AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of PHYSICISTS IN MEDICINE
AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
AAPM NEWSLETTER Advancing the Science, Education and Professional Practice of Medical Physics Advancing the Science, Education and Professional Practice of Medical Physics
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Goal for 2015: Reinvigorate scientific excellence across the continuum of medical physics activities
IN THIS ISSUE: ▶ Treasurer’s Report: AAPM will post a
▶ Radiation Oncology Coding changes
▶ The ALARA principle in medical
▶ New scientific initiatives from the
modest surplus from operations imaging
in 2015
Science Council
▶ Update on CAMPEP’s application for
recognition by the CHEA
and more...
AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
AAPM NEWSLETTER THE AAPM NEWSLETTER is published by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine on a bi-monthly schedule. AAPM is located at One Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740 EDITORIAL BOARD Editor Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD Johns Hopkins University E-mail: mmahesh@jhmi.edu Phone: 410-955-5115 John M. Boone, PhD Robert Jeraj, PhD George C. Kagadis, PhD E. Ishmael Parsai, PhD Charles R. Wilson, PhD
SUBMISSION INFORMATION Please send submissions (with pictures when possible) to: E-mail: nvazquez@aapm.org AAPM Headquarters Attn: Nancy Vazquez One Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740 Phone: (301) 209-3390 PUBLISHING SCHEDULE The AAPM Newsletter is produced bi-monthly.
CONTENTS Articles in This Issue 3 5 10 17 21 28 31 33 38 41 44 47 51 54
AAPM President’s Column AAPM Executive Director’s Column Editor’s Column Education Council Report Treasurer’s Report ABR News CAMPEP Report Professional Council Column The ALARA Principle in Medical Imaging Science Council Report AAPM FOREM on Imaging Genomics Health Policy and Economic Issues Website Editor’s Report Staff Announcements
Events/Announcements 11 16 20 20 27 27
AAPM’s 57th Annual Meeting and Exhibition Diversity Recruitement through Education And Mentoring (DREAM) 2015 AAPM Summer School AAPM Career Webinar ILS Hands-on Workshop World Congress on Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering
36 43 50
AAPM Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program 2015 AAPM Meetings Calendar AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting
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2015 AAPM Funding Opportunities
• Next issue: March/April • Submission Deadline:
February 13, 2015
• Posted Online:
Week of March 2, 2015
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
AAPM PRESIDENT’S REPORT John M. Boone, Sacramento, CA
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t is my honor to say “hello” in this Newsletter to AAPM members for my first time as President of the Association. I joined AAPM when I was a graduate student in 1983, and thus have been a member for 32 years. Certainly, a lot has changed in AAPM and in the field of medical physics overall since then. But thank goodness, no history lesson here. I’m looking forward to the exciting next year in medical physics and AAPM. Recent officers of the Association have developed themes for their presidential years, and I wanted to follow in this tradition. The major theme this year is, “reinvigorating scientific excellence.” Let me present a vision of this below:
JOHN M. BOONE: “It is my honor to say “hello” in this Newsletter to AAPM members for my first time as President of the Association.”
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The AAPM organization is comprised of members who span the gamut of medical physics activities; we have full-time academic researchers who have no clinical responsibilities, and we have full-time clinical medical physicists who spend their entire career in the clinic. Many of our members have careers between these two fence posts; they are involved in both research and have clinical responsibilities as well. Virtually all of our members are involved in education, by participating as students in continuing education courses and in many cases teaching those courses. The point is, medical physicists who are AAPM members span a continuum of scientific activities, from scientific research and discovery, to translational research, to clinical practice. At all points along this continuum, I hope that we can leverage AAPM activities to reinvigorate scientific excellence. I envision that researchers can get new ideas by reading our journals, going to our meetings, and spending time in the clinical environment; taking note of the problems that face clinical medical physicists and coming up with research solutions for those problems. I envision that scientists engaged in translational research can leverage the many members of our society and their clinical facilities to introduce and study the efficacy of new devices or techniques in clinical trials. And I hope that AAPM scientists who are involved solely in clinical practice can increase value to their clinic–by not only attending CME classes for mere maintenance of certification, but by taking courses to learn new methods to advance the scientific capabilities of their clinical operation.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
AAPM President’s Report, cont. The theme reinvigorating scientific excellence is meant to apply across the continuum of what medical physicists do, in both radiation therapy and medical imaging. AAPM is a big tent, and the activities of AAPM are multi–disciplinary and are designed to nurture and engage all members, researchers, clinicians, and everyone in between. We are in an era of profound change in American health care – changing laws, expectations, payment strategies, and demographics. For our profession to flourish in this new era, I believe that we need to recognize and support the continuum of medical physics – it makes us stronger. Indeed, I challenge you (and myself) to slide along the continuum- learn a new skill, don’t just maintain a static skill set. Researchers: learn more about clinical medical physics. Clinicians: check out some of the research papers in our journals that may be describing new technologies that you will see in your clinic in a few years. We all can get better at what we do, and AAPM is here to help reinvigorate its members with many opportunities for participation and engagement.
WE CAN ALL GET BETTER The major theme this year is, “reinvigorating scientific excellence.” We all can get better at what we do, and AAPM is here to help reinvigorate its members with many opportunities for participation and engagement.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COLUMN Angela Keyser, College Park, MD AAPM Meeting Updates Incident Learning Systems and Root Cause Analysis for Safer Radiation Oncology: A HandsOn Workshop February 12-13, 2015 UC, San Diego Moores Cancer Center Registration now open – limited to 100 registrants
ANGELA KEYSER: “The AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting will include practical information designed to help medical physicists integrate emerging technologies into the clinical environment.”
This workshop will provide the participant with the tools necessary to identify, analyze and confidentially report a near miss or medical error in radiation oncology. Participants will also learn how to leverage incident learning through an overview of root-cause analysis and intervention strategies that promote a culture of safety. AAPM Annual Spring Clinical Meeting March 7-10, 2015 Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch, St. Louis, Missouri Registration Now Open! Early registration fee deadline is January 30!
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The AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting will include practical information designed to help medical physicists integrate emerging technologies into the clinical environment. A program has been developed to address
regulatory and accreditation related issues, and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas in support of practice quality improvement. AAPM 2015 Summer School Proton Therapy: Physical Principles and Practice June 14-18, 2015, Colorado Springs, CO Registration will open on February 18. This 4.5 day Summer School will provide collective knowledge in the form of lectures from some of the best experts in world. Each registrant will also receive a newly published text book (plus eBook) to include every aspect of proton beam therapy:
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
clinical perspective biology production interactions simulation commissioning treatment planning dose calculation optimization motion management treatment verification uncertainty in scattered and pencil beam scanning • advance treatments such as SRS and IMPT
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
Executive Director’s Column, cont. develop exciting investigatorinitiated concepts, which will hopefully lead to successful longer term project funding from the NIH or equivalent funding sources. Funding for grant recipients will begin on July 1 of the award year. Research results will be submitted for presentation at future AAPM meetings. Deadline: March 20, 2015.
AAPM 57th Annual Meeting and Exhibition July 12-16, 2015, Anaheim, California
.• Summer Undergraduate
The abstract submission system will open on January 21.
Funding Opportunities AAPM is pleased to announce the following 2015 Funding Opportunities: • The AAPM/RSNA Graduate Fellowship is awarded for the first two years of graduate study leading to a doctoral degree in Medical Physics. Both BSc. and MS holders are eligible to apply. Deadline: April 30, 2015. • Three $25,000 Research Seed Funding Grants will be awarded to provide funds to
.
Fellowship 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. Students participating in the program are placed into summer positions that are consistent with their interest. Students are selected for the program on a competitive basis to be an AAPM summer fellow. Each summer fellow receives a $5,000 stipend. Deadline: February 2, 2015.
• Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program “DREAM” (formerly
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This year’s program will be held in the Anaheim Convention Center. Both the education and professional programs will offer a significant opportunity to gain practical knowledge on emerging technical and professional issues. The scientific program will feature the latest research in the physics of medical imaging and radiation therapy, including a major focus on the increasing integration on advanced imaging technologies in the guidance of medical therapeutics. This year, the scientific program will also offer a special two-day track on ultrasound.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AAPM is pleased to announce several funding opportunities in 2015
AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
Executive Director’s Column, cont. “MUSE”) is a 10 week summer program designed to increase the number of underrepresented groups in medical physics by creating new opportunities, outreach and mentoring geared towards diversity recruitment of undergraduate students in the field of medical physics. tudents participating in the program are placed into summer positions that are consistent with their interest. Students are selected for the program on a competitive basis to be a DREAM fellow. Each DREAM fellow receives a $5,000 stipend from the AAPM. Deadline: February 2, 2015. Additional program details and access to the Online Applications can be found here. 2015 Dues Payments 2015 renewal notices have been sent several times since October, with payments due by March 1. If you have an email address on file, the invoice was sent electronically in an effort to make it more convenient for you to pay your dues and to reduce administrative costs. There is a mechanism provided to print a copy of the invoice if you wish to mail your payment. Please go to the AAPM Homepage, log in and click on “Pay Your 2015 Dues Online.” Remember, you can pay Chapter dues with your AAPM dues for any Chapter of which you are already a
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member! The AAPM Rules are very specific regarding the cancellation of membership if dues are not paid by the deadline and the fees required for reinstatement. As the administrative staff of the AAPM, we must consistently enforce the rules of the organization. It would be very difficult to make exceptions for some members and enforce such fees on others. If you need any assistance or have any questions about the dues process, please contact Janet Harris at 301.209.3396. APSIT Selects New Group Insurance Program Plan Administrator APSIT – AAPM Member Benefit Each year AAPM members receive a letter from APSIT, the American Physical Society Insurance Trust, offering a range of insurance products. Many members probably have no idea why they get this letter or what APSIT is. The AAPM belongs to the APSIT through our relationship with the American Institute of Physics (AIP). To help AAPM members understand more about this benefit of membership, I want to explain a bit about ASPIT and its insurance products. The American Physical Society Insurance Trust (APSIT) was established in 1969 by the American Physical Society
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
Executive Director’s Column, cont.
