IOMP SCHOOL WEBINARS

This talk shares commissioning experience with the Hitachi ProBeat proton therapy spot scanning synchrotron delivery system at Singapore’s largest proton therapy centre. It reports a large fluctuation in reference dosimetry measurements with a square field and ion chamber at the plateau region of a monoenergetic proton beam — traced to dispersion in the proton beam. The feasibility of measuring beam dispersion in the clinic is demonstrated for the first time.

CT scanning poses a potential cancer risk in patients. Optimization requires that image quality sufficient for diagnosis is achieved with the smallest possible dose. This talk discusses methods of automated image quality (noise and spatial resolution) and patient dose (size-specific dose estimate, SSDE) measurement directly from patient images, accounting for both controllable and uncontrollable variables simultaneously.

A personal journey inspired by Marie Skłodowska-Curie — from a Fulbright scholarship student from Iran to the first and only woman IOMP President (2003–2006). Covers founding the AAPM/IOMP International Scientific Exchange Programs (ISEP) for developing countries, getting medical physics recognized by the ILO, establishing IOMP awards, and lessons for the next generation of medical physicists.

Reviewing key milestones as IOMP Secretary-General (1988–1994) and IOMP President (2000–2003), including the establishment of the IOMP Library Program, Travel Scholarships, IOMP/AAPM ISEP, and Full Membership in ICSU. Personal memories include helping countries establish national medical physics organizations and participating in the 1991 USSR conference as the Soviet Union was dissolving.

A reflection on a career spanning the many disciplines of medical physics — from radiotherapy treatment planning to particle beams and biological imaging. Covers key milestones at IOMP (2000–2015) including the expansion of the IOMP Chapter structure, IUPAP membership, and the approved ILO definition of Medical Physicist, alongside future challenges in harmonizing education and training worldwide.

Radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) involves the targeted delivery of radiation to tumor cells or the tumor microenvironment. Since radionuclides used in RPT emit photons, nuclear medicine imaging can measure pharmacokinetics and estimate absorbed doses for individualized treatment planning. This unique feature, along with the ability to deliver highly potent alpha-particle radiation to targeted cells, distinguishes RPT from other cancer treatments for widespread metastases.

Radiopharmaceuticals are rapidly expanding in clinical use and development. There is a dose-response relationship for both tumor and normal tissues. This webinar reviews clinical indications and practical use of currently approved RPTs including [177Lu] Lu-PSMA-617, [177Lu] Lu-DOTATATE, and [223Ra] RaCl2, and explores future directions.

VERIQA RT EPID 3D is a new PTW software product for EPID patient treatment plan and delivery verification (pre-treatment and in-vivo). The result is a dose distribution in patient anatomy using a back-projection algorithm developed by the Netherlands Cancer Institute. The combination of a Monte Carlo algorithm and EPID images provides a workflow-efficient and highly accurate dose reconstruction, without requiring a phantom setup or re-planning.

RadMachine is an innovative cloud-based Radiation Therapy Machine QA Platform from Radformation. It streamlines the QA process by seamlessly integrating data from therapy machines, imaging devices, and ancillary equipment into a consolidated platform. Robust automation and a streamlined cloud-based workflow enable efficient verification and validation of machine parameters, minimizing human errors to maximize patient-centric care.

A safe space for experimentation exploring how ChatGPT can be used in everyday work. Topics include: an overview of technical capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT; a guided live preview with examples of writing, testing and validating effective prompts; what is happening next with new versions of software such as MS Office where similar tools will be in-built; and a moderated Q&A session. Special focus on insights on how to work around limitations of the tool and what makes for an effective prompt.

This talk covers open source imaging hardware and software spanning the complete life cycle of imaging from acquisition, image analysis, data storage, and data dissemination. It includes the open-source projects ImageJ/FIJI and Micro-Manager, and the NIH P41-funded Center for Open Bioimage Analysis (COBA). A key opportunity highlighted: combining hardware acceleration with new algorithms to develop "smart" microscopes that can make decisions at runtime.

The Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC, midrc.org) is a multi-institutional collaborative initiative driven by the medical imaging community, initiated to help combat COVID-19 and accelerate innovation beyond. Funded by NIBIB and co-led by ACR, RSNA, and AAPM. This talk discusses the MIDRC open data commons and freely available tools for building patient cohorts, building bias awareness in AI/ML development, and selecting performance metrics.

PlatiPy is a Python library offering a comprehensive, extensible suite of tools for processing and analysis of medical imaging and radiotherapy data, spanning DICOM conversion, image registration, automatic segmentation, and a powerful visualisation toolkit. The talk walks through an end-to-end example focusing on cardiac toxicities, illustrating how PlatiPy streamlines big data pipelines in medical physics research.

