FOR 2012!! SCIENTIFIC SAM SESSION Joint Imaging-Therapy Symposium Personalizing Medicine: Adapting to the Individual Monday, July 30, 2:00 pm - 3:50 pm More than 50 hours of educational courses in medical imaging and radiation therapy physics will be offered. This will include SAMS courses for diagnostic, medical nuclear, and radiation therapy physicists. www.aapm.org/meetings/2012AM
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Therapy SAMs
SAM Session 1: Unsettled Issues in the Radiobiology of Emergent Technology: Hypofractionation and PET-Guided Treatment Planning SAM Session 2: Imaging and Image Processing for Adaptive Radiotherapy SAM Session 3: Initiating an IGRT Program SAM Session 4: Stereotactic Radiosurgery: State of the Art Technology and Implementation SAM Session 5: Safety Initiatives in Radiation Therapy Physics SAM Session 6: Electron Radiotherapy: Past, Present, and Future
Imaging SAMs
SAM Session 1: Dosimetry Basics SAM Session 2: Y90 Planning and Dosimetry SAM Session 3: The Role of Physics in Optmizing CT Protocols SAM Session 4: Introductory Principles of CT Dosimetry SAM Session 5: Upcoming Changes In the ACR MRI Accreditation Program SAM Session 6: The 'Nuts and Bolts' of Annual MRI Physics Inspections SAM Session 7: ACR MAP Update SAM Session 8: Digital Breast Tomosynthesis: Basic Principles and the QMP's Role
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Congratulations to the recipients of the following awards, achievements and honors in 2012!
William D. Coolidge Award is present to: Stephen R. Thomas, PhD Marvin D. Williams Award is presented to: William Hanson, PhD Edith H. Quimby Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to: Charles A. Mistretta, PhD Edward S. Sternick, PhD Kenneth Vanek, PhD
The following are named Fellows in 2012 for their distinguished contributions to the AAPM:
Salahuddin Ahmad, PhD J. Ed Barnes, PhD Wesley Bolch, PhD Jerrold Bushberg, PhD Sha Chang, PhD Zhe (Jay) Chen, PhD Indrin Chetty, PhD Sou-Tung Chiu-Tsao, PhD F. Chris Deibel, PhD Robert Drzymala, PhD Michael Gossman, MS Steve Jiang, PhD James Kofler, PhD Zuofeng Li, DSc Charles Mayo, PhD Tariq Mian, PhD Jean Moran, PhD Todd Pawlicki, PhD Phillip Rauch, MS David Shepard, PhD Jeffrey Siewerdsen, PhD Ge Wang, PhD Ping Xia, PhD Ying Xiao, PhD Lei Xing, PhD Mark Yudelev, PhD
All of the award, achievement and honor recipients will be recognized during the 2012 AAPM Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Awards and Honors Ceremony and Reception. Please join us in congratulating all of the recipients: DATE: Monday, July 30, 2012 TIME: 6:30 PM PLACE: Ballroom CD Charlotte Convention Center
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Farrington Daniels Paper Award (dosimetry) is given for: Comparison of air-kerma strength determinations for HDR 192Ir sources by Brian Rasmussen, Stephen Davis, Cal Schmidt, John Micka, and Larry DeWerd Medical Physics 38, Number 12/6721
Sylvia Sorkin Greenfield Paper Award (non-dosimetry) is given for: Ultrasound internal tattooing by: Olivier Couture, Magalie Faivre, Nicholas Pannacci, Avin Babataheri, Vincent Servois, Patrick Tabeling and Mickael Tanter Medical Physics 38, Number 2/1116
AAPM-IPEM Medical Physics Travel Grant is presented to: Laurence Court, PhD
AAPM Newsletter
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1281-27, 03/12 PIPSpro QC Software REF 91310, PIPSpro Comprehensive Software REF 91320
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CAMPEP News
ost everyone knows that beginning in 2014, completion of a residency in medical physics will be required for candidates wishing to take the certification examination in medical physics administered by the American Board of Radiology (ABR). What is less well known is that this requirement was a decision of the AAPM, not the ABR and not the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP). The residency requirement beginning in 2014 was decided several years ago at a meeting of the AAPM Board of Directors. This decision was reached in response to an ABR statement in 2002 that beginning in 2012, eligibility for ABR certification would be restricted to physicists graduating from a CAMPEPaccredited graduate or residency program. The AAPM decision to limit eligibility to physicists completing a residency was subsequently accepted by CAMPEP and the ABR. Currently there are two pathways into a residency for individuals wishing to be certified in medical physics by the ABR. The first is the standard pathway, which requires graduation from a CAMPEP-accredited graduate program in medical physics with either a masters or