All of the AIP member societies are APSIT participating organizations and any member of an AIP member society may purchase the insurance products provided by APSIT. Of course, the particular products offered by APSIT may not meet your own personal needs. The premiums are usually very affordable and the coverage provided is quite competitive with other providers. Additionally, because the members of AIP member societies, as a group, typically have a higher education, live conservative lifestyles and so on, the group rate provided can be far better than other group plans. An additional benefit of AP IT
is that representative of the member societies themselves sit on the governing board and make decisions about the types of plans provided and other matters. I was asked to serve as a member of the APSIT Board beginning in 2009. APSIT has selected Pearl Insurance to be the new, exclusive program administrator for its Life and Health Insurance offerings. With 60 years of industry experience, Pearl Insurance is a nationally recognized thirdparty insurance administrator and will be responsible for the brokerage, administration, and marketing associated with the group insurance program. This new partnership will lead to additional coverage options and enhanced service as AP IT works to expand the benefit offerings in the near future. Pearl Insurance’s team is available at 800.272.1637 Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM CST and online.
INSURANCE OPTION FOR AAPM MEMBERS The American Physical Society Insurance Trust is offering a range of insurance products for AAPM Members
So, if you get a letter or informational pamphlet from the APSIT, you now know where it came from and why you received it. While it remains your decision as to whether any of the insurance products provided suit your own financial needs, I encourage everyone to take advantage of the offered products that are right for you. To learn more about other benefits of membership, please
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(APS) to provide members with a convenient source for quality insurance coverage at an affordable cost. The trust has offered Group Term Life insurance to APSIT member society members since February of 1970. Since then, they have expanded their product range and the number of member societies participating. The insurance plans are underwritten by the New York Life Insurance Company, established in 1845 and still a market leader today. New York Life regularly earns the highest ratings for its financial strength from leading rating services and even through the recent economic crisis remained in excellent fiscal health.
AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
Executive Director’s Column, cont. see our benefits of membership website.
Staff News I am pleased to announce that Michael Woodward has been promoted to the position of Deputy Executive Director. Michael joined the AAPM team 18 years ago and has served as a critical member of the AAPM management team for several years. I have come to rely heavily on his input and he has the respect of the rest of the team. I firmly believe that this promotion well situates AAPM for the “opportunities” that are ahead in the near future. He and Lisa Rose Sullivan will continue to serve with me as the AAPM Management Team. As part of his new responsibilities, Michael will be serving as staff liaison to the Science Council. Shayna Wise, AAPM’s Customer Service Representative, will work with Michael to support Science Council, taking minutes, assisting with task management and other administrative functions. I am also pleased to announce Karen MacFarland’s promotion to Senior Meetings and Programs Manager. Karen has been a shining star on the team since she came onboard in 2 3. As a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP), Karen has proven her dedication to her profession and to advancing AAPM’s programs. The CMP credential is recognized globally as the badge of excellence in the meeting, convention, exhibition, and event industry. The qualifications for certification are based on professional experience, education, and a rigorous exam. This promotion acknowledges Karen’s role in the successful execution of AAPM’s education and professional development programs.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK Mahadevappa Mahesh, Baltimore, MD
I
wish all of you a very Happy New Year. This is the 3rd year of the Newsletter being published in multiple formats and we are still exploring ways to utilize the various capabilities of multimedia formats. In fact, this issue is formatted in a new way and I am hoping the readers will enjoy the new layout.
in the medical physics profession and in AAPM. I will continue to fine-tune the ewsletter with any comments and/or suggestions received by you all. Once again, I welcome all of you to the first edition of 2015 and wish all of you a very happy and productive year.
Being the first issue of a new year, this issue contains articles from the AAPM President, Council Chair reports and also the Treasurer’s annual report on the budget (potential surplus budget). In addition to our regular columns, I would like to draw your attention to the article, “The ALARA Principle in Medical Imaging,” discussing the history of the ALARA principles and its application to medical exposures.
MAHADEVAPPA MAHESH “It gives me great pleasure to serve as the Editor of the Newsletter, which provides me with a 30,000 foot view of what is happening in the medical physics profession and in AAPM.”
It gives me great pleasure to serve as the Editor of the Newsletter, which provides me with a 30,000 foot view of what is happening
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57th Annual Meeting & Exhibition July 12–16 • Anaheim, CA All sessions and technical exhibits will take place in the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 West Katella Avenue in Anaheim. The education program and professional program will offer a si nific nt o ort nity to in r ctic l no le e on emer in tec nic l n rofession l iss es. is ye r t e scientific ro r m will also offer a special three-day track on ultrasound.
This year… • Special 3-Day Program on Ultrasound (Monday-Wednesday,
July 13-15). • Carson-Zagzebski Distinguished Lectureship on Medical
Ultrasound: Dr. Mickael Tanter, PhD, from the Institut Langevin, École Supérieure de Physiqueet de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris, will provide an overview regarding ultrafast ultrasound imaging-current applications and changes to the future paradigm of diagnostic imaging and real time guidance of therapy/intervention. • The Science Council Session – Radiomics/Imaging Genomics
(see below). • In addition to Symposia and regular Sessions, Keynote Sessions on
topics of special interest. •
We look forward to seeing you in sunny California!
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Between sessions, enjoy time outside in the perfect weather catching up with colleagues and with a world-famous theme park within walking distance, consider bringing your family.
ertific te o rse y lon tr c on i tion er y see belo
MRgRT MINI-TRACK AND 2015 CERTIFICATE COURSE Wednesday of the meeting (July 15) will include a day-long “Mini-Track” on the topic of Magnetic eson nce i e i tion er y . This mini-track, open to all registrants, will focus on advancing the knowledge of medical physicists rel te to t e se of in r i tion t er y. e mini-track will consist of 5 sessions (2 educational co rses scientific sym osi n session of proffered papers) which provide basic education as well as a survey of emerging and advanced concepts. All those who register for the AAPM meeting (weekly or Wednesday daily) will have access to these sessions as usual. The MRgRT mini-track will also serve as the inaugural certificate course at this year s meeting
which provides an in-depth review of a particular to ic it erific tion of le rnin ob ecti es through online homework. Attendees may enroll in t e certific te ro r m for n ition l fee. nrollment in t e ro r m entitles rtici nts to dedicated seating in the mini-track sessions as well as additional online materials. Following the meetin certific te ro r m rtici nts ill be required to take an online examination which covers the material presented throughout the y lon mini tr c . nrollees o emonstr te satisfactory attendance at the course and successful completion of the online examination (available after the meeting) will receive a fr me certific te of com letion for t is co rse.
SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM
The 2015 Joint Imaging-Therapy Track will feature exciting topics highlighting the latest science incorporating imaging for improving therapeutic interventions. In addition to over 30 hours of proffered sessions, this track will include invited symposia covering the following topics: in tre tment im in incl in i e radiation therapy (see above); computational ntoms t e emer in fiel s of r iomics” n “radio-genomics;” nanotechnology and other cutting-edge science straddling the disciplines of mathematics, physics and biology; and innovations in imaging therapy response, cos onsore by n . s in ll of t e tr c s belo se er l of t e scientific sym osi are expected to offer SAM credits for those rtici tin in t e s ro r m o on t nt to miss o t on e rin t e l test science in imaging and therapy. Therapy Track The 2015 Therapy Track will showcase the current hot topics in therapy physics with the theme of rein i or tin scientific excellence.” n ite
symposia will be presented on the following topics: mathematical models for heterogeneity of response, new physics applications in radiobiology, a review of NIH-funded research in therapy physics, and clinical trials for proton/ particle therapy (including a debate), among ot er to ics. t t is ye r s meetin se er l symposia will be presented jointly with the educational program. That is, back-to-back in ite sessions ic first resent t e ell established aspects of a topic (education) followed by new emerging advancements (science). Look for these coordinated presentations in the program on the following topics: automatic and knowledge-based treatment planning, and safety and quality ss r nce. in lly t is ye r s scientific ro r m will include fantastic cutting edge research presented in more than 27 proffered sessions in t e t er y scientific tr c lone. Imaging Track The 2015 Imaging Track highlights ongoing research and advances in Medical Physics. These include: iterative reconstruction in CT from the
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Joint Imaging-Therapy Track
SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM (CONTINUED)
Ultrasound Track (Special 3 Day Program) This biennial 2015 track highlights recent advances in ultrasound for diagnostic imaging, ultrasound for guidance and control of radiation therapy, and therapeutic ultrasound such as i e . ese ltr so n sym osi n scientific sessions e been lloc te s one of the parallel track options to be held on Monday through Wednesday. Day 1 will highlight advances of ultrasound imaging technology applied to guiding and planning external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy. Day 2 covers image guided therapeutic ultrasound, with clinical sessions covering HIFU in oncology and neurology, treatment planning, therapy monitoring, and innovative directions of therapeutic ultrasound for hyperthermia, thermal ablation, enhanced radiotherapy, targeted drug delivery, and immunotherapies. Day 3 brings together advances in diagnostic imaging, innovations in breast ultrasound imaging, contrast agents and theranostics, and includes the newly established Carson-Zagzebski Distinguished ect res i on e ic l ltr so n . c ily tr c be ins it n c tion l ession rel te to t e s bse ent scientific sessions t o o r hands on ultrasound workshop to highlight US imaging and therapy systems; a primer on Imageguided High-Intensity Ultrasound (HIFU) therapies; and a primer on QA for diagnostic ultrasound. bstr ct s bmission c te ories s ecific to t ese
areas of ultrasound imaging and therapy will be listed, and a selection of proffered abstracts will be incorporated within these sessions- submission of relevant abstracts is encouraged. Science Council Session: Radiomics/Imaging Genomics The Science Council Session includes proffered abstracts on a topic at the cutting-edge of medical physics research, presented in a special, high-visibility proffered oral session. For the nn l eetin t e cientific ro r m in ites bstr ct s bmissions on iomics n Imaging Genomics,” emphasizing research in computational extraction of quantitative image features/phenotypes, statistical analysis of image data including robustness assessment, association to other measures of disease progression, treatment response, patient outcome, and/or genomic status, and harmonization techniques cross systems n o l tions. x m le re s of research include (but are not limited to): • Assessment and validation of computationally-
extracted quantitative, image-based phenotypes in relation to cancer (e.g., lung or breast cancer) or other diseases, and association to disease progression, treatment response, patient outcome, and/or genomic status. • The effect of image quality and consistency in
image acquisition/ processing techniques on the reproducibility and validity of image-based phenotypes, yielding potential methods for standardization/harmonization. • The development of large-scale image data
sets in support of radiomic/radiogenomic studies. Criteria for abstract evaluation include the novelty of the research, the emphasis on quantitative statistical analysis of images and correlation/ assocation to disease pathogenesis, and the otenti l im ct si nific nce in i nosis or therapy.
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perspective of system manufacturers, advances in tec nolo y nces in cone be m CT for cardiac, brain, orthopedics and breast imaging, emerging x-ray imaging applications including x-ray phase contrast imaging, spectral n x r y orescence im in nces in breast imaging, the role of Medical Physicist in lung cancer screening, and the joint symposium with World Molecular Imaging Society on linking pre-clinical and clinical trials. These sessions will explore the state of the art and also new frontiers in imaging.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM Educational Course Therapy Track
Educational Course Imaging Track
e er y c tion tr c ill fe t re total of 35 hours of educational courses designed to meet the diverse interests of our membership, with the majority of sessions being SAM sessions. e ro r m ill incl e to ics in brachytherapy, proton therapy, quality assurance, motion management, radiobiology, and safety. Highlighted topics for this year include a session on “Medical Physics and Bioengineering response to t e lob l s orce on iot er y for ncer ontrol ” series of sessions on 100 and Incident Learning systems, and a session titled, “The Aftermath of TG-142”. New sessions on “measurement and calculation of doses outside the treatment volume” as well as “calibration standards and protocols for beam modalities other than MV photons” will be presented. et rnin o l r to ics ill incl e sm ll fiel osimetry eform ble im e re istr tion treatment planning optimization, and proton therapy.
e m in c tion r c ill fe t re total of seventeen educational courses, including 26 hours of SAM sessions. The program will be focused on meeting the continuing education requirements of our membership at various stages of professional development, with several sessions featuring coupled “basics-to-advanced” to ics incl in n cle r me icine n . lung cancer screening will also be offered as a two part series in conjunction with the Imaging cientific ro r m. e er l cross mo lity sessions will be offered, including pediatric imaging, radiographic anatomy, Medical Physics 2.0, and ccre it tion tes for rio s mo lities. t er re s to be co ere incl e bre st tomosynt esis s fety mobile ie in e ices and information security of imaging systems.
Continuing the tradition from the last several meetings, there will be a live point-counter point debate; this year the merits and limitations of biological dose optimization will be the focus. The eb te ill be mo er te by olin rton t e Medical Physics editor of the Point-Counterpoint series.
Practical Medical Physics Track The Practical Medical Physics Track offers presentations of use and interest to the practicing medical physicist. Topics for 2015 include: effective presentation skills; commissioning and for tre tment l nnin systems s ecific tion and selection of imaging equipment for radiation oncology; eye lens dosimetry; practical statistics; informatics; and an update on medical physics iss es for i tion fety fficers.
PARTNERS IN SOLUTIONS • Imaging: Tools for Collecting and Analyzing Patient Dose Metric Information from Imaging i ment •
er y eform ble m e e istr tion Contour Propagation, and Dose Mapping
Look for the Partners In Solutions sessions on the meetin ro r m. cre it ill be offere . Come learn with us!
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Partners in Solutions continues for its second year, offering a new way for physicists to interact with and learn from our vendors. Vendors will provide physics-level applications training classes in a special-purpose lecture room located on the ex ibit oor. ese re not s les itc es b t practical information for the clinical physicist from the people who know their systems in depth. Topics for this year are:
PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM Professional Track The Professional Track continues to grow in depth and breadth to keep our members abreast of the latest professionally-related developments. Topics this year cover clinical, research, management, fin nce n ot er s ects of o r rofession. lso ret rnin t is ye r re sessions on ex m preparation. A major them within the Professional Track this year involves various aspects of
management; to include supporting degrees (MBA, MHA); communicating with staff, physicians, and administrators; supervision of QMP and nonQMP physicsts as well as other clinical staff. Plans are being made for at least one session to provide SAMS credit. Information on various international or ni tions ill lso be resente etc. The Professional Track will again have a proffered paper session in 2015.
AAPM 2015 DATES TO REMEMBER JANUARY 21
Web site activated to receive electronic abstract submissions.
MARCH 12
Deadline for receipt of 300 word abstracts and supporting data. This e line reco ni es ot er conference sc e les t t e con icte in the past and has been extended accordingly. There will be NO EXTENSION OF THIS DEADLINE. Authors must submit their abstracts by this time to be considered for review.
MARCH 4
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of Diversity Recruitment through Education And Mentoring
The DREAM program is a 10 week summer program designed to increase the number of underrepresented groups in medical physics by creating new opportunities, outreach and mentoring geared towards diversity recruitment of n er r te st ents in t e fiel of me ic l ysics.
“In my summer research, the objective was to isolate and detect a neutron signal produced during proton therapy treatments. It will aid me in the future as a medical physicist to be able to better serve and care for patients who suffer with cancer.” — Danielle Nicholson
AD:
ELIGIBILITY • Undergraduate Juniors and Seniors majoring in Physics, Engineering, or other science degrees • . . iti ens n i n iti ens or erm nent iti ens of t e . . HOW TO APPLY • om lete lic tion • ffici l tr nscri t • 2 Letters of recommendation • Self statement
APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 2, 2015 Additional information and applications are available at: www.aapm.org/education/grantsfellowships.asp
PROGRAM CONTACT: c eline b rn onsore by t e c tion o ncil t ro
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
EDUCATION COUNCIL REPORT George Starkschall, Houston, TX
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ith 2014 coming to an end at the time of this writing, now is an appropriate time to review some of the activities of the Education Council over the past year. While some of the Education Council activities are wellknown to AAPM members, other achievements are less known, so I would like to use the Education Council Report to identify for you some of our activities that took place during the past year.
GEORGE STARKSCHALL: “The imbalance between the number of graduates of masters’ degree programs and residency programs continues to exist. One way that the Education Council is addressing the problem of imbalance is to publicize non-clinical careers for medical physicists.”
Probably first in everyone’s mind has been resolution of issues regarding residency opportunities for young medical physicists. Fortunately, the number of clinical training positions has increased to the point that we are very close to meeting what we perceive as our job market needs for new medical physicists. With the joint initiative of AAPM and RSNA to fund new Imaging Physics Programs as well as the applications of new Professional Doctorate (DMP) Programs, which incorporate clinical training into an academic degree program, we anticipate that if we are not yet preparing a sufficient number of clinical medical physicists to meet market needs, we are at least very close. The imbalance between the number of graduates of masters’ degree programs and residency programs continues to exist, and this is an imbalance we
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will have to live with. Neither the AAPM nor CAMPEP, nor any other organization has the authority to control the number of students that graduate programs accept. Moreover, because the incremental cost of adding a single graduate student into a didactic program is small and the financial benefit to the program is large, it is to the economic advantage of graduate programs to maintain high numbers. As a consequence, some graduates of medical physics educational programs, especially masters’ programs, will not be able to obtain residency positions and pursue a clinical career. One way that the Education Council is addressing the problem of imbalance is to publicize non-clinical careers for medical physicists. This past year, we have formed a working group within the Students and Trainees Subcommittee to investigate and publicize non-clinical careers. We believed that this issue is of major concern to students and trainees; as the major stakeholders, they would be the ones most likely to succeed at acquiring and disseminating this information to their peers. Another issue about which we are very excited is the rollout of the MedPhys Match, the Medical Physics Residency Matching Program that AAPM is co-sponsoring with the Society
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Education Council Report, cont.
