Newsletter

AME RIC AN AS S O C I ATI O N O F P H Y S I C I S TS I N M E D I CI N E

We advance the science, education and professional practice of medical physics

AAPM
Column
VOLUME Presidents
37 NO. 3

MAY/JUNE 2012

AAPM Presidents Column

Gary A. Ezzell, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale

hat should the AAPM commit resources to? What is worth doing,
and at what cost? The membership expects the Board of Directors
to decide such questions carefully and wisely. To that end, the Strategic
Planning Committee of the Board met in Dallas after the Spring Clinical
Meeting along with the officers and council chairs. The Board members
present were John Antolak, John Bayouth, Ed Jackson, Doug Pfeiffer,
and Mark Rivard. We had the goal of deciding which of the many AAPM
activities are critical to AAPM's health and so worthy of ongoing Board
attention. We also identified which initiatives, underway or new, deserve to
be considered strategically important. The committee's report to the Board will help
set the agenda for the summer and RSNA meetings as well as provide guidance to the budget
development. In this article, I will describe some of the ideas being brought forward.
Science Council, chaired by Dan Low, will be investigating creating a mechanism for AAPM
members to share datasets and protocols. Examples include CT protocols, therapy cone-beam CT
protocols, and sample output data for SRS cones. There are many issues to be considered, such
as concerns about liability, if and how to provide peer review, how to organize the information,
and what resources will be needed to create and maintain this
tool. This will not be easy, but there is a pervasive sense that
Included in this issue:
this would be a valuable resource.
Chair of the Board
p. 3
Science Council will also be working on a long-range effort to President Elect
p. 4
create a nationwide event reporting system to capture near Ad Hoc Committee of
misses and deviations that are not reportable by regulation.
the Board Report
p. 6
AAPM will not do this alone; ASTRO is moving toward this
Executive Director
p. 8
and AAPM will be an important partner in this effort. Our
Editor
p. 9
Workgroup on the Prevention of Errors in Radiation Therapy,
Professional
Council
p. 10
chaired by Eric Ford, has produced a report on the data
Education
Council
p. 11
structures to be used in such a system that has been approved
p. 12
by the ASTRO Board and is under review by AAPM. That is a Leg. & Reg. Affairs
p. 13
first step, and there will be many challenges, but both of our Health Policy/Economics
societies believe that this will lead to significant improvements 2012 Awards
p. 16
in patient safety.
CAMPEP News
p. 19
p. 20
Both Professional and Administrative Councils are continuing ACR Accreditation
AAPM's efforts to ensure that board-certified medical Spring Clinical Mtg Report p. 23
p. 24
physicists are appropriately utilized in clinical practice. NPSC Report
p. 25
Professional Council, chaired by Per Halvorsen, is working So. Cal Chapter Report
with accrediting bodies. As reimbursement becomes more and RAMPS Chapter Report
p. 27
more tied to accreditation, it is important that the competing ORVC Chapter Report
p. 29
accreditation bodies be consistent in their expectations of Persons in the News
p. 31
physicists' roles. The licensure and state regulatory activities

AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

continued - President's Column

fall under Administrative Council, chaired by Melissa Martin. AAPM's efforts to promote licensure
of medical physics has been expensive and so far only legislative action in Massachusetts remains
viable, and so the Board will be considering how to best reallocate those resources. We have
a strong and positive relationship with the Council of Radiation Control Program Directors, and
so we will continue working with them to develop the 'Suggested State Regulations' such that
qualified physicists are properly required. Professional Council is actively working on Medical
Physics Practice Guidelines that will influence accrediting bodies; as additional resources become
available we can turn these out more quickly.
Promoting the creation of medical physics residencies is in the domain of Education Council,
chaired by George Starkschall. While our field is doing reasonably well on the therapy side,
we remain challenged by the lack of imaging residencies. Seed funding of imaging residencies by
AAPM is a possibility.
Those are some of the key long-range initiatives that the Strategic Planning Committee will be
recommending that the Board support. The magnitude of the financial commitment will depend
in large measure on the outcome of the vote on the dues increase. Our budget will remain
balanced; whether and how soon these ideas can move beyond the talking stage will hinge on
energy, enthusiasm, and money. The Board takes very seriously our fiduciary responsibility to
the Association. We need to manage our resources carefully while we position ourselves for the
future.

UCSD Price Center - all 2012 Summer School sessions will take place in the Price Center Theater

Medical Physicists ...

Protecting patients from unnecessary exposure

2012 AAPM
Summer School

June 24-29, 2012

University of Calif
ornia
San Diego Campu
s

Medical Imaging
Using Ionizing Rad
iation:
Optimization of
Dose and Image
Quality

http://www.aapm.org/meetings/2012SS/
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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

AAPM Chair of the Boards Column

J. Anthony Seibert, UC Davis Medical Center

am writing this column at 39,000 feet on the way home from an

American Board of Radiology sponsored meeting in Atlanta regarding
the requirement to graduate from a CAMPEP-accredited residency in
2014 to qualify for taking the ABR board examination. John Hazle and
I represented the AAPM in the discussions; ABR Physics Trustees Rick
Morin, Don Frey, Geoff Ibbott, and Steve Thomas were present; Ehsan
Samei and Dan Bourland provided input from the Society of Directors of
Academic Medical Physics Programs (SDAMPP); and Bruce Gerbi, Charlie
Coffey and Geoff Clarke represented the interests of the Commission on the
Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP). Each stakeholder
organization was requested to give their perspectives on the medical physics residency situation
and provide an assessment of the situation for Therapy, Imaging, and Nuclear Medicine. On the
question of sufficient numbers to meet the workforce demand of qualified medical physicists
(those who have successfully passed the three parts of the board examination), the general
consensus of the group was that the number of graduating residency positions per year in therapy
residency programs is currently close to the required number, based upon the number of Radiation
Oncologists going into practice, and assuming one medical physicist per radiation oncologist
position. With the number of new residencies in the pipeline for CAMPEP accreditation, by 2014 it
appears that there should be a reasonable match between supply of individuals graduating from
residencies who can sit for the board examination and the number of positions available and to
be filled. However, for imaging residency programs, cause for concern was expressed, as there
is likely to be a shortage of residency graduates to meet the anticipated workforce demand,
given the few numbers of residency slots and the unknown future demand of imaging QMP
individuals, in particular with respect to the required accreditation of advanced diagnostic imaging
equipment. The AAPM has initiated an effort with the Radiological Society of North America
(RSNA) and the Society of Chairmen of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD) to discuss
with the leaders of radiology the need for establishing medical physics imaging residencies in an
awareness campaign. With regard to Nuclear Medicine, a more difficult situation was described.
The Education Council has established a working group within the Education and Training of
Medical Physicists Committee to evaluate the situation, and a task force of AAPM and Society of
Nuclear Medicine members has been appointed to evaluate potential solutions.
Foreign medical physicists with extensive experience and qualifications in their country wishing to
relocate to the United States present another aspect to the 2014 residency education requirement.
Plans and procedures designed by the ABR are evolving to implement a structured mentorship
program that would allow these individuals to sit for the ABR examination after a 3-year program
of clinical training, patterned after programs that have been implemented for foreign radiologists
and radiation oncologists in similar medical academic program settings. Each of the stakeholders
discussed the plan in terms of the impact on the availability of medical physics residency programs
and how such a program might be structured; more details will be forthcoming as the joint efforts
continue.
I wish to thank the ABR physics trustees for convening the meeting, and inviting the AAPM as
well as the other participants from CAMPEP and SDAMPP to the table. Certainly, discussion of
such crucial topics for the medical physics profession in an open and transparent process is the
necessary way forward. Dissemination of the recommendations to the membership of the AAPM
will be forthcoming as the plans evolve.

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May/June 2012

AAPM President-Elect's Column

John D. Hazle, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

K, after three months on the job, I can tell you I am extremely impressed
with the level of activities and volunteerism demonstrated by our
membership! The scope and depth of your involvement in safety, regulatory
and image quality endeavors is a credit to your standing as professionals in
this increasingly complex healthcare enterprise.