doctorate degree. Accreditation of a graduate program ensures that it provides all of the educational experiences for students that are considered necessary as a foundation for clinical education during the two-year residency. Because there are currently more students graduating each year than there are residency positions available, some graduate programs are establishing hub and spoke residencies with a core institution serving as the hub for residency education and satellite institutions serving as spokes for additional clinical experiences. These arrangements would accommodate students finishing the graduate program and might also provide residency opportunities for students completing other CAMPEP-accredited graduate programs. The second pathway into a residency is termed the alternate pathway, and is available only to persons with a doctoral degree in physics or closely-related discipline (e.g. biomedical or electrical engineering). Individuals wishing to enter a residency through this pathway must complete all course requirements outlined in AAPM Report 197S. A maximum of two of the required courses may be taken during the residency; all others must be completed before the individual enters a residency program. At this time and effective January 1, 2013, the courses described in Report 197S can only be provided by a program granted a certificate to do so by CAMPEP. A CAMPEP-accredited graduate program may be certified to offer the courses by simply submitting an application to CAMPEP to do so; there is no fee and no site visit is required. Report 197S courses may also be offered by an accredited residency, but the residency must be certified by CAMPEP to offer the courses. Certification of a residency to offer Report 197S courses is a bit more complex, and includes payment of a $1,000 accreditation fee and possibly a site visit. Specific requirements for a residency offering Report 197S courses are undergoing further discussion by CAMPEP at this time. Courses or mentored instruction by means not certified by CAMPEP do not satisfy the requirements of residency eligibility. It is CAMPEPs intent to provide CAMPEP NEWS in each issue of the AAPM Newsletter so that medical physicists can stay informed about educational and accreditation matters as we move through the turbulence of the next few years.
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Priscilla F. Butler, Senior Director ACR Breast Imaging Accreditation Programs ACR Accreditation: Frequently Asked Questions for Medical Physicists Does your facility need help on applying for accreditation? In each issue of this newsletter, Ill present frequently asked questions (FAQs) of particular importance for medical physicists. You may also check out the ACRs accreditation web site portal (www.acr.org; click Accreditation) for more FAQs, accreditation applications and QC forms. Q. What is primary source verification?
ACR Accreditation
A. CMS requires accredited facilities to have a formal procedure to verify the credentials of their employees. The procedure does not need to be submitted to ACR. However, if ACR or CMS does a site visit they will expect to see the written (or electronic version) of the procedure. Most licensing and certifying bodies provide the ability to verify an individuals credentials online. The following are examples of how this verification can be achieved: To verify a physicians medical license, facilities should check the physician licensing board in their state. Example: http://www.mbp.state.md.us/bpqapp/ For physicians, their certification can be verified at the American Board of Medical Specialties website at https://www.certificationmatters.org/is-your-doctor-board-certified/ search-now.aspx
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AAPM Headquarters
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continued - ACR Accreditation For technologists, they can use their specific certifying agency. Example: https://www. arrt.org/ For board-certified medical physicists, all board certifications can be verified at the CRCPD National QMP Registry website at http://www.crcpd.org/QMP/aboutQMP.aspx. ABR certifications can also be verified at the American Board of Medical Specialties website at https://www.certificationmatters.org/is-your-doctor-board-certified/search-now. aspx. For medical physicists qualifying under the Not Board Certified in Required Subspecialty criteria, your primary source should be the accredited educational institution granting the graduate degree in medical physics, radiologic physics, physics, or other relevant physical science or engineering discipline.