We have also been expanding the Education Council activities that reach out to all AAPM members with the expansion of content capture for the Virtual Library. In addition to capturing content from the AAPM Annual Meeting, the AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting, and the AAPM Summer School, we now have funding to capture content for up to three specialty meetings a year. Specialty meeting content will be available to meeting attendees as soon as we can get the information onto the website; it will be available to the rest of the AAPM membership six months after the meeting. If more than three specialty meetings are held in a year, then
the budget for the additional meetings will have to include funding for content capture if the organizers of that meeting wish it. Every year, at the AAPM Annual Meeting, the Education Council presents a symposium on a topic that we believe to be of interest to the AAPM membership. At the 2014 meeting, the symposium addressed online education in medical physics. Topics included educational resources for medical physics education, the AAPM Virtual Library, the AAPM/RSNA online educational modules, software tools for creating educational content, the role of massively-open online courses (MOOCs) in medical physics educations, and a collaborative model of medical physics education. For the 2015 Annual Meeting, the proposed topic is accreditation and certification, and representatives from CAMPEP and the ABR will talk about the process by which accreditation and certification standards are developed, and how programs and physicists are evaluated against these standards.
INTERNATIONAL REACH The Education Council reaches beyond North America and presents educational experiences throughout the world.
Finally, the Education Council reaches beyond North America and presents educational experiences throughout the world. For example, the International cientific Exchange Program (ISEP), administered by the International Educational Activities Committee (IEAC) of
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of Academic Medical Physics Programs (SDAMPP). A matching program, analogous to the medical residency matching program, has been shown to be the most equitable method for pairing residents with residency programs. It is a system that cannot be “gamed”; if a residency program ranks its applicants in order of preference and if the residency applicants rank the residency programs in order of preference, the matching algorithm assures that satisfaction is maximized. At the time of this writing, approximately 90% of residency programs that are recruiting candidates for the summer of 2015 have signed up for the matching program.
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Education Council Report, cont.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED We can always use volunteers and ideas. If you wish to become involved in one of the Education Council activities, look at the AAPM Committee Tree under Education o ncil n fin a committee, subcommittee, or working group ose or yo fin interesting.
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the Education Council, provides continuing education courses on both therapeutic and diagnostic imaging physics in selected developing countries. In 2014, a workshop titled “Workshop on the Physics of Advanced Radiotherapy Techniques: The Role of Medical Images” was held in Santiago, Chile, and a workshop on “QA and Dosimetry of Emerging Radiotherapy Techniques” was held in Tallinn, Estonia. Unfortunately, an imaging physics workshop scheduled for Dakar, Senegal, was postponed due to the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and will be held at a later date. The IEAC also endorses and co-sponsors many meetings and workshops throughout the world. I hope this brief article gives you a picture of some of the activities in which various committees, subcommittees, working groups, and task groups of the Education Council are working on. We can always use volunteers and ideas. If you wish to become involved in one of the Education Council activities, look at the AAPM Committee Tree under Education Council and find a committee, subcommittee, or working group whose work you find interesting. rop in on a meeting, and ask the Chair to include you on the mailing list as a guest. More likely than not you will soon be asked to become involved as a member. If you have any ideas regarding the directions you would like to see our educational activities go, please drop us a line using the Suggestion Box tab on the home page of the AAPM website. I shall be looking forward to hearing from you.
REGISTRATION OPENS FEBRUARY 18!
Proton Therapy: Physical Principles and Practices June 14 –18, 2015 | Colorado Springs, CO http://www.aapm.org/meetings/2015SS/
There is significant momentum for proton beam acquisition and its usage worldwide. Proton beam therapy has established its niche in radiation oncology for cancer treatment due to its unique physical dose distribution with Bragg peak without delivering any exit dose beyond the range of the particle. In the USA there are currently 12 proton centers operating and several under construction. We see institutions operating various types of devices from multi-room to single room from cyclotron to synchrotron based units. Manpower issue in this field is critical at this stage due to lack of education and training. A broad scope (physics, biology and clinical) of education with comprehensive material is missing.
This 4.5 day Summer School will provide collective knowledge in the form of lectures from some of the best experts in world. Each registrant will also receive a newly published text book (plus ebook) to include every aspect of proton beam therapy: • Clinical Perspective • Biology • Production • Interactions • Simulation • Commissioning • Treatment Planning • Dose Calculation • Optimization • Motion Management • Treatment Verification • Uncertainty in Scattered and Pencil Beam Scanning • Advance Treatments Such as SRS and IMPT
DID YOU CATCH OUR “NETWORK YOURSELF TO A GREAT CAREER” WEBINAR?
Don’t worry, you can watch the recorded version anytime! www.aapm.org/careers/jobseekers/resources/webinars/networkyourself-great-career.asp
Learn useful tips on how to best market yourself to potential employers via conferences, social media, and your own network of colleagues and acquaintances. After watching the webinar, browse the WEBINAR moderator’s extensive post-event Q&A for even more advice on this valuable topic:
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
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TREASURER’S REPORT Matthew Podgorsak, Buffalo, NY
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ignificant collaborative effort was once again put forth by members of AAPM’s Budget ubcommittee, its parent committee known as FI C M’, and leaders of AAPM’s four Councils in establishing our 2 1 budget such that it meets AAPM’s fiscal guidelines and directives while simultaneously supporting our organization’s trategic Plan and bringing value to AAPM’s members.
MATTHEW PODGORSAK: “... it is estimated AAPM will post a modest surplus from operations and a healthy gain in reserves.”
I would like to specifically acknowledge the expert service of our new Controller, Robert McKoy. Robert joined AAPM earlier this year, and it has been a pleasure working with him and seeing first hand his strong financial sense. The following data presents the current financial picture, as well as the 2 1 budget as approved by the Board of irectors on ecember 3, 2 1 . Financial Position and Estimates for 2014 As you will see in the accompanying figures, revenue and expenses at the end of F 2 1 are estimated at 9.19 million and 9. 1 million, respectively, compared to approved budgeted revenue of 9. 3 million and expenses of 9. million. Conservative estimates for
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F 2 1 indicate that we will complete the year with a deficit from operations and an increase in reserves. owever, factoring in the typical reduced spending pattern within the Councils and Committees through the end of the year, it is estimated AAPM will post a modest surplus from operations and a healthy gain in reserves. At present, AAPM’s investment portfolio has gained substantially in 2 1 and, assuming the market continues to advance, our reserves at the end of the year will exceed 13 million. 2015 Budget The 2 1 budget summary is included with this report. Revenue projections total 9.3 million and expenses total 1 . million, producing a deficit of approximately 1.2M. For the first time ever, our financial forecasting model is predicting a surplus of 9 ,929 for F 2 1 . This is telling us that if we budget neutral, we will finish the year with a large surplus from operations. Therefore, we can budget for a deficit at least equal to 9 still and break even. owever, given our normal spending patterns, we typically under-spend by 3 , , therefore, the Budget ubcommittee felt an additional budget deficit of this magnitude
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was warranted and would still allow the association to finish the year at or near break-even from perations. The 2 1 budget was unanimously approved by the Budget ubcommittee, FI C M, and the AAPM Board. Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions or concerns regarding AAPM’s financial situation at Matthew.Podgorsak RoswellPark.org
2014-2015 BUDGET COMPARISON & 2015 REVENUE AND EXPENSES For 2015, revenue projections total $9.3 million and expenses total $10.5 million, ro cin eficit of approximately $1.2M.
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Treasurer’s Report, cont.
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Graphs
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Treasurer’s Report, cont.
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ABR NEWS ABR News of Interest ABR Medical Physics Volunteers
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he ABR conducts 18 examinations with physics content. Some of these are given two or three times per year, requiring new exam “forms” for each administration. Production of these exams requires the generation of thousands of new items (questions) annually. Item production would not be possible without the many medical physicist volunteers who work with the ABR to ensure that our exams are of the highest quality. These volunteers range from those recently certified (we require an item writer to be at least three years post certification) to those with many years of experience. We have volunteers from private practice as well as academia, and medical physicists with both MS and PhD degrees are included. All volunteers are in active clinical practice and participate in Maintenance of Certification (M C). We currently have 121 volunteers, who span the full spectrum of medical physics practice in the United States. The principal task of the volunteers is to ascertain that the ABR exams test appropriate content, are fair in their distribution of questions, and that those questions are well written, clear, and at an appropriate level of difficulty. This process begins with the development of a blueprint for each exam. The blueprints are based not on ABR materials but on guidance from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the American ociety for Radiation ncology, the ational Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, the uclear Regulatory Commission, the American College of Radiology, the Radiological Society of orth America, and other authoritative bodies.
ABR PHYSICS TRUSTEES G. Donald Frey, Jerry D. Allison, Geoffrey S. Ibbott and J. Anthony Seibert
The exam blueprint describes the selection of questions for each exam and serves as guidance for the item writers. It also ensures that exam content does not change greatly from year to year. Exam items are edited by a panel of volunteers to verify that they conform to the ABR Style Guide for Item Writers. Each item should be clear, should refer to the blueprint and at least one recognized reference, and should have an unambiguous correct answer. Items approved by the panel go into a pool of questions that are available for use on the examinations. Volunteers use the blueprint to select items from the pool to construct each examination. After the examination is constructed, it is reviewed by two more groups of volunteers: one does a final review of the content, and the second rates each item for difficulty. The difficulty ratings are
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IF YOU ARE RECENTLY CERTIFIED There are three things you should be aware of if you were recently certifie .