To bring you up to speed on a few things that Ive been involved in during
these first few months, Id like to start with a continuing dialogue with the
leadership of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD)
regarding the development of additional imaging residencies. Dr. Valerie
Jackson, President of SCARD, presented material provided by Tony Seibert and
me on this topic at their spring meeting. This material included information regarding the history of
how the ABR requirements for 2012 and 2014 evolved, some information on the number of currently
available residencies, the expected demand for Qualified Medical Physicists (QMP) in imaging and the
recommendation that we form a working group of SCARD and AAPM members to develop a strategy for
increasing the number of residencies and residents. This work group plans to meet once or twice over
the summer and bring recommendations back to the full SCARD membership at their fall meeting. As
the principle beneficiaries of this effort, AAPM may need to be prepared to invest financially to initiate
additional imaging residencies. However, we will make this investment with the commitment of the
radiology chairs to sustain the newly created slots into the future.
On March 27th Gary Ezzell, Angela Keyser and I met with ASTRO leadership including Leonard
Gunderson, Colleen Lawton, Mary Martel and Laura Thevenot. While I believe that Gary and
Angela will also be reporting on the meeting, Id like to point out that the topic of residencies in
radiation oncology physics was discussed. Interestingly, it turns out that there are only about 90
radiation oncology residents each year. If we make a rule-of-thumb assumption that one physicist is
needed for each oncologist, then we are probably not too far off on the number of radiation physics
residencies, approximately 80 today, with the equilibrium demand. While AAPM will certainly continue
to accumulate and analyze data regarding manpower as it becomes available, it does appear that we
are close to meeting those needs today and there is no need to panic about 2014.
A couple of weeks ago I attended the Southwest Chapter meeting in Oklahoma City. First, the local
organizing committee put together an exceptionally strong venue to have the scientific sessions,
meetings and social event. Second, the program committee put together a diverse scientific program
that included presentations by a number of trainees, and the quality of these presentations certainly
bodes well for the future of our profession. Finally, Russ Tarver presented information regarding the
upcoming vote on an increase in the AAPM dues. It has been almost seven years since our last dues
increase and Russ made a strong presentation of how our good stewardship of resources has allowed
us to weather the recent financial storm without the increase, but how this continued stagnation of
our dues will preclude us from reaching several strategic goals. There was lively discussion, both for
and against the change, but in the end a straw poll indicated that about 75% of the attendees were in
favor of increasing our dues to make the additional financial resources the Association needs to meet
its strategic goals available.
I am also chairing an ad hoc committee to evaluate the way the editors of our four means of
communication are compensated. The four publications are Medical Physics, Journal of Applied Clinical
Medical Physics (JACMP), Newsletter and the AAPM web site. Obviously, Medical Physics is the most
significant of our publications in terms of its impact on science and our budget. JACMP is an important
journal that AAPM absorbed as part of the merger with the American College of Medical Physics. The
Newsletter and web sites serve as tools for communicating other types of information to our members
and constitute important aspects of our communication plan. The ad hoc committee will work with
the oversight bodies of each publication to gather information regarding the editor(s) effort and other

AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

continued - President-Elect's Column

needs of that office, consider the financial impact of the publication to the Association and balance in all
the other intangibles that contribute to the value of these publications to the AAPM. In the end, the ad
hoc committee will make recommendations to the board through EXCOM regarding how each of these
editorial offices should be compensated.
Finally, I want to put in my support for the proposed dues increase. While we have managed to make
due for the last 6-7 years on stagnant dues, this has been done at the cost of strategic planning and
execution. For those that havent participated in budgeting through councils/committees/etc. the last
few years, the council chairs have been asked to prepare flat budgets. This means that anything new
must be funded at the expense of an existing activity. Weve been able to get along, but to be strategic
and have the Association serve you by being proactive, we need to increase our financial capacity
and provide for new programs. In this time of the constantly changing horizon for healthcare, the
AAPM must be prepared to be active through volunteer effort and financial investment in the future.
I encourage you to carefully consider the value that AAPM represents for your profession and make a
decision for the future by voting for this dues increase.
In closing, I once again want to express my personal thanks to all those AAPM members who give
tirelessly of their time and energy to make the Association vibrant.

NOW AVAILABLE: AAPM Career Services now provides both expert

career advice for job seekers and expert recruitment advice for employers
hiring! Visit the Career Services site (http://www.aapm.org/careers)
and click on left-side Resources navigational links to access this material.

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Ad Hoc Committee of the Board on Dues

Strategy Report
Dharanipathy Rangaraj, Chair

he AAPM has been at the forefront of supporting and promoting the

field of medical physics for more than 50 years. The Association is
involved will all aspects of medical physics: professional, educational,
clinical and research. We are now at a point where there are several
critical tasks that the profession needs which AAPM cannot support at the
required pace because of a lack of funds.
While the AAPM has done an admirable job of developing professional,
educational and safety initiatives over the course of those fifty years, the
recent strategic planning initiative has identified several key projects that will
require additional funding to ensure their completion.
Although the AAPM is looking at several options for obtaining additional funding, a membership dues
increase is the most effective way to generate the additional necessary revenue. Other sources of
revenue do help to support the Associations programs. However, they are insufficient to move necessary
strategic initiatives forward. We must, as Members, help maintain the strength of both our Association
and our profession. The proposed dues
increase of $100 will yield a significant
portion of the additional revenue needed
to carry out needed initiatives. Our dues
have not increased over the past 5 years.
We can no longer stretch them to meet
current needs.
The trend illustrated in the following graph
is obvious: net income has declined four
years running, and is projected to decrease
further in 2012.
Figures 2 and 3 present a summary
of sources of revenue and expenses
Figure 1
anticipated in 2012.
Membership dues
generate only about 18% of total revenue, which is low compared with many other associations.
Professional development activities, including the Annual Meeting, Summer School, and specialty
meetings generate 40%; Medical Physics Journal income, including taxable advertising revenue,
produces an additional 30%.
On the expense side, there are several areas that require significant support, including the Annual
Meeting, Summer School, and specialty meetings; production of the Journal; and the expense of both
governing the Association and maintaining of the headquarters office. Only about 23% of the budget
is available to fund the programs and activities developed by the Councils and Committees.
Some of the projects that are pending or moving at a slower pace than intended due to the lack of
funding include:
Developing Medical Physics Practice Guidelines that will inform Members, administrators, regulators,
and accrediting bodies. The AAPM should assume a leadership role in defining the guidelines
relevant to the practice of medical physics, rather than allowing outsiders to take a leading role.
Developing additional resources to aid in the creation of residency programs. Residency programs
are sorely needed to train and prepare the future generation of medical physicists for certification.
Developing an information exchange infrastructure to share information such as CT protocols, CBCT

AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

continued - Ad Hoc Committee of the Board on Dues Strategy Report

protocols, SRS output data, checklists,
etc.
A formalized information
exchange will provide support and
confirmation to individuals working on
special projects, as well as on routine
work.
Developing (with other societies)
a national event reporting system for
errors and near misses. The AAPM
must be proactive about creating
a national reporting system before
another agency mandates it for us.
By being the author of such a system,
we have the ability to define inclusion
and exclusion criteria, as well as put in
safeguards for privacy. If we dont do
it, at some point another administrative
body will.
Figure 2

These initiatives will have significant direct impact on the AAPM Membership, as well as impact on the
field of Medical Physics. They need to move forward expeditiously. The Membership must be willing to
step up and support the profession that returns so many significant rewards to us.
The proposed dues increase is actually quite small in comparison to some of the trivial things that we
purchase each and every month, and is critical to ensuring that these initiatives move forward. This is
something every Member must consider when it is time to cast a vote this coming summer.
The following is the proposal that will come before the Members in May. It will be discussed at the
Annual Business Meeting in Charlotte and be voted on by the full Membership thereafter.
Institute a $100 increase in dues with an annual increase of 3%
Institute a $50 discount for Members with less than 5 years tenure
The process for implementation:
May 9, 2012 Voting Members
receive notification of proposed dues
increase comments solicited and
forwarded to Secretary
August 1, 2012 - Secretary
presents the proposal at the Annual
Business Meeting and reports on
the comments received. Open
discussion is encouraged.
August 22, 2012 The electronic
voting system opens for all Voting
Members
September 19 Deadline for
submission of votes
AAPM needs your YES vote and the
Association is counting on its Membership
to ensure the continuing health of the
profession. This proposal has the strong
support of both the Board of Directors
and the Executive Committee and
Members are urged to support this
dues proposal.

