John Damilakis, PhD
President, IOMP

2022-25 Committees members, WHA Resolution for 2023, IDMP, IAEA QUATRO 2022, IOMP accredited programmes

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the October edition of the IOMP Newsletter. In accordance with the IOMP bylaws, Committee Chairs nominated members of their committees. The 2022-2025 membership of IOMP committees is available on the IOMP website.

The Lancet Commission on diagnostics documented that 47% of the global population has little to no access to diagnostics and diagnostic imaging particularly is often missing. The Commission is working to put together a coalition to support a World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution for 2023. The IOMP, along with radiology organizations, will provide input on proposed resolutions and we will also participate in a side event at WHA 2023.

The International Day of Medical Physics (IDMP) poster has been uploaded to the IOMP’s website. The IDMP theme this year is “Medical Physics for Sustainable Healthcare”. Please celebrate the Day by organizing activities and explaining the role of Medical Physicists to the public in relation to this year’s theme.

The 25^th International Conference on Medical Physics (ICMP) will be held from 6^th to 9^th of December 2023 in Mumbai, India. A relevant article is included in this issue of the Newsletter.

The first edition of “Comprehensive Audits of Radiotherapy Practices: A Tool for Quality Improvement” was published in 2007 and provided guidance for conducting QUATRO audits. In light of developments in techniques and equipment in Radiotherapy, and lessons learned from past audits, an update has been developed in the form of a second edition that provides the necessary revision of the 2007 QUATRO guidelines.  It includes procedures for new technologies and modalities, builds on the knowledge and feedback of the QUATRO audit teams, and incorporates recommendations from experienced QUATRO auditors. IOMP has endorsed this important document.

The IOMP Accreditation Board has been set up to ensure that accredited medical physics programs satisfy the highest standards established by IOMP in collaboration with other international organizations. The site visit for the IOMP reaccreditation application of the ICTP-MMP program was done during 18 – 22 July 2022 and the re-accreditation certificate was issued. Moreover, 3 South Korean universities (the Catholic University of Korea, KAIST University and Yonsei University) have applied for re-accreditation. The site visit is planned from 5 – 9 December 2022. Accredited programs can be found here.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions about IOMP’s activities, plans or priorities.