ABR News, cont. used in determining the passing score. This allows the ABR to ensure that the exams are of consistent difficulty each year. A unique contribution by ABR medical physics volunteers is that many of them spend their efforts in developing exams for diagnostic radiologists, interventional radiologists, and radiation oncologists. This spirit of collegiality is something of which the medical physics community should be proud. The ABR continually needs new volunteers to work in the various areas. If you are interested, please consult the ABR website and submit an application there. Continuing Education Credits for Recently Certified Physicists If you were recently certified, you should be aware that: • Continuing Education (CE) and Self-Assessment Continuing Education ( A-CE) credit completed during the year of certification can be counted for your first M C look-back; • a Practice Quality Improvement (PQI) project completed during your residency can be counted for M C; and • you may claim up to 2 CE credits for a year of fellowship in a clinical environment.
As these credits will not automatically appear in myABR, you should enter them yourself. You should also keep documentation in case you are audited. If you have questions, please contact the ABR M C division by email.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
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CAMPEP REPORT Wayne Beckham, Victoria, Canada
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AMPEP has just finished the Winter Board of irector’s Meeting in Chicago. We had a productive meeting and the Board wanted me to share some information with the AAPM membership concerning our application for recognition by the Council for igher Education Accreditation (C EA). nfortunately, our application was denied. I want to share with you the reasons why this happened and also tell you that we are on track for a re-submission in ctober 2 1 , the earliest date allowed. The Board reaffirmed our commitment to C EA recognition at the Chicago meeting, and all agree that conforming CAMPEP to C EA standards has helped us improve our accreditation processes significantly. Reasons for
WAYNE BECKHAM: “Our application for recognition by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) was denied. I want to share with you the reasons why this happened and also tell you that we are on track for a re-submission in October 2015, the earliest date allowed.”
enial by C EA:
1. CAMPEP accredited programs are required to post on their websites information concerning performance student achievement as per CAMPEP graduate program standard 2.11 and CAMPEP residency program standard 2. . nfortunately, many of the links to this information on program websites were broken or information was missing at the time of C EA review. ubsequently, we have contacted all programs where this was a problem and I am pleased to report that compliance with this requirement is now excellent. Programs should update this information at least annually, and CAMPEP will be evaluating program compliance on a regular basis. 2. CAMPEP is required to post information that is publicly available concerning bases for final decisions on accreditation (or reaffirmation of accreditation). Implementation of this change required extensive consultation with program directors and so at the time of C EA review our public disclosure information was not posted on our website. This information is now posted and can be seen here. 3. Accredited graduate programs, if they have educational tracks that are not part of their CAMPEP accreditation, have to explain on their websites how they will distinguish between the compliant and the noncompliant tracks. This requirement is in the CAMPEP graduate program standard 2.1 . Again, at the time of C EA review several programs did not meet this requirement. We have actively followed up with programs to which this applies and they have been very cooperative and have updated their websites accordingly. . CAMPEP is required by C EA to have an appeals process that is
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CAMPEP Report, cont. publicly available. We had shared this process with C EA, but at the time they reviewed our application for recognition this information was not on our website. It is now on the website and is specified in our Policies and Procedures in sections E.12 and E.13. . The final reason for denial of C EA recognition relates to financial stability of the organization. I want to reassure readers that in fact we are in solid financial shape, but we were required to provide budget predictions that modeled expected accreditations and reaccreditations out for several years and it was not possible to do this at the time of the C EA recognition process. Much work has been done subsequently and we can now provide this information to C EA. opefully, you can see from the above that CAMPEP has a high likelihood of success when we submit a re-application for recognition later next year. I will be working closely with George Starkschall, Steve Thomas and Ed Jackson in the ew ear to hone our self-study document for resubmission. C EA had a few other suggestions for us as well that we will consider implementing or at least responding to as part of the submission. In the meantime, I want to thank all of our program directors in general for their support during this process, but especially those who have now responded to keep their required information on their websites up to date (i.e., in 1 and 3 above). It is very important that all programs keep this information current, as it is now a CAMPEP accreditation standard. By the time you read this the holiday season will have come and gone, so I hope you have had time to recharge and reflect with your families and loved ones. I look forward to interacting with some of you in the year ahead. As always, please be in touch with me or any of the Board Members with any comments for us. By the way, Bill Hendee, CAMPEP Past President, asked me to alert readers that there are a fascinating series of historical interviews available on the AAPM website (click on the istorical Interviews tab at the top of the page) featuring prominent medical physicists. appy viewing
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PROFESSIONAL COUNCIL REPORT Douglas E. Pfeiffer, Boulder, CO Changes and Challenges
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or six years Per Halvorsen has provided exemplary leadership for the Professional Council. It is with great humility and trepidation that I try to take the helm. I am still learning much of all that goes on in the Professional Council, so I’m not going to give the sweeping update that usually occupies this space. Instead, I hope to give a brief view of my perspective and vision for PC. First, I would like to thank those who are departing PC for their excellent service. Specifically, Per Halvorsen, Bruce Curran, and Bob Pizzutiello who have given six years on behalf of the members of AAPM. Because of their efforts, medical physics remains an attractive and vibrant profession.
DOUGLAS E. PFEIFFER: “One of the biggest challenges I see looming is the trend toward the commoditization of medical physics.”
I also wish to welcome those who will be joining PC. Jim Goodwin, who has served on PC as Chair of Professional Economics, will be assisting me as Vice Chair and providing his expertise on the therapy side. His knowledge of the economics of medical physics is hard to match. Jessica Clements and Brent Parker will be At-Large members of PC. Blake Dirksen is coming in as Chair of Professional Economics Committee and Jonas Fontenot is Vice Chair of PEC. George Sherouse will bring his wit and wisdom as Vice Chair of Ethics. I think that’s everybody new–sorry if I missed any other Council members! I look forward to working with all of you. One of the biggest challenges I see looming, if the front has not arrived already, is the trend toward the commoditization of medical physics. As part of the efforts to drive down the cost of medical services overall, some are looking at medical physics as a place to cut. Why not have someone cheaper do the work as long is it meets regulatory, accreditation or billing requirements? The answer to this is the old bromide, “You get what you pay for.” Trite as this may be, it can be painfully true when it comes to medical physics. But how do facilities know this? What do we as physicists do to make our facilities aware of everything that we do and the value that we bring to the organization? Are we seen as leaders in the department? Do we make it clear that we have more to offer than a really cool calculator? Do we excel in educating the staff? Do we research new methods and protocols to optimize the use of imaging and therapy equipment in our facilities? How many in our facilities know our names? The answers to these questions are vitally important to protecting our profession as diagnostic and therapy physicists. For if we are not active
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Professional Council Report, cont. in our facilities, then we can be traded off for a cheaper alternative. We cannot depend upon regulations and accreditation programs to force facilities to use appropriately qualified individuals. We have been working on this for many years, as Melissa Martin can attest. We are making headway, but there will be grandfathering and alternate pathways for the foreseeable future. The American College of Radiology has started its Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI), whose mission states in part, “The mission of the RLI is to prepare leaders who will shape the future of radiology to ensure quality, elevate service and deliver extraordinary patient care. With the right leadership training and the understanding of how to apply the learning, the RLI will help radiology professionals advance their careers and the profession.” Perhaps it is time to look at a counterpart for medical physics, to help us become better leaders, more visible, and more effective in our facilities.
WHAT WILL MEDICAL PHYSICS LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE? This is the other big issue that I see looming. Is it just therapy or diagnostic? Research or clinical? What are the opportunities in industry?
The other big issue that I see looming is just what medical physics should look like in the future. We historically bifurcated into two main tracks: therapy and diagnostic uses of x-rays (and particle beams). But the mission of AAPM defines medical physics much more broadly as “a broad-based scientific and professional discipline which encompasses physical principles with applications in biology and medicine.” As more students are attracted to medical physics as a profession, where do we tell them the opportunities are? Is it just therapy or diagnostic? Research or clinical? What are the opportunities in industry? Do we give them entrepreneurial skills? What about using the broader definition of medical physics? What opportunities are there for using physical principles in medicine and biology outside of imaging and therapy? How do our young physicists, or our more experienced ones looking for a change, learn about these other applications? We need to be looking at widening our tent to promote and include these other applications that might seem foreign to us, perhaps as foreign as magnetic resonance or ultrasound seemed to be when they were coming to the fore. Yes, we will continue our efforts on the economic front. We will keep working with accrediting bodies and regulators. We will continue to be diagnostic and therapy medical physicists. Over the coming years, I hope to see us also become vital parts of our facilities, and serving our facilities in ways that we might not even foresee right now. It should be an interesting journey. My best to all.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
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THE ALARA PRINCIPLE IN MEDICAL IMAGING
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he ALARA principle, that radiation doses should be kept as low as reasonably achievable, social and economic factors being taken into account, is well known to medical physicists. It is perhaps less well known that the ALARA principle applies to medical exposures as well as to other sources of radiation exposure. This was not always the case. History of the ALARA Principle
The basic concept expressed in the ALARA principle can be traced back at least as far as the Manhattan Project1. The concept has been refined over the years, and the wording used to express it has changed. In 1954, the National Committee on Radiation Protection (the precursor to today’s National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP)) stated in Report 17 that radiation exposure should be kept “at the lowest practical level.” Similar wording (“as low as possible”) was used in the 1954 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). That ICRP document also noted, with regard to protection of patients, that “the radiation exposure of the patient should be reduced as much as is compatible with successful diagnostic investigation or therapeutic treatment.”