Figure 3

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AAPM
Executive Directors Column
Angela R. Keyser, College Park, MD
2012 Spring Clinical Meeting in Dallas
have just returned from AAPMs 2012 Spring Clinical Meeting in Dallas,
Texas and I am pleased to report it was a great success! It was nice to meet
many of you who may not normally attend the Annual Meeting. I am proud
of the AAPM HQ Team and the wonderful job they did supporting the many
AAPM volunteers who planned the Spring Clinical Meeting. The meeting drew
in a total of 280 total registrants and 26 exhibitors, with 29 exhibitor tables.
Additionally, the meeting attracted two sponsors, RaySearch Laboratories and
Siemens.

While it may be hard to imagine, plans for the 2013 Spring Clinical Meeting are already underway.
The meeting will be held on March 16 19, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona.
New AAPM Reports
The report of AAPM Task Group 179: Quality assurance for image-guided radiation therapy utilizing
CT-based technologies is now available online at: http://aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_179.pdf
AAPM Task Group 147: Quality assurance for nonradiographic radiotherapy localization and
positioning systems is now available online at: http://aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_147.pdf
Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Programs
This year sixty-one undergraduates competed for five AAPM Summer Fellow positions (SUFP),
plus an additional slot provided by funding from the Southern California Chapter of the AAPM.
The program is designed to provide opportunities for undergraduate university students to gain
experience in medical physics by performing research in a medical physics laboratory or assisting
with clinical service at a clinical facility. In this program, the AAPM serves as a clearinghouse to
match exceptional students with exceptional medical physicists, many who are faculty at leading
research centers. For more information on the program, go to: http://www.aapm.org/
education/SUFP/default.asp
In addition to the SUFP, six
undergraduate students competed
for two AAPM MUSE (Minority
Undergraduate Summer Experience)
(Sponsored by SCCAAPM)
Summer Fellow positions. The MUSE
Anil
Sethi
Paul Leo
program is designed to expose
Mahadevappa
Mahesh
Hannah Ponek
minority undergraduate university
George
X.
Ding
Lauren Rigsby
students to the field of medical
Rob
B.
Mooij
Sean Rose
physics by performing research
Jean
Pouliot
Stephanie Sodergren
or assisting with clinical service at
U.S. institutions (university, clinical
facility, laboratory, etc.). The charge
MUSE Fellows
Mentors
of MUSE is specifically to encourage
Desmond Fernandez
Chris Beltran
minority students from Historically
Omar Orbe-Toledo
Eduardo G. Moros
Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCU), Minority Serving Institutions
(MSI) or non-Minority Serving
Institutions (nMSI) to gain such experience and apply to graduate programs in medical physics.
For more information on the program, go to: http://www.aapm.org/education/MUSE/
Mentors
SUFP Fellows
Dimitre Histrov Hristov
Jaeburn Chung

Students participating in the program SUFP and MUSE programs are placed into summer positions
that are consistent with their interests and are selected for the program on a competitive basis.
Each Summer Fellow receives a $4,000 stipend from AAPM.

AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Editor's Column

Mahadevappa Mahesh, Baltimore, MD

elcome to the 3rd issue of this year. This issue contains a number
of articles updating various activities and issues pertaining to the
Association. I would like to draw your attention to the Ad Hoc committee
report on page 6 regarding the rationale behind the proposed membership
dues increase and I would like to encourage readers to read this article and
respond positively.

In addition to regular columns, this issue contains updates on the upcoming

annual meeting along with AAPM awards information and other reports
including local chapter news. Also featured in this issue are the Persons in
the News six AAPM members who are also members of the American College
of Radiology (ACR) were bestowed as fellows for their service to the college. In
addition, it was a great pleasure to attend this years award ceremony at the ACRAnnual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference where Dr. Richard Morin received the ACR Gold
Medal, one of the highest awards given out by the college each year. Congratulations Rick!
Finally, I would like to congratulate all the recipients of the 2012 AAPM Awards and Honors (pages
16-17). I am looking forward to the Awards Ceremony and Reception in Charlotte, North Carolina.
continued - Executive Directors Column
Election Process online only!
Elections for the 2013 Officers and Board Members-At-Large will open on June 20 and will run
through July 11. Again this year AAPM will use the Bulletin Board System (BBS) during the election
process to allow members to discuss issues of concern with the candidates and the election in
general. The election process will be online only so be alert for email announcements.
Upcoming AAPM Meetings
Looking for a way to engage with medical physicists in your local area? Consider attending a local
chapter meeting. Many chapter meetings offer MPCECs for participating. For a list of meetings, go
to: http://www.aapm.org/meetings/chaptermeetings.asp
The 2012 AAPM Summer School, Medical Imaging Using Ionizing Radiation: Optimization of Dose
and Image Quality, will take place on June 24-29 at the University of California, San Diego
Campus. Make sure to register by May 9th to receive discounted registration fees. Additionally,
two Self Assessment Modules (SAMs) will be included in Wednesdays program (no extra fees).
AAPM offers scholarships in the form of a waiver of tuition for the Summer School. This year,
there were a total of thirteen applications. Congratulations to the five 2012 recipients: Samuel
Brady, Justin Ducote, Ching-Yi Hsieh, Lorretta Johnson and Zhihua Qi. In addition, Capintec
sponsors two $500 grants to assist with other expenses related to the Summer School. Capintec
established these grants to honor the memory of Arata Suzuki, Ph.D., who was part of Capintec for
more than 20 years. Ching-Yi Hsieh and Zhihua Qi are the recipients of the 2012 Suzuki grants.
For details, go to: http://aapm.org/meetings/2012SS/
The AAPM 54th Annual Meeting will be held July 29 August 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The
full meeting program will be available online by May 11. Make sure to register by June 14 to receive
discounted registration fees. Remember, the program organizers have planned a dawn-to-dusk"
program (8:00 AM 6:00 PM) of Educational, Professional and Scientific Programs to allow more
sessions in areas of particular interest with less parallel track overlap.
More information on the 54th AAPM Annual Meeting is available online at: http://aapm.org/
meetings/2012AM/ .

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Professional Council Report

Per Halvorsen, Newton, MA

Spring Clinical Meeting

he first-ever AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting was held from March 17th
to 20th at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Dallas, TX. With two meeting
rooms on the same floor and approximately 250 attendees, the meeting
offered an excellent range of topics relevant to clinical medical physics,
including more than a dozen SAM sessions covering therapy, imaging,
and mammography topics. All told, the meeting followed the strong
example set by the ACMP in past years.