4D in Motion
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Knowing what responsibility means
AAPM Newsletter
May/June 2012
Attention Physicists!
The Time is Now!
Medical Physicists Need to Know How to Treatment Plan
40 Hour Virtual Training Personal 4 hour WebEx Introduction Log in/Password Protected Confidentiality Maintained Ten 3 hour modules by body site 1 hour modules covering: - Imaging - IGRT -Contouring - Planning - Plan Review -Plan Scoring Tools
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May/June 2012
Young Investigator finalists: Third place - Sharif Elguindi, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ - Arizona, Second place - Steven Jackson, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and First Place - Patricia Judy, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA
future years as participants share their positive experiences from the meeting. Next years meeting will be held from March 16-19 at a reasonably priced resort in Phoenix, Arizona. Take the opportunity to mark your calendars for the chance to share in the knowledge and experience of practically integrating emerging technologies, regulatory and accreditation requirements into your practice.
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May/June 2012
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This lecture marked the 50th Anniversary of this series which honors the memory of Dr. G. Failla, who was killed in a car accident while visiting the Argonne National Laboratory. Dr. Failla recruited Edith Quimby while head of the Physics group and that team was responsible for many innovations in medical physics, including the development of calorimetry and regularization of the dosimetry for low-dose rate brachytherapy. Many of our senior members will remember Dr. Quimby as a formidable examiner for the American Board of Radiology for many years.
Honoree, Clif Ling, and his wife, Gloria Li, celebrate the Year of the Dragon with entertainment at the dinner
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continued - ORVC Chapter Report
May/June 2012
am thankful for the tremendous work of my colleagues, Chris Allgower of Indiana University (ORVC President-Elect), Michael Gossman of Tri-State Cancer Center, Ashland, KY (ORVC Past President), Michael Weldon of Ohio State University (ORVC Secretary/ Treasurer), Rebecca F. Richardson of Louisville Radiation Oncology Center (ORVC Past Secretary/Treasurer), and Indra J. Das Symposium Audience of Indiana University (ORVC Chapter Board Representative), for their support and dedication to the success and growth of the Chapter as Officers. Finally, I would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous contributions and attendance at the symposium: Platinum Sponsors: Varian Medical Systems, RIT, Philips Healthcare Golden Sponsors: Accuray, Siemens, Elekta, Best-CNMC, Brainlab, PTW New York, iba Dosimetry, Sun Nuclear, RadiaDyne, ScandiDos, LACO, LAP Laser, Q-Fix Systems (WQFR), CIVCO, BARD, C-RAD, D3 Oncology Solutions, Velocity Medical Solutions, Modus, VisionRT, Biocompatibles
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AAPM Newsletter
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AAPM Service Project at the Annual Meeting in Charlotte Saturday, July 28 9:00am - 12:00 Noon Deadline to Register: July 11, 2012 (must be 12 or older to volunteer) Look for the free ticket option when registering for the annual meeting No on-site registration Spend three hours sorting food at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina warehouse in Charlotte. This is an excellent opportunity to catch up with colleagues while you work to help others. Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina provides a regional distribution warehouse and branches that supply food and grocery items to charitable agencies that assist people in need.
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American Association of Physicists in Medicine One Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740-3846
Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD Johns Hopkins University e-mail: mmahesh@jhmi.edu phone: 410-955-5115
Editor
Editorial Board
Priscilla Butler, MS, Eileen Cirino, MS, Allan deGuzman, PhD, William Hendee, PhD, Chris Marshall, PhD (ex-officio)
SUBMISSION INFORMATION Please send submissions (with pictures when possible) to: AAPM Headquarters Attn: Nancy Vazquez One Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740 e-mail: nvazquez@aapm.org phone: (301) 209-3390 PRINT SCHEDULE The AAPM Newsletter is produced bimonthly. Next issue: July/August Submission Deadline: June 7, 2012 Posted On-Line: week of July 1, 2012