Donald L. Miller, M.D. David Schauer, Sc.D., CHP
THE ALARA PRINCIPLE: Management of the radiation dose to the patient to be commensurate with the medical purpose.
In 1959 in Publication 1, the ICRP recommended “all doses be kept as low as practicable, and that any unnecessary exposure be avoided.” ICRP further refined the principle in 19 , in Publication 9, as “all doses be kept as low as readily achievable, economic and social considerations being taken into account”. Modified language was used in 19 3 in Publication 22: “as low as reasonably achievable, economic and social considerations being taken into account.” (Publication 22 was devoted entirely to explaining what the Commission intended by this recommendation.) The wording in use today was adopted in 1977 in Publication 2 : “as low as reasonably achievable, economic and social factors being taken into account.” Application of the ALARA Principle to Medical Exposures Medical exposures were omitted in many early discussions of the ALARA principle. ICRP Publications 1 and 9 were concerned only with
Auxier JA, Dickson HW. Guest editorial: Concern over recent use of the ALARA philosophy. Health Phys. 1983; 44(6):595-600
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The ALARA principle in medical imaging, cont. THE ALARA PRINCIPLE: MICRP Publication 105 makes the application of the ALARA principle to medical exposures explicit.“The optimisation of radiological protection means keeping the doses as low as reasonably achievable, economic and societal factors being taken into account and is best described as management of the radiation dose to the patient to be commensurate with the medical purpose.”
occupational exposures and exposures to members of the public. Similarly, in 1990 NCRP Report No. 107 addressed implementation of the ALARA principle for occupational protection in medicine and dentistry, but did not address exposure of patients. NCRP Report No. 11 , published in 1993, discussed the ALARA principle extensively, and equated it with optimization of protection, but Report 11 excluded discussion of exposure of patients. ICRP Publication , the 199 Recommendations of the ICRP, did not mention the ALARA principle in the context of medical imaging. Publication did state that consideration should be given to the use of dose constraints (but not dose limits) to optimize protection in medical imaging. ICRP Publication 3, published in 199 , introduced the use of Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) in place of dose constraints. Additionally in Publication 3, in a discussion of the general principles of optimization, the Commission noted “the optimization of protection means the same as keeping the doses ‘as low as reasonably achievable, economic and social factors being taken into account’.” This was the beginning of the applicability of the ALARA principle to medical exposures. Current Approach to Optimization in Medical Imaging Current ICRP recommendations are found in Publication 1 3 (The 2007 Recommendations of the ICRP) and Publication 105 (Radiological Protection in Medicine), both published in 2 . Publication 1 3 defines the principle of optimization of protection (paragraph 2 3): “the likelihood of incurring exposures, the number of people exposed, and the magnitude of their individual doses should all be kept as low as reasonably achievable, taking into account economic and societal factors”. In medical exposures, the principle of optimization of protection is implemented through the use of RLs (ICRP Publication 1 3, paragraph 33 ). ICRP Publication 105 makes the application of the ALARA principle to medical exposures explicit (paragraph 70): “The optimisation of radiological protection means keeping the doses ‘as low as reasonably achievable, economic and societal factors being taken into account, and is best described as management of the radiation dose to the patient to be commensurate with the medical purpose.” Publication 105 also clarifies the operational goal of the ALARA principle in medical imaging (paragraph 47): “In medicine, the requirement is to manage the radiation dose to the patient to be commensurate with the medical purpose. The goal is to use the appropriate dose to obtain the desired image or desired therapy.”
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The ALARA principle in medical imaging, cont. Summary The wording of the ALARA principle and the extent of its application have evolved over time from its beginnings in occupational radiation protection in the 1940s. It now applies explicitly to medical exposures. In medicine, it is best understood as “management of the radiation dose to the patient to be commensurate with the medical purpose”, with the goal of using the appropriate dose to obtain the desired image or desired therapy. In medical exposures, the ALARA principle is implemented through the use of DRLs.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
SCIENCE COUNCIL REPORT Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, Baltimore, MD Science Council Looks to the New ear and New Scientific Initiatives.
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JEFFREY H. SIEWERDSEN: “High on the agenda for 2015 are new initiatives aimed to strengthen and grow the role of medical physicists in the research enterprise. These include activities reaching student and junior members as well as medical physicists throughout the Association.”
cience Council ushers in the New Year with a new and expanded roster, including new incoming Members (Kristy Brock, John Hazle, and Ed Jackson) and a new Chair (Jeff Siewerdsen). We also welcome returning Members (Cynthia McCollough, Radhe Mohan, and Randy Ten Haken), the new incoming Vice-Chair of the Research Committee (Joe Deasy), and continuing contributions from the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of our committees, task groups, and working groups. Indispensable, of course, is the support and expertise of Headquarters Staff, and the Science Council is thrilled to work with Michael Woodward and Shayna Wise as liaisons and administrative support in 2015. We look forward to a productive year of service to the Association and are grateful for the energy and expertise of the Science Council team in advancing the science of medical physics. High on the agenda for 2015 are new initiatives aimed to strengthen and grow the role of medical physicists in the research enterprise. These include activities reaching student and junior members as well as medical physicists throughout the
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Association: • A new mentorship program will launch in 2015 pairing student members with AAPM leadership, offering valuable introduction and exposure to organizational activities and life in medical physics research. Watch also for the new Research Student Luncheon at the AAPM Annual Meeting in Anaheim, sponsored by the Research Committee. • For student and junior members, a new travel grant will be announced in 2015 to expose individuals in the early stages of their career to science beyond conventional domains of medical physics, stimulating activity of AAPM researchers in new research frontiers. • The New Year will also see continuation of research initiatives spearheaded on behalf of the Association. The FUTURE Working Group will host a meeting to target Grand Challenges of Medical Physics, and Science Council has endorsed efforts to pursue new research opportunities that will position the Association prominently in emerging areas such as radiomics and imaging genomics. • Finally, watch for the Research Spotlight to launch in 2015 – an article to be featured on the
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Science Council Report, cont. AAPM website and/or newsletter highlighting exemplary contributions, exciting breakthroughs, and major challenges in the medical physics research enterprise. In closing – gratitude and kudos to Dan Low for his leadership of Science Council in recent years, and sincere thanks to the volunteerism of our members who donate their time, energy, and expertise within the ~140 task groups, working groups, committees, and subcommittees within S ien e oun i ur re o i en o e i r n e o our fie ensures a bright future.
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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of PHYSICISTS IN MEDICINE
2015 Mark Your Calendar for These Upcoming Meetings Incident Learning Systems and Root Cause Analysis for Safer Radiation Oncology: A Hands-on Workshop Incident Learning Systems and Root Cause Analysis University of California | San Diego, CA for Safer Radiation Oncology www.aapm.org/meetings/2015ILS/
FEBRUARY 12–13
MARCH 7–10
AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch | St. Louis, MO www.aapm.org/meetings/2015SCM/
JUNE 14–18
Proton Therapy: Physical Principles and Practice Colorado College | Colorado Springs, CO www.aapm.org/meetings/2015SS/
JULY 12–16
AAPM 57th Annual Meeting & Exhibition Anaheim Convention Center | Anaheim, CA www.aapm.org/meetings/2015AM/
AAPM | One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 301-209-3350 | 2014.aapm@aapm.org | www.aapm.org
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
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AAPM FOREM ON IMAGING GENOMICS
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he American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) held a FOREM on Imaging Genomics on September 30 - October 1, 2014 in Houston, Texas. A FOREM is a FOcused REsearch MEeting arranged under the AAPM Science Council. The FOREM was led by co-chairs Maryellen Giger (The University of Chicago), Sandy Napel (Stanford University), John Hazle (MD Anderson Cancer Center) and Paul Kinahan (University of Washington) and attended by approximately 30 AAPM members and other invited experts from related fields, including biology, genetic medicine, biostatistics, informatics, and big data. A white paper is in progress for submission to Medical Physics. This AAPM Newsletter article serves as a more timely mechanism to inform the AAPM members of this strategic meeting.