Reminder: Economics Committee provides reimbursement webinars

In January, Economics Committee Chair Jim Goodwin and consultant Wendy
Smith Fuss presented webinars for our members on the 2012 final rules by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (physicians and
outpatient centers) and the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (hospital-based
centers). The slide presentations remain available for download from the AAPM website at
http://www.aapm.org/meetings/default.asp?tab=5#MeetingsPanel. Should you have
any questions or requests for future presentations, feel free to contact Jim Goodwin, or Lynne
Fairobent at AAPM HQ (lynne@aapm.org).
Supervision
As many of you know, the concept of appropriate professional supervision is crucial in clinical
practice. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have defined three levels of
supervision of clinical procedures: General, Direct, and Personal (in increasing levels of involvement
by the senior practitioner). The AAPM has a professional policy (PP-18) which affirms this principle
for clinical medical physics, and CMS makes certain assumptions relative to medical physics
supervision for many billable procedures. Many of our Task Group reports (such as TG-101 and
TG-135) address supervision of specific procedures, but we do not have a concise, cohesive
position on professional supervision that could serve as a foundation for most duties within the
scope of practice of clinical medical physics. Tony Seibert convened an Ad-Hoc committee
on the subject last year, and he provided a good description of the groups charge in the most
recent Newsletter. With the Ad-Hoc committee actively working to prepare its recommendations,
and the professional policy scheduled for review and possible revision this year, we have an
opportunity to address this important principle in a manner that could provide broad guidance for
future Practice Guidelines and Task Group recommendations. If you have specific suggestions or
concerns related to this topic, please contact Lynne Fairobent at AAPM HQ (lynne@aapm.org).
Professional Track sessions at the Annual Meeting
Doug Pfeiffer and Chris Serago have been busy preparing the Professional Track sessions
for the Annual Meeting in Charlotte, and the resulting program contains many presentations
of direct relevance to the professional practice of medical physics. In addition to sessions on
Practice Guidelines in medical physics, there will be sessions on practice management techniques,
ethics in action (case scenarios with panel discussion), journal article review, publishing, Practice
Quality Improvement (part of MOC), and accreditation of clinical programs. Join us in Charlotte
for some very relevant how to sessions!

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May/June 2012

Education Council Report

George Starkschall, Houston, TX

any medical physicists are involved in teaching, either medical physics

students and residents, medical residents, allied health students, or
other populations. One major project of Education Council is to support
these medical physicists through the Educators Resource Guide, This
month I asked Perry Sprawls, who coordinates the development of the
Educators Resource Guide, to describe for you the working of the Guide.
Educators Resource Guide
Perry Sprawls, PhD
The first phase of the new version of the Educators Resource Guide (ERG) is now online at http://
www.aapm.org/education/ERG/ . Revising the ERG is a new project of the Education Council
and is replacing the older resource guide that was available some years ago.
The mission of the ERG is to provide all medical physics educators with identification of and
guidance to a wide range of educational resources to support their educational activities. The
ERG does not publish or host educational materials but serves as a guide and link to existing
resources. These include curriculum guides, study and reference books (print and e-books), links
to educational journal articles, visuals and images for class and conference discussions, online
modules, and a variety of web sites with content that is of value in educational programs.
The Resource Guide is organized by general types of educational programs or activities including
the following: (Note: Active links below connect to sections that have developed content.)

Medical Physics Graduate Education

Physics Education for Diagnostic Radiologists and Residents
Physics Education for Therapeutic Radiologists and Residents
Physics Education for Allied Health Professionals
Public Education

The content of each section is managed by the individual committees of the Education Council that
have responsibilities for the various topical areas. The Medical Physics Education of Physicians
Committee is the first to develop a complete guide, Physics Education for Diagnostic
Radiologists and Residents, in the first phase of the project. Their work is providing an
excellent model for the development of other sections. The objective is to provide information
based on actual experience with the various educational resources. That is the source of much
of the content especially for the section for radiology residents.
All AAPM members are invited to provide comments, recommendations, or requests direct to the
appropriate committees or to the Project Coordinator, Perry Sprawls, using the Feedback tab
on the web site.

The 2012 AAPM elections will open for online voting on

June 20, 2012. The deadline to submit your vote
electronically will be July 11, 2012.
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Legislative and Regulatory Affairs

Lynne Fairobent, College Park, MD

ACR Reaffirms Definition of Qualified Medical Physicist
At the 2012 ACR Annual meeting, the ACR Council passed several resolutions.
Of interest to medical physicists is Resolution 42, Definition of a Qualified
Medical Physicist.

BE IT RESOLVED, That the American College of Radiology adopts the following

Definition of a Qualified Medical Physicist as revised:
A Qualified Medical Physicist is an individual who is competent to practice independently
in one or more of the subfields in medical physics. The American College of Radiology considers
certification, continuing education and experience in the appropriate subfield(s) to demonstrate
that an individual is competent to practice one or more of the subfields in medical physics, and
to be a Qualified Medical Physicist. The ACR strongly recommends that the individual be certified
in the appropriate subfield(s) by the American Board of Radiology (ABR), the Canadian College of
Physicists in Medicine, or the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP).
A Qualified Medical Physicist should meet the ACR Practice Guideline for Continuing Medical
Education (CME).
The subfields of medical physics are*:
Therapeutic Medical Physics
This pertains to (1) the therapeutic applications of x-rays, of gamma rays, of electrons and
charged particle beams, of neutrons, of radiations from sealed and unsealed radionuclide
sources, (2) the equipment associated with their production, use, measurement and
evaluation, (3) the quality of information and images resulting from their production and
use, and (4) associated patient and personnel radiation safety issues.
Diagnostic Medical Physics
This pertains to (1) the diagnostic applications of x-rays, or gamma rays from sealed
and unsealed sources, of ultrasound, of radiofrequency radiation, of magnetic fields, (2)
the equipment associated with their production, use, measurement and evaluation, (3)
the quality of information and images resulting from their production and use, and (4)
associated patient and personnel radiation safety issues.
Nuclear Medical Physics
This pertains to (1) the therapeutic and diagnostic applications of radionuclides (except
those used in sealed sources for therapeutic purposes), (2) the equipment associated with
their production, use, measurement and evaluation, (3) the quality of information and
images resulting from their production and use, and (4) associated patient and personnel
radiation safety issues.
*Previous medical physics certification categories including radiological physics, therapeutic
radiological physics, medical nuclear physics, diagnostic radiological physics and diagnostic
imaging physics are also acceptable.
The ACR shall review all appropriate guidelines and technical standards to ensure that each
contain this definition of Qualified Medical Physicist where indicated; 1996, 2006, amended
2008 (Res. 7).
In addition the ACR Council passed the following resolutions. Copies of these documents will be
posted on the AAPM website.
Resolution 34. ACRAAPM Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance
Monitoring of Computed Tomography (CT) Equipment
Resolution 35. ACRAAPMSIIM Technical Standard for Electronic Practice of Medical
Imaging
Resolution 36. ACRAAPMSIIM Practice Guideline for Determinants of Image Quality in
CSC Digital Mammography
Resolution 37. ACRAAPMSIIM Practice Guideline for Digital Radiography

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Health Policy/Economic Issues

Marilyn Wexler, Santa Monica, CA

Medical Physics Procedure Billing - Getting it Right

his is the second in a series of articles provided by the AAPM Professional

Economics Committee that reviews the use of physics related CPT codes.
These articles will be published in the newsletter periodically.
Qualified Medical Physicists (QMP) are often called upon to evaluate particular
issues with patient care that require their specific expertise. These situations
can arise, for example, with patients undergoing or having undergone radiation
oncology treatments or patients having diagnostic radiology scans or exams.
CPT 77370 Special Medical Physics Consultation is used to report this type of work. Unlike CPT
77336 which covers the ongoing physics support which we provide for patients while they are
receiving radiation therapy, 77370 is used when a patients treatment requires special, in-depth
physics assistance or analysis. Like 77336, 77370 has a technical component only; it provides no
reimbursement to the radiation oncologist.
Examples of tasks that might justify the billing of 77370 include the following:
1. Fetal dose determinations for radiation therapy or diagnostic radiology procedures
2. Calculation of dose to critical organs received through previous external beam or brachytherapy
treatments
3. Image fusion (if actually performed by a QMP)
4. Dosimetric analysis of complex treatment schemes involving multiple modalities such as
photons and electrons or external beam and brachytherapy
5. Direct QMP participation in procedures
that have technical or radiation safety
issues and require physics oversight
6. Review of the treatment plan for a patient
who has a pacemaker or other implanted
medical device
It should be noted that 77370 should not be
used to cover the work associated with IMRT
patient-specific QA. This work is captured in
the IMRT planning code CPT 77301.
In order to bill 77370, physics review or
consultation must be requested by the
radiation oncologist in writing. Our work and
conclusions must also be made in writing
in the form of a report that is signed and y
dated. A simple checklist or template type
document is not sufficient for the reporting
of 77370.
One must be careful in billing 77370 that
the work performed is sufficiently above and
beyond the physics tasks that are normally
included in and reimbursed by other codes.
The current reimbursement for 77370 is
$107.56 under the Hospital Outpatient
Payment System (HOPPS) for hospitalbased departments and $113.35 under the
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS)
which covers freestanding centers.