Many consider imaging dose in the context of high radiotherapy target doses to be negligible — this presentation argues this is a mistake. The number and complexity of imaging procedures is increasing, and the volume of patient irradiated in imaging is fundamentally different from the high-dose therapy region. A recently formed ICRP task group is dealing with imaging dose in radiotherapy. Experience from managing imaging dose in a large radiotherapy centre is presented.

Covering risk models for radiation-induced cancer, the cancer sites involved, dose and dose rate effectiveness factor (DDREF), and mathematical models. A chest X-ray delivers ~0.1 mSv; whole-body CT ~10 mSv. The estimated risk from a 10 mSv CT scan may increase fatal cancer probability from 400 to 401 chances in 2,000 — small individually but a public health concern when large numbers undergo CT screening.

Radiogenomics combines radiomics and genomics biomarkers to guide and personalize treatment prescription and adaptation. The presentation addresses quantitative imaging biomarker methodology, radiomics/radiogenomics model development, radiomics-guided radiotherapy using radiomics-target volume, knowledge-based treatment planning, and genomically-guided radiotherapy including genomic-adjusted radiation dose and radiation sensitivity signature models.

Treatments combining fixed radiation beams with upright, rotating patient positioning systems have been investigated since the advent of radiotherapy. Eliminating the gantry could vastly reduce radiation shielding, the 3D footprint of treatment bunkers, and the complexity of beam delivery — bringing down treatment room costs for proton, heavy ion, and photon radiotherapy. The presentation reviews published evidence, challenges (immobilisation, treatment plan quality) and opportunities associated with upright radiotherapy.

Many medical physicists would like to become leaders. This talk reviews the different types of leadership available to medical physicists — from Chief Medical Physicist and Radiation Safety Officer to Director of educational programs to officer in international medical physics organizations. Topics include: whether leaders need special traits; whether leadership can be taught; the value of mentorship programs; and how to work toward becoming a leader.

Despite criticism, cumulative effective dose (CED) remains essential when several organs are involved. Patients receiving cumulative doses in three digits of mGy organ doses or mSv CED within a few years cannot have their stochastic risks ignored. Studies published in the last 3 years have brought new results, never before known, opening a new era. The talk addresses what lies ahead, which is more powerful than controversies.

Micro-X has successfully developed the world’s first carbon nanotube (CNT) based x-ray tube for medical applications. CNT x-rays are smaller, simpler, and controlled by direct electronic voltage instead of the indirect thermionic control of conventional x-ray tubes. The presentation covers four products developed using CNT advantages: a lightweight mobile digital x-ray system, an x-ray camera for backscatter imaging, a compact lightweight CT for early stroke diagnosis, and a miniaturized CT baggage scanner.

The radiological protection community has long recognized the relative radiosensitivity of pregnant women and the fetus compared to the average adult patient. There are serious clinical conditions during pregnancy that require imaging procedures and radiation therapy. This webinar provides an update on ICRP work regarding imaging pregnant patients, covering continued evolution of scientific understanding of radiation health effects, societal values, and improved imaging protocols. Relevant ICRP task groups: TG 108, 109, 113, 121, 124, and 126.

The IAEA assists Member States to build capacity for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in radiation medicine. Various activities relevant to improving women health are presented: guidance documents, training and professional matters; coordinated research activities; development of training resources; and clinical audit programmes.

The only Medical Physicist in Qatar at the start of her career, Dr. Al Naemi represented the country internationally and worked with WHO, IAEA, and UNEP. She established the Qatar Society of Medical Physics (QSMP) and co-founded the Middle East Federation of Medical Physics (MEFOMP). She was MEFOMP President 2018–2022 and received the IPEM Healthcare Gold Medal (2019) and State Encouragement Award for Medical Sciences (2017).

Achieving gender equality in medical physics has been partially reached in Europe — women are much less underrepresented than in other physics fields. However, reaching higher positions in clinical or academic medical physics remains a considerable challenge. This talk explores how many accolades a woman must prove to be regarded as successful, and highlights the importance of sharing experiences to inspire others and inform policy makers.

Charged-particle therapy with carbon ions has attracted growing interest due to its advantageous physical and biological characteristics. Over 40,000 patients have been treated worldwide. This presentation introduces the physics, dosimetry, radiation biology, carbon RBE, and some clinical results of carbon-ion RT, reviewing the remarkable progress in clinical and technological aspects made over the past three decades.

Safety culture can be defined as "the assembly of characteristics and attitudes in organizations and individuals which establishes that, as an overriding priority, protection and safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance." The 2021 IAEA booklet on safety culture proposed ten traits that encourage the prioritization of safety. This talk provides a brief overview of the ten traits and how their implementation — which is free — will improve your institution’s safety culture.