Maryellen L. Giger, Sandy Napel, John D. Hazle and Paul E. Kinahan
FOREM on Imaging Genomics, Houston, TX
The purpose of this F REM was to learn about and appreciate the fields of radiomics and imaging genomics (radiogenomics). There are multiple reasons for exploring imaging genomics, including (a) to establish and improve the quality of image-based phenotypes of normal and diseased tissue, (b) to participate in scientific discovery with our colleagues from biology on the relationships between these phenotypes and the underlying biology, and (c) to create and to implement predictive models based on the image-based phenotypes. From this FOREM, attendees expected to determine the role of AAPM in the field of imaging genomics through strategic planning & breakout groups.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
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AAPM FOREM on Imaging Genomics, cont. FOREM: Many aspects and concerns of radiomics parallel those of Computer-Aided Detection (CADe) and Diagnosis (CADx) and quantitative imaging
The initial presentations set the stage for ensuing discussions, starting with definitions: Radiomics is high throughput conversion of images to mineable data, while imaging genomics (radiogenomics) is the association of radiomics data with -omics information. Note that the conversion of images to mineable data can be performed by human viewers yielding sematic features, and/or by computer algorithms yielding computational features. Such phenotypical features can characterize individual pixels/ voxels, selected regions within a tumor or surrounding tissue, entire tumors, or entire images, and might correspond to tumor size, shape, morphology, texture, and kinetics. Selected regions based on their phenotypic characteristic are sometimes referred to as “habitats�. By correlating image phenotypes with clinical and histopathologic data, molecular classifications, and treatment outcome, the application of big data analysis methods to medical imaging offers a key to answering major questions in our understanding of disease risk, progression, and therapeutic response. Imaging genomics may yield significant findings relating to various diseases including cancer, cardiac disease, neurodegenerative diseases and arthritis. The challenges to this vision include the need for: (i) very large datasets and the means for archiving and sharing; (ii) standardization/harmonization techniques among image acquisition and processing methods; (iii) understanding the repeatability and reproducibility of quantitative image data; (iv) standardization and validation among feature phenotype extraction methods and classifier designs; (v) development of high-throughput robust and validated phenotyping systems; (vi) coordination with industry partners (and potentially the FDA) in providing data suitable to large-scale radiomic analysis; (vii) coordination among researchers in imaging, medicine, computer science, and molecular biology for education and dissemination of data and results; and (viii) communication with funding agencies (e.g., NIH, NSF) and regulatory agencies (FDA). It was also noted that the many aspects and concerns of radiomics parallel those of Computer-Aided Detection (CADe) and Diagnosis (CADx) and quantitative imaging in which computer-extracted features (i.e., phenotypes) are used to detect lesions, predict diagnosis, prognosis, and/or response to therapy. Thus, these related technologies can be viewed as having similar needs and concerns, which is a clear area of relevance for AAPM members. Because it has become obvious that tumors are not homogeneous, one of the goals of radiomics is to use non-invasive imaging to assess heterogeneity within the tumor as well as in the surrounding
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AAPM FOREM on Imaging Genomics, cont. microenvironments and over time to investigate tumor evolution. Also, because biopsies are invasive and only sample small portions of a tumor, they cannot be used for screening or used repeatedly during treatment to determine response. However, with radiomics, virtual biopsies can be potentially “conducted” whenever imaging is performed. Following presentations by experts, vigorous discussions and breakout sessions were held to address what challenges and opportunities exist for the medical physicist and AAPM, such as assessing needs for standardization and establishing rigorous evaluation metrics. This topic generated a long list of questions: ow to achieve standardization (harmonization) of image acquisition/scanner systems, of lexicons, of classifiers ow to conduct large-scale validation studies There was much discussion about types of datasets, e.g., datasets from well-controlled clinical trials vs. datasets constructed using available standard-of-care images. The former may yield more consistent features but be far fewer in number than available from the much more numerous standard-of-care images acquired using a wide variety of imaging devices and acquisition parameter settings. This lead to further questions: What is the role of the medical physicist in the harmonization of radiomics data and in ensuring the proper use of radiomics data in training classifiers Should AAPM lead the way to standardization in imaging genomics and decision support systems What is the effect of non-standardized imaging data on radiomics Is there a role for an AAPM Technology Assessment Institute in radiomics ow should medical physicists collaborate with genomic researchers What value do genomic researchers see in imagebased phenotypes oes the culture exist for the sharing of data, feature-extraction software, and association evaluation software Follow-up from the FOREM will include the white paper, extending the radiomics discussion to the 2015 AAPM Annual Meeting, and discussing opportunities with federal agencies, national labs, other relevant scientific societies, and industry. Stay tuned and get involved.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
HEALTH POLICY AND ECONOMIC ISSUES Wendy Smith Fuss, MPH AAPM Health Policy Consultant Radiation Oncology Coding Changes in 2015
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here are many coding changes that took effect on January 1. The CPT Editorial Panel identified several radiation oncology codes that are typically reported together 75% of the time, which has led to many new bundled codes. The good news is that there are no coding changes to medical physics consultation codes 77336 and 77370 in 2015. The new teletherapy isodose planning codes and brachytherapy isodose planning codes now include the basic radiation dosimetry calculation code 77300. CPT codes 77305, 77310, 77315, 77326, 77327 and 77328 have been deleted and replaced with new CPT codes described below. CPT 77300 should not be reported in conjunction with these codes.
WENDY SMITH FUSS:
77306 Teletherapy isodose plan; simple (1 or 2 unmodified ports directed to a single area of interest), includes basic dosimetry calculation(s)
“There are many coding changes that took effect on January 1.”
77307 Teletherapy isodose plan; complex (multiple treatment areas, tangential ports, the use of wedges, blocking, rotational beam, or special beam considerations), includes basic dosimetry calculation(s) 77316 Brachytherapy isodose plan; simple (calculation[s] made from 1 to 4 sources, or remote afterloading brachytherapy, 1 channel), includes basic dosimetry calculation(s) 77317 Brachytherapy isodose plan; intermediate (calculation[s] made from 5 to 10 sources, or remote afterloading brachytherapy, 2-12 channels), includes basic dosimetry calculation(s) 77318 Brachytherapy isodose plan; complex (calculation[s] made from over 1 sources, or remote afterloading brachytherapy, over 12 channels), includes basic dosimetry calculation(s) Beginning anuary 1, 2 1 , conventional radiation therapy treatment delivery performed with a megavoltage beam will be reported using three codes only. These are technical component codes (no professional component) that may only be reported once per treatment session. It is important to note that the energy level of the megavoltage beam no longer defines the complexity level of the conventional radiation therapy treatment delivery codes. The levels of complexity are assigned based on the number of treatment sites and complexity of the treatment fields, blocking, wedges and physical or virtual tissue compensators. ou should
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Health Policy and Economic Issues, cont. refer to your 2015 coding manual regarding detailed guidance on the use of these codes. Do not report 77402, 77407 or 77412 in conjunction with 77373. CPT codes 77403, 77404, 77406, 77408, 77409, 77411, 77413, 1 and 1 have been deleted. 77402 Radiation treatment delivery, 1 MeV; simple 77407 Radiation treatment delivery, 1 MeV; intermediate 77412 Radiation treatment delivery, 1 MeV; complex IMRT treatment delivery will now be reported using two new codes that include the technical component of image guidance and tracking. Physicians will report the professional component of guidance and tracking, using 38 with modifier 2 . The simple code 38 should be reported for prostate, breast and all sites using physical compensatorbased IMRT. The complex code 38 should be reported for all other sites when not using physical compensator-based IMRT. o not report 77385, 77386 in conjunction with 77371, 77372, or 77373. CPT 77418 and Category III code 3T have been deleted. 77385 Intensity modulated radiation treatment delivery (IMRT), includes guidance and tracking, when performed; simple 77386 Intensity modulated radiation treatment delivery (IMRT), includes guidance and tracking, when performed; complex Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) codes 76950, 77421 and 0197T have been deleted for 2 1 . CPT code 1 should no longer be reported to describe the work associated with IGRT. All guidance and tracking will be reported with one new code. As in the past, do not report the technical component of 77387 with CPT codes 77371, 77372 or 3 3. These codes have the work associated with image guidance included in their definition. 77387 uidance for localization of target volume for delivery of radiation treatment delivery, includes intrafraction tracking, when performed To make things more confusing, CM is not recognizing the new radiation treatment delivery services in 2 1 under the Medicare Physician Fee chedule used for reporting physician and freestanding cancer center services. CM will value and implement these codes in 2 1 . For 2 1 , CM has established temporary CPC -codes to describe these procedures. ee table below for crosswalks from deleted CPT codes to CPC -codes for use in 2 1 . CPC
-codes are
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Confusion may arise from the fact that the new
AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
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Health Policy and Economic Issues, cont. recognized under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule but they are not recognized under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System. Questions have been raised about which codes (CPT codes vs. S o e o repor in e o pi e ing er u o e o fi e e ing in In addition, it remains unclear if private payers will accept the new HCPCS G-codes established by CMS. pri e p yer ou e on e prior o i p e en ion o onfir eir y e wi ep the new HCPCS G-codes.