Unfors Instruments has changed its name to Unfors RaySafe

Continuing to bring you world class solutions for quality
assurance and service of diagnostic x-ray.
Contact us to learn more!
+1 508 435 5600
(866)-4UNFORS
www.raysafe.com

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Therapy Physics Educational Courses

The Therapy Physics Educational Program will feature basic and advanced courses on therapy physics and treatment
practices including VMA, TG-51 calibration, QA/Safety, Monte Carlo, dosimetry of small fields, proton therapy, and
radiobiology for radiotherapy, as well as special clinical procedures including, Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT),
Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT), Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and brachytherapy. Our goal this year is to
promote a more balanced learning experience for all levels of participants including students, physics residents, and
junior physicists as well as more experienced physicists. To this end, the courses such as Review of Radiobiological
Principles of Radiotherapy and Radiation Protection and Radiation-Related Second Cancers are intended to cover
more fundamental and basic radiobiological concepts, while the SAM session on Unsettled Issues in the Radiobiology
of Emergent Technology: Hypofractionation and PET-Guided Treatment Planning is intended to provide a review of
more advanced and emergent topics in radiobiology of radiotherapy.

Diagnostic Imaging Educational Courses

The Imaging Education Program at the 2012 Annual Meeting has been designed to offer practical continuing education
content across all major imaging modalities, to meet the needs of physicists at all stages of professional development.
Session "tracks" include rad/fluoro/tomosynthesis, CT, MRI, NM/PET, US, Mammography, Informatics, and Radiation
Dose Management. Back by popular demand are sessions on radiation risk in diagnostic radiology, Y-90 planning and
dosimetry, and iterative reconstruction. New sessions sure to attract attention include translating CT protocols between
scanners, CT dose monitoring and optimization, MRI testing and accreditation update, MR safety, NM dose reduction,
molecular breast imaging, ultrasound image quality measurements, ACR US accreditation, MicroDose mammography,
QMP requirements for DBT, and implementing Image Wisely, Image Gently, Go with the Guidelines, and TJC SEA 47.
Invited speakers will include Kalender, Yaffe, Kanal, Thomenius, and the "other" Bob Dixon (an interventional radiologist!).

(ARU) INTERACTIVE SESSION TITLES

Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy

State of the Art in Quantitative Imaging in CT, PET
and MRI
Linac-based IMRT/VMAT Commissioning and QA
Program Development
Assessment of Image Quality for the New CT
Medical Physics Ethics in Action
Where Molecular Imaging is Taking Us
Will Proton Therapy Gradually Replace Photon
Therapy?
Treatment Assessment of Radiation Therapy Using
MR Functional Imaging
Transitioning from 3D IMRT to 4D IMRT and Role of
Image-Guidance
Deformable Registration in the Clinic: From
Commissioning to Advanced Applications
Imaging Dose to Patients and Inclusion of Imaging
Dose in Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning
Dosimetry of Small Fields

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NEW FOR 2012!!

SCIENTIFIC SAM SESSION
Joint Imaging-Therapy Symposium
Personalizing Medicine:
Adapting to the Individual
Monday, July 30, 2:00 pm - 3:50 pm
More than 50 hours of educational
courses in medical imaging and radiation
therapy physics will be offered. This will
include SAMS courses for diagnostic,
medical nuclear, and radiation therapy
physicists.
www.aapm.org/meetings/2012AM

AAPM Newsletter

Therapy SAMs

Professional Program Summary

SAM Session 1: Unsettled Issues in the

Radiobiology of Emergent Technology:
Hypofractionation and PET-Guided Treatment
Planning
SAM Session 2: Imaging and Image Processing for
Adaptive Radiotherapy
SAM Session 3: Initiating an IGRT Program
SAM Session 4: Stereotactic Radiosurgery: State of
the Art Technology and Implementation
SAM Session 5: Safety Initiatives in Radiation
Therapy Physics
SAM Session 6: Electron Radiotherapy: Past,
Present, and Future

Imaging SAMs

May/June 2012

SAM Session 1: Dosimetry Basics

SAM Session 2: Y90 Planning and Dosimetry
SAM Session 3: The Role of Physics in Optmizing
CT Protocols
SAM Session 4: Introductory Principles of CT
Dosimetry
SAM Session 5: Upcoming Changes In the ACR
MRI Accreditation Program
SAM Session 6: The 'Nuts and Bolts' of Annual MRI
Physics Inspections
SAM Session 7: ACR MAP Update
SAM Session 8: Digital Breast Tomosynthesis:
Basic Principles and the QMP's Role

Professional Council Symposium -

Medical Physics Practice Guidelines

ABR 2014: Trained for Competence

Economic Topics

Methods in Completing Practice Quality

Improvement (PQI)

Rosalyn Yalow: Contributions and Legacy, A

Memorial Session

Medical Physics Ethics in Action

Practice Management Training

ACR Accreditation: Radiation Therapy

How You Can Be the Speaker and Communicator

Everyone Wants You To Be

JMPSLC Update

Establishing Multidisciplinary Research As a

Medical Physicist

Workforce Survey Update

New Member Symposium

Controlling Your Stress and Your Stuff

International Medical Physics Symposium Examples of AAPM/IOMP International Efforts

International Medical Physics Symposium International Programs and Regulations

Practical Medical Physics Track Highlights:

CT QC Testing
Radiation Therapy Contouring
Overview of the ACR/ASTRO and ACRO Accreditation Programs
Effective Medical Physics Education
PET/CT QA and Acceptance Testing
Accidents and Misadministration
Writing and Reviewing Papers in Medical Physics
Implanted Cardiac Devices
Multivendor SBRT/IGRT

Preparing for the ABR Therapy Exam

Preparing for the ABR Diagnostic Exam

Medical Physics in Federal and State Governments

The Evolving Landscape of Scientific Publishing

AAPM-SEFM-AMPR Joint Symposium

How to Be a Journal Referee

Economics of Light Ion Therapy

Role of Medical Physics in Federal and State

Government

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Congratulations to the recipients of the following

awards, achievements and honors in 2012!
William D. Coolidge Award
is present to:
Stephen R. Thomas, PhD
Marvin D. Williams Award
is presented to:
William Hanson, PhD

Edith H. Quimby Lifetime

Achievement Award
is presented to:
Charles A. Mistretta, PhD
Edward S. Sternick, PhD
Kenneth Vanek, PhD

The following are named Fellows in 2012 for their

distinguished contributions to the AAPM:
Salahuddin Ahmad, PhD
J. Ed Barnes, PhD
Wesley Bolch, PhD
Jerrold Bushberg, PhD
Sha Chang, PhD
Zhe (Jay) Chen, PhD
Indrin Chetty, PhD
Sou-Tung Chiu-Tsao, PhD
F. Chris Deibel, PhD
Robert Drzymala, PhD
Michael Gossman, MS
Steve Jiang, PhD
James Kofler, PhD

Zuofeng Li, DSc

Charles Mayo, PhD
Tariq Mian, PhD
Jean Moran, PhD
Todd Pawlicki, PhD
Phillip Rauch, MS
David Shepard, PhD
Jeffrey Siewerdsen, PhD
Ge Wang, PhD
Ping Xia, PhD
Ying Xiao, PhD
Lei Xing, PhD
Mark Yudelev, PhD

All of the award, achievement and honor recipients will be recognized during the
2012 AAPM Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina at the
Awards and Honors Ceremony and Reception.
Please join us in congratulating all of the recipients:
DATE: Monday, July 30, 2012
TIME: 6:30 PM
PLACE: Ballroom CD

Charlotte Convention Center

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AAPM Newsletter

Farrington Daniels Paper Award

(dosimetry)
is given for:
Comparison of air-kerma strength
determinations for HDR 192Ir sources
by
Brian Rasmussen, Stephen Davis,
Cal Schmidt, John Micka,
and Larry DeWerd
Medical Physics 38,
Number 12/6721

May/June 2012

Sylvia Sorkin Greenfield Paper

Award (non-dosimetry)
is given for:
Ultrasound internal tattooing
by:
Olivier Couture, Magalie Faivre,
Nicholas Pannacci, Avin Babataheri,
Vincent Servois, Patrick Tabeling and
Mickael Tanter
Medical Physics 38,
Number 2/1116

AAPM-IPEM Medical Physics Travel Grant

is presented to:
Laurence Court, PhD

The following members have passed away in the last year:

Bradley Brinkley, MS- Leeds, AL
George Ciangaru, PhD - Houston, TX
Richard G. Lane, PhD - Houston, TX
Charles Lescrenier, DSc - Middleton, WI
Harold Marcus, MA - Butler, NJ
Calvin Myers, PhD - Lees Summit, MO
Patrick M. Stafford, PhD - Albuquerque, NM
Leonard Stanton, MS - Philadelphia, PA
Roderic Steele, PhD - Los Altos Hills, CA
Rosalyn Yalow, PhD - Bronx, NY
Our condolences are extended to their families.
If you have information on the passing of members not listed above, please
inform HQ ASAP so these members can be remembered during the Awards
and Honors Ceremony at our upcoming Annual Meeting. We respectfully
request the notification via e-mail to: 2012.aapm@aapm.org
Please include supporting information so that we can take the appropriate steps.
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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

tg-142 Made Easy

PIPSPro
Software
new version 4.4
PIPSpro consolidates QA workload by incorporating over 30 of the recommended TG-142 imaging
and machine procedures into a single, intuitive platform for database storage, trending and reporting.
New IGRT Module
Easily track and trend daily imaging and treatment coordinate coincidence

1281-27, 03/12 PIPSpro QC Software REF 91310, PIPSpro Comprehensive Software REF 91320

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Geometric distortion, spatial resolution, HU constancy, contrast, noise
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Easily check in-plane, cross-plane and the three dimensional stand offset for
Winston-Lutz test images
Machine QA
Radiation field, light field, jaw position testing and starshot analysis
Visit us on the web!
www.standardimaging.com/pipspro

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

CAMPEP News

William Hendee, CAMPEP President & Chair

ost everyone knows that beginning in 2014, completion of a

residency in medical physics will be required for candidates
wishing to take the certification examination in medical physics
administered by the American Board of Radiology (ABR). What is
less well known is that this requirement was a decision of the AAPM,
not the ABR and not the Commission on Accreditation of Medical
Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP). The residency requirement
beginning in 2014 was decided several years ago at a meeting of the
AAPM Board of Directors. This decision was reached in response to
an ABR statement in 2002 that beginning in 2012, eligibility for ABR
certification would be restricted to physicists graduating from a CAMPEPaccredited graduate or residency program. The AAPM decision to limit
eligibility to physicists completing a residency was subsequently accepted by CAMPEP and the
ABR.
Currently there are two pathways into a residency for individuals wishing to be certified in
medical physics by the ABR. The first is the standard pathway, which requires graduation from
a CAMPEP-accredited graduate program in medical physics with either a masters or doctorate
degree. Accreditation of a graduate program ensures that it provides all of the educational
experiences for students that are considered necessary as a foundation for clinical education
during the two-year residency. Because there are currently more students graduating each year
than there are residency positions available, some graduate programs are establishing hub
and spoke residencies with a core institution serving as the hub for residency education and
satellite institutions serving as spokes for additional clinical experiences. These arrangements
would accommodate students finishing the graduate program and might also provide residency
opportunities for students completing other CAMPEP-accredited graduate programs.
The second pathway into a residency is termed the alternate pathway, and is available only
to persons with a doctoral degree in physics or closely-related discipline (e.g. biomedical or
electrical engineering). Individuals wishing to enter a residency through this pathway must
complete all course requirements outlined in AAPM Report 197S. A maximum of two of the
required courses may be taken during the residency; all others must be completed before the
individual enters a residency program. At this time and effective January 1, 2013, the courses
described in Report 197S can only be provided by a program granted a certificate to do so
by CAMPEP. A CAMPEP-accredited graduate program may be certified to offer the courses by
simply submitting an application to CAMPEP to do so; there is no fee and no site visit is required.
Report 197S courses may also be offered by an accredited residency, but the residency must be
certified by CAMPEP to offer the courses. Certification of a residency to offer Report 197S courses
is a bit more complex, and includes payment of a $1,000 accreditation fee and possibly a site
visit. Specific requirements for a residency offering Report 197S courses are undergoing further
discussion by CAMPEP at this time. Courses or mentored instruction by means not certified by
CAMPEP do not satisfy the requirements of residency eligibility.
It is CAMPEPs intent to provide CAMPEP NEWS in each issue of the AAPM Newsletter so that
medical physicists can stay informed about educational and accreditation matters as we move
through the turbulence of the next few years.

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

ACR Accreditation

Priscilla F. Butler, Senior Director

ACR Breast Imaging Accreditation Programs
ACR Accreditation: Frequently Asked Questions for Medical
Physicists
Does your facility need help on applying for accreditation? In each issue of
this newsletter, Ill present frequently asked questions (FAQs) of particular
importance for medical physicists. You may also check out the ACRs accreditation
web site portal (www.acr.org; click Accreditation) for more FAQs, accreditation
applications and QC forms.
Q.

What is primary source verification?

A.
CMS requires accredited facilities to have a formal procedure to verify the credentials of
their employees. The procedure does not need to be submitted to ACR. However, if ACR or CMS
does a site visit they will expect to see the written (or electronic version) of the procedure. Most
licensing and certifying bodies provide the ability to verify an individuals credentials online. The
following are examples of how this verification can be achieved:
To verify a physicians medical license, facilities should check the physician licensing board in
their state. Example: http://www.mbp.state.md.us/bpqapp/
For physicians, their certification can be verified at the American Board of Medical Specialties
website at https://www.certificationmatters.org/is-your-doctor-board-certified/
search-now.aspx

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Evaluate static and dynamic target localization accuracy
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Assess dosimetric accuracy of temporally modulated
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Tissue Simulation & Phantom Technology

20
AAPM Headquarters

AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

continued - ACR Accreditation

For technologists, they can use their specific certifying agency. Example: https://www.
arrt.org/
For board-certified medical physicists, all board certifications can be verified at the CRCPD
National QMP Registry website at http://www.crcpd.org/QMP/aboutQMP.aspx. ABR
certifications can also be verified at the American Board of Medical Specialties website at
https://www.certificationmatters.org/is-your-doctor-board-certified/search-now.
aspx.
For medical physicists qualifying under the Not Board Certified in Required Subspecialty
criteria, your primary source should be the accredited educational institution granting the
graduate degree in medical physics, radiologic physics, physics, or other relevant physical
science or engineering discipline.

Whats out there that may interest the readers:

Lancet has published a series of articles (7) on Physics in Medicine in the April issue (The
Lancet, Vol 379 No. 9825, 2012 recently, including one titled A call for recognition of the
medical physics profession. The series can be found at http://www.thelancet.com/series/
physics-and-medicine.

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Attention Physicists!
The Time is Now!
Medical Physicists Need to Know How to
Treatment Plan

ARC-EDGE Treatment Planning for Physicists

Physicists Review Plans for Mechanics.
That is NOT enough!
The Plans should also be reviewed Clinically!
Physicists should know the Protocols.
Physicist should know the planning issues and
Provide Guidance for the Planning Team.
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Overworked Planning Team Can Lead to Errors.
Physicists need to be engaged.

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Spring Clinical Meeting Report

David E. Hintenlang, Gainesville, FL

he inaugural Spring Clinical Meeting was held in Dallas, TX, last month.
The meeting ran from mid-day on Saturday March 17 to mid-afternoon
o n Tu e s d a y
March 20. The
Spring
Clinical
Meeting provided
a
wealth
of
sessions on a variety
of clinical topics including
parallel tracks in diagnostic and therapy
physics as well as joint sessions
that discussed topics relevant to the
professional development of medical
physicists. Over half of the sessions
Spring Clinical Meeting - Exhibit area
provided SAMS credits to participants
that either need them for MOC, or just enjoy participating in the real-time feedback of these sessions.
A Young Investigator Session let younger AAPM members share their clinical projects. Sessions
to help develop a successful career path were
well attended. Meeting participants enjoyed the
clinical focus of the meeting and the format that
allows them to minimize time away from their
clinical responsibilities.

Young Investigator finalists: Third place - Sharif Elguindi,

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ - Arizona, Second place
- Steven Jackson, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and First Place - Patricia Judy,
University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA

future years as participants share their positive

experiences from the meeting. Next years
meeting will be held from March 16-19 at a
reasonably priced resort in Phoenix, Arizona.
Take the opportunity to mark your calendars
for the chance to share in the knowledge and
experience of practically integrating emerging
technologies, regulatory and accreditation
requirements into your practice.

The meeting had 280 total attendees for this

inaugural session and is expected to grow in

Spring Clinical Meeting - Therapy Session room

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The Spring Clinical Meeting format was

designed with the needs of clinical physicists
in mind, specifically to provide the opportunity
for participants to glean up-to-date clinical
knowledge from experts and peers in a
concentrated period of time so that they may
maintain a high level of clinical proficiency at their
own institutions. The meeting not only provided
this opportunity, but did so in a convenient and
relaxing environment. With food, shopping, and
ice skating opportunities in one of the largest
indoor malls available immediately adjacent to
the conference rooms, it was easy to meet for
meals with new acquaintances or old friends.

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

New Professionals Subcommittee Report

R. Paul King, Meridian, MS

The New Professionals Resume

hat I have learned from reading resumes, is that reading them is

the best way to learn to write one. After each stack I read, I go back
and edit my own just a little. I recently read through what you might call
a statistically significant sample of new-graduate resumes. Many went
straight into the no stack. The rest I ranked and re-ranked until I was
confident that the person I should hire would be near the top. The resume
readers job is guesswork, that is judging which person will succeed and
best contribute to the organization. The writers job is marketing, that is
making himself seem to be that person.
A new physicist will often under-appreciate the extent to which his resume
is not just a collection of facts, but also an example of his best work. Everyone
knows that content is important, but it is also important that you make your document shine. There are
many good guides to resume design, but you should use them with caution. They often suggest, for
example, starting with an objective statement. This is pointless for new physicists as, when you mail
your resume, this leaves little mystery as to your objective. These guides often advise against including
references on your resume. But, you should definitely include a list of references when seeking your
first job. A good list will include people from both inside and outside the classroom. The best references
will sound objective while saying good and specific things about you.
To succeed, your resume must survive as the readers maybe stack gets shorter and shorter. When
a resume moves from maybe to no, it rarely returns. I encounter many resume shortcomings that
could have been avoided with just a little reflection. Use a clean format that is readable and skims well,
but not the exact format that everyone else is using. Be succinct, using only one page if possible. Be
complete, leaving no large time gaps. Make important facts easy to find and crucial facts can be in
bold. Spelling and grammar are important,
and truthfulness is non-negotiable.
A hiring manager will not often offer
suggestions to improve a resume submitted
for consideration. Have your friends and
colleagues do this for you. Your resume must
also be clear to people who do not understand
our profession, I have seen HR gate-keepers
screen-out superior candidates merely for
using words that were not the exact words
they expected. Do not over-share personal
information that might conflict with antidiscrimination policy, and do not include a
photograph. My own institution now requires
an on-line application that converts resumes
into a form that can be challenging to read.
So, try hard to get your real resume into
the hands of the hiring manager.
Writing a good resume is your first critical
step toward landing the job that launches
your career. Competition is fierce and the
stakes are high. It may seem strange that we
are first judged, as physicists, based on our
skills at self-promotion. But, writing a good
resume is about communicating effectively,
and this is one of the many skills that you
will need to thrive in your new profession.

AAPM New Member Symposium

Tuesday, July 31 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Charlotte Convention Center
Are you a new AAPM member
(joined in the last 3 years)?
Don't forget to select the ticket option for the New Member
Symposium when you register for the AAPM Annual Meeting in
Charlotte.
Following an introduction from the AAPM President, Michael
Woodward of the AAPM staff will provide a crash course on the
AAPM structure and organization, as well as some pointers on
navigating the website. Next will be Dr. Michael Mills presenting
on the current state of the U.S. Medical Physics Workforce and
Residencies.
Registered attendees will receive a raffle ticket -enter to win a complimentary registration for the 2013 Annual
Meeting in Indianapolis!
In addition, all new members who register for the Symposium will
receive a drink ticket, good for one complimentary beer or soda
served at the New Member Symposium during the social with
committee chairs from the 4 AAPM Councils: Science, Education,
Professional and Administrative.

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Southern California Chapter Report

Southern California Annual Midwinter
Workshop
The American Association of Physicists
in Medicine, Southern California Chapter,
hosted its annual Midwinter Workshop
at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los
Angeles, CA, on Friday, January 27, 2012.
We were honored to have President-Elect
John Hazle
(M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center) speak on Future Directions in
Marianne Plunkett
Steven Goetsch
Anil Sharma
Cancer Research: New Roles for Medical
Education Co-Chair
Education Chair
Chapter President
Physicists. Eric Klein from Washington
University, St. Louis, spoke on TG-40 +
TG-100 ~ TG-142. Our northern California neighbor Jean Pouliot from UCSF Medical Center spoke on Rigid
and Deformed Realities of IGRT while Wolfram Laub from Oregon Health Sciences Center spoke on EPID Based
Portal Dosimetry. Mary Fox used her talk from a presentation at AAPM in Vancouver Is There a Woman in
Medical Physics? Local chapter speakers included Shirish Jani from Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego,
Dan Low from UCLA Medical Center and Dick Fraass from Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. A panel discussion on
implementation of California SB 1237 (regulation of dose for CT scanners) included Bette Blankenship from
Sharp Memorial, Michael McNitt-Gray from UCLA and AAPM Chair Tony Seibert from UC Davis.
About 150 people attended the all-day meeting. The meeting was well supported by the participation of numerous
vendors. Seven Continuing Education Units were granted by CAMPEP, MDCB and ASRT. Medical physics and
radiation therapy students
were given complimentary
admission. Photographs of the
meeting are available now at
the chapter web page: www.
aapm-scc.org .
Talks from
each of the speakers are being
collected in Adobe Acrobat
PDF format and will be posted
on the Educational Materials
tab of the chapter web page.
The Midwinter Workshop is an
annual event which has been
held for more than 25 years
and will be held approximately
the same time next year.
Physicists from all over the
country are always welcome
Michael McNitt-Gray (at podium) answers questions with Bette Blankenship, Jerry
to attend.
Hensley and Tony Seibert standing by.

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AAPM Newsletter

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May/June 2012

AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

RAMPS Chapter Report

Jean St. Germain, New York, NY

n January 24, 2012, RAMPS

[Greater New York Chapter of
AAPM] in conjunction with the Greater
New York Chapter of the Health Physics
Society [GNYCHPS] held the Annual
Failla Memorial Lecture at the Faculty
Club of the Weill College of Medicine
of Cornell University.
The lecture was
presented by
C.
Clifton
Ling, Ph.D.,
f o r m e r
chair of the
Department
of
Medical 2012 Failla Honoree, Clifton Ling, with
Physics
at the plaque presented at the Dinner
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and
recipient of the AAPM Coolidge Award and the
Gold Medal of ASTRO. His lecture reviewed
some of the early history of medical physics
and highlighted the seminal contributions of Dr.
Failla.
Five honorees gathered at the dinner (L to R):
Frank Bradley, Larry Rothenberg, Clif Ling, Jean St.
Germain, Naomi Harley

This lecture marked the 50th Anniversary

of this series which honors the memory
of Dr. G. Failla, who was killed in a car
accident while visiting the Argonne
National Laboratory. Dr. Failla recruited
Edith Quimby while head of the Physics
group and that team was responsible for
many innovations in medical physics,
including the development of calorimetry
and regularization of the dosimetry for
low-dose rate brachytherapy. Many of
our senior members will remember Dr.
Quimby as a formidable examiner for the
American Board of Radiology for many
years.

Honoree, Clif Ling, and his wife, Gloria Li, celebrate the Year of
the Dragon with entertainment at the dinner

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

ORVC Chapter Report

Minsong Cao, Chapter President
Report of 2012 ORVC Spring Educational Symposium

he Ohio River Valley Chapter of the AAPM held its Spring Educational
Symposium on the Campus of the Ohio State University at the Blackwell
Hotel Conference Center during the weekend of March 9-10, 2012. The
meeting was highlighted by a Friday Night Out Meet & Greet event, cosponsored by Q Fix Inc. and Velocity Medical Solutions. This social venue
included a poster session on 12 different topics of interest in medical physics
as well as two Elite Sponsor Presentations. The symposium educational
sessions followed on Saturday. The meeting program consisted of one Keynote
Address, one invited educational lecture and 10 student/trainee presentations.
Dr. James Balter of the University of Michigan was invited
to provide the Honorary James G. Kereiakes Keynote Lecture.
The talk entitled The emerging roles of imaging in Radiation
Oncology was a thorough lecture of imaging technologies that
are becoming integrated into current research and clinical practice
in Radiation Oncology with discussions on the potential impact of
imaging as a biomarker for individualized therapy. His colloquium
was followed by a seminar competition on selected research
topics from 10 of our Chapters medical physics students and
residents. A Panel of Judges was appointed to rate each speaker
individually and to select the top three best presentations. Serving
on the panel were Indra Das, Ph.D., FAAPM, FASTRO, FACR, Dr. James Balter (James G. Kereiakes
of Indiana University, Jerome Dare, Ph.D., FAAPM, professor Keynote Lecturer) receiving a plaque
emeritus of the Ohio State University, Nilendu Gupta, Ph.D., from AAPM ORVC Chapter Officers:
President Minsong Cao and Presidentof the Ohio State University, and Matthew Meineke, Ph.D., Elect Chris Allgower
of Hardin Memorial Hospital, Kentucky. The first place recipient
was Ning Cao from Purdue University for her talk on Monitoring the Effects of Anti-angiogenesis
and Re-oxygenation on Radiotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer Xenografts. The second place award
went to Sean Tanny from University
of Toledo for his talk on Small Field
Electron Beam Dosimetry Using Solid
State Detectors on the Surface and in
the Build-Up Region. The third place
was awarded to Ahmet Ayan of the
Ohio State University for his talk on
Feasibility of Using the Irregular Surface
Compensator Feature of the Eclipse
TPS for Total Body Irradiation (TBI)
Treatment Planning. The symposium
Symposium First and Second Place Student Winners (Middle: N. Cao concluded with a special educational
and S. Tanny) and Panel of Judges (From left: I. Das, M. Meineke, lecture entitled Perspectives on the
From Right: J. Dare, N. Gupta)
AAPM/ABR 2014 requirement and the
educational landscape in Medical Physics delivered by the invited speaker, Janelle A. Molloy,
Ph.D., FAAPM of the University of Kentucky. Following the education symposium, the Chapter
Business Meeting was conducted with discussion on future meetings, state regulation support and
the chapter financial report.
The Chapter continued to draw a large turnout to this meeting. There were 96 attendees at the
Night Out event. Attending the symposium were 107 participants including 24 exhibitors. I

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

continued - ORVC Chapter Report

am thankful for the tremendous work of

my colleagues, Chris Allgower of Indiana
University (ORVC President-Elect), Michael
Gossman of Tri-State Cancer Center, Ashland,
KY (ORVC Past President), Michael Weldon
of Ohio State University (ORVC Secretary/
Treasurer), Rebecca F. Richardson of
Louisville Radiation Oncology Center (ORVC
Past Secretary/Treasurer), and Indra J. Das
Symposium Audience
of Indiana University (ORVC Chapter Board
Representative), for their support and dedication to the success and growth of the Chapter as
Officers. Finally, I would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous contributions and
attendance at the symposium:
Platinum Sponsors:
Varian Medical Systems, RIT, Philips Healthcare
Golden Sponsors:
Accuray, Siemens, Elekta, Best-CNMC, Brainlab, PTW New York, iba Dosimetry, Sun
Nuclear, RadiaDyne, ScandiDos, LACO, LAP Laser, Q-Fix Systems (WQFR), CIVCO, BARD,
C-RAD, D3 Oncology Solutions, Velocity Medical Solutions, Modus,
VisionRT, Biocompatibles
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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Persons in the News

Richard Morin receives ACR Gold Medal

r. Richard Morin, past president of AAPM was

one of three to receive the American College of
Radiologys (ACR) Gold Medal on April 22, 2012. The
Gold Medal is the highest honor bestowed by the ACR.
Dr. Morin was the first medical physicist to be elected
President of the Florida Radiological Society and has
served as the Chairman of the ACRs Commission on
Medical Physics and as a member of ACRs Board of
Directors. The other gold medalists were William
Bradley, Jr., MD, PhD and Milton Guiberteau, MD.
The following medical physicists were granted fellowship
in the ACR. Approximately 12% of ACR members
achieve this distinction.
Jerry D. Allison, PhD
Frederic H. Fahey, DSc
John D. Hazle, PhD
Edward F. Jackson, PhD
Andrew Karellas, PhD
Stuart R. Korchin, PE, MS

Dr. Manuel Brown presents the ACR Gold Medal to

Dr. Richard Morin

Dr. Tariq Mian was appointed to the ACRs Council

Steering Committee, which provides oversight of
Council activities. The ACR Council is responsible for
setting the polices of the College.
Dr. Richard Geise replaces Dr. Jim Hevezi as Chair
of the Commission on Medical Physics and Member of
the ACR Board of Directors.

Richard Geise, Jim Hevezi and Rick MorinCurrent and former Chairs of ACR's Commission
on Medical Physics

AAPM Service Project

at the Annual Meeting in Charlotte
Saturday, July 28 9:00am - 12:00 Noon
Deadline to Register: July 11, 2012 (must be 12 or older to volunteer)
Look for the free ticket option when registering for the annual meeting
No on-site registration
Spend three hours sorting food at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina warehouse
in Charlotte. This is an excellent opportunity to catch up with colleagues while you work to
help others.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina provides a regional distribution warehouse and
branches that supply food and grocery items to charitable agencies that assist people in
need.

31
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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging

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32

American Association of Physicists in Medicine

One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740-3846

Editor

Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD

Johns Hopkins University
e-mail: mmahesh@jhmi.edu
phone: 410-955-5115

Editorial Board
Priscilla Butler, MS, Eileen Cirino, MS, Allan deGuzman, PhD,
William Hendee, PhD, Chris Marshall, PhD (ex-officio)
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Please send submissions
(with pictures when possible) to:
AAPM Headquarters
Attn: Nancy Vazquez
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740
e-mail: nvazquez@aapm.org
phone: (301) 209-3390

PRINT SCHEDULE
The AAPM Newsletter is produced bimonthly.
Next issue: July/August
Submission Deadline: June 7, 2012
Posted On-Line: week of July 1, 2012