Table: Radiation Therapy G-Codes Replacing 2015 CPT Codes 2014 CPT Code
2015 HCPCS Code
Long Descriptor
76950
G6001
Ultrasonic guidance for placement of radiation therapy fields
77421
G6002
Stereoscopic X-ray guidance for localization of target volume for the delivery of radiation therapy
77402
G6003
Radiation treatment delivery, single treatment area, single port or parallel opposed ports, simple blocks or no blocks: up to 5MeV
77403
G6004
Radiation treatment delivery, single treatment area, single port or parallel opposed ports, simple blocks or no blocks: 6-10MeV
77404
G6005
Radiation treatment delivery, single treatment area, single port or parallel opposed ports, simple blocks or no blocks: 11-19MeV
77406
G6006
Radiation treatment delivery, single treatment area, single port or parallel opposed ports, simple blocks or no blocks: 20 MeV or greater
77407
G6007
Radiation treatment delivery, 2 separate treatment areas, 3 or more ports on a single treatment area, use of multiple blocks; up to 5MeV
77408
G6008
Radiation treatment delivery, 2 separate treatment areas, 3 or more ports on a single treatment area, use of multiple blocks; 6-10MeV
77409
G6009
Radiation treatment delivery, 2 separate treatment areas, 3 or more ports on a single treatment area, use of multiple blocks; 11-19MeV
77411
G6010
Radiation treatment delivery, 2 separate treatment areas, 3 or more ports on a single treatment area, use of multiple blocks; 20 MeV or greater
77412
G6011
Radiation treatment delivery,3 or more separate treatment areas, custom blocking, tangential ports, wedges, rotational beam, compensators, electron beam; up to 5MeV
77413
G6012
Radiation treatment delivery,3 or more separate treatment areas, custom blocking, tangential ports, wedges, rotational beam, compensators, electron beam; 6-10MeV
77414
G6013
Radiation treatment delivery,3 or more separate treatment areas, custom blocking, tangential ports, wedges, rotational beam, compensators, electron beam; 11-19MeV
77416
G6014
Radiation treatment delivery,3 or more separate treatment areas, custom blocking, tangential ports, wedges, rotational beam, compensators, electron beam; 20MeV or greater
77418
G6015
Intensity modulated treatment delivery, single or multiple fields/arcs, via narrow spatially and temporally modulated beams, binary, dynamic MLC, per treatment session
0073T
G6016
Compensator-based beam modulation treatment delivery of inverse planned treatment using 3 or more high resolution (milled or cast) compensator, convergent beam modulated fields, per treatment session
0197T
G6017
Intra-fraction localization and tracking of target or patient motion during delivery of radiation therapy (eg,3D positional tracking, gating, 3D surface tracking), each fraction of treatment
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REGISTRATION & HOUSING NOW OPEN! IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER: • January 5: Scientific Program available March 7–10, 2015 Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch St. Louis, MO NEW THIS YEAR: • Most of the Radiation Therapy track program will include three presentations in a two-hour session and the audience can learn as much as possible to implement into their own clinical practice. • This year the Saturday evening Welcome Reception will take place on the Eighteenth floor of the Hyatt Regency in the Gateway East Ballroom and Terrace. Enjoy the view of the Arch and mingle with other attendees and vendors in a more relaxed environment.
• January 30: Deadline to receive discounted registration fees • February 13: Last day to make hotel reservations at the group rate EDUCATION CREDIT INFORMATION: Application will be made to the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs, Inc. (CAMPEP) for approval of the program in order to provide medical physics continuing education credits (MPCEC) to qualified medical physicists attending this Meeting. AAPM will offer up to 20 ABR approved SAMs Sessions. AAPM will also apply to the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board (MDCB) for MDCB credits and the Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI) for RLI continuing education credit hours.
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AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
WEBSITE EDITOR’S REPORT George C. Kagadis, Rion, Greece
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he current AAPM Newsletter report has been written just after the 2014 RSNA Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Our Website Editorial Board meeting took place on December 1, 2014 where we discussed a lot of interesting things and add ons that will further enhance our association’s website. Our next face-to-face meeting is going to take place in Anaheim, CA at the 2015 AAPM Annual Meeting.
GEORGE C. KAGADIS: “I am pleased to report that as of December 15, 2014 we have 37,907 images posted to AAPM’s Flickr, 2,680 likes on Facebook, 6,967 members on LinkedIn and 3,301 followers on Twitter.”
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By now you have experienced the new look of the website. It went online Wednesday, November 26, 2014. This is an intermediate version of the full website revamp and we hope that you like it. The development is based on being clean and neat so that it’s easier for AAPM members to find interesting information that pertains to our field while maintaining our professionalism. A lot of changes will happen in the next few months with regard to our website These updates will occur in tiers, and we hope to have the final version ready by the Annual Meeting in July. These changes are happening together with the transfer of our servers to the cloud. During the next month, we will start the migration of our Headquarter’s servers to the cloud and we believe this will be completed by the late 2015. Regarding the Virtual Library content, all of the presentations
dating back to 2001 are available on aapm.org and content dating back to 2005 is also available on Vimeo. By the end of 2015, we will have all of the Virtual Library material in the new aapm.org website, residing in the cloud, with very good bandwidth. Our introductory videos from AAPM’s Committees and Subcommittees, which debuted at the 2013 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, can be accessed from Vimeo. I would like to encourage the Chairs of AAPM committees, subcommittees, task groups and working groups to prepare similar introductions and send them to us so that we can make them available with the others on the AAPM website and at the upcoming Spring Clinical Meeting in St. Louis, MO and Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA. Social media continues to play a critical role in our web presence and we are trying to further advance it for the benefit of our association. I am pleased to report that as of December 15, 2014 we have 37,907 images posted to AAPM’s Flickr, 2,680 likes on Facebook, 6,967 members on LinkedIn and 3,301 followers on Twitter. Last but not least, I would like to once again thank my colleagues Ms. Farhana Khan, Ms. Abby Pardes and Mr. Michael
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Website Editor’s Report, cont. Woodward for their invaluable help on driving the AAPM web presence. I wish a appy ew ear to all of you I hope you find the AAPM website useful, visit it often and send me your feedback.
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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICISTS IN MEDICINE
2015 AAPM FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES GRANTS
FELLOWSHIPS
The Research Seed Funding Grant
AAPM/RSNA Fellowship for the Training of a Doctoral Candidate in the Field of Medical Physics
Three $25,000 grants will be awarded to provide funds to develop exciting investigatorinitiated concepts, which will hopefully lead to successful longer term project funding from the NIH or equivalent funding sources. Funding for grant recipients will begin on July 1 of the award year. Research results will be submitted for presentation at future AAPM meetings. Must be a member of AAPM at time of application (any membership category). Pending membership status not accepted. **No Exceptions** Application Deadline: 3/20/2015
2015 APPLICATION DEADLINES • February 2: Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program • February 2: Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program (DREAM) • March 20: The Research Seed Funding Grant • April 30: AAPM/RSNA Fellowship for the Training of a Doctoral Candidate in the Field of Medical Physics
The AAPM Fellowship for the training of a doctoral candidate in the field of Medical Physics is awarded for first two years of graduate study leading to a doctoral degree in Medical Physics. Both BSc. and MS holders are eligible to apply. A stipend of $13,000 per year, plus tuition support not exceeding $5,000 per year will be assigned to the recipient. Graduate study must be undertaken in a Medical Physics Doctoral Degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs, Inc, (CAMPEP). Application Deadline: 4/30/2015
Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program The American Association of Physicists in Medicine Summer Undergraduate Fellowship 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, AAPM serves as a clearinghouse to match exceptional
students with exceptional medical physicists, many who are faculty at leading research centers. Students participating in the program are placed into summer positions that are consistent with their interest. Students are selected for the program on a competitive basis to be an AAPM summer fellow. Each summer fellow receives a stipend from AAPM. Application Deadline: 2/2/15
Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program (DREAM) The American Association of Physicists in Medicine Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program (DREAM) is a 10 week summer program designed to increase the number of underrepresented groups in medical physics by creating new opportunities, outreach and mentoring geared towards diversity recruitment of undergraduate students in the field of medical physics. Students participating in the program are placed into summer positions that are consistent with their interest. Students are selected for the program on a competitive basis to be a DREAM fellow. Each DREAM fellow receives a stipend from AAPM. Application Deadline: 2/2/15
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APPLY: http://www.aapm.org/education/GrantsFellowships.asp
AAPM Newsletter • Volume 40 No. 1
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
AAPM HQ TEAM…AT YOUR SERVICE! Angela Keyser, College Park, MD
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he AAPM Finance Team is hard at work supporting the activities of the Association. Although their valuable work is often behind the scenes, the Finance Team plays a vital role in all HQ service areas. Robert McKoy, CPA joined the HQ team as Controller in April 2014. In his role as AAPM CF , Robert oversees financial operations including preparation of the annual budget. He quickly put his extensive background of non-profit association management to work, ensuring that the leadership is fully informed of the financial position of the organization. He also serves as AAPM’s contact with many outside professional service providers, including auditors, insurance agents, and bank affiliations. Melissa Liverpool joined the staff in January 2011 as the Staff Accountant and was promoted to Accounting Manager in 2013. She has responsibility for daily and monthly accounting functions, including management of general ledger functions, production of financial reports, management of cash, and reconciliation of general ledger accounts. Janet Harris came onboard in October 2012 as AAPM’s Accounting Assistant. Janet processes dues renewals and other cash receipts, records accounts payable, prepares checks, and does the invoicing. The team together is responsible for handling the receipt and disbursement of over $9 million annually, including hundreds of transactions monthly. Thousands of dues payments are processed annually, along with meeting registrations and exhibitor payments for the various meetings managed by HQ. The team works to ensure that AAPM receives an unqualified opinion on its annual audit and all tax filings are completed in a timely fashion. Additionally the team handles the accounting processing and reporting for two “affiliated” associations. . group profile of the AAPM
“The AAPM Finance Team is hard at work supporting the activities of the Association.”
overnment Relations
The AAPM Finance Team. Left to right, Janet Harris, Robert McKoy and Melissa Liverpool
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Coming next issue Team.
ANGELA KEYSER: