AAPM Newsletter May/June 2012 Vol. 37 No. 3

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 President’s 37 NO. 3

MAY/JUNE 2012

AAPM President’s Column Gary A. Ezzell, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale

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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

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continued - President's Column fall under Administrative Council, chaired by Melissa Martin. AAPM's efforts to promote licensure of medical physics has been expensive and so far only legislative action in Massachusetts remains viable, and so the Board will be considering how to best reallocate those resources. We have a strong and positive relationship with the Council of Radiation Control Program Directors, and so we will continue working with them to develop the 'Suggested State Regulations' such that qualified physicists are properly required. Professional Council is actively working on Medical Physics Practice Guidelines that will influence accrediting bodies; as additional resources become available we can turn these out more quickly.

Promoting the creation of medical physics residencies is in the domain of Education Council, chaired by George Starkschall. While our field is doing reasonably well on the therapy side, we remain challenged by the lack of imaging residencies. Seed funding of imaging residencies by AAPM is a possibility.

Those are some of the key long-range initiatives that the Strategic Planning Committee will be recommending that the Board support. The magnitude of the financial commitment will depend in large measure on the outcome of the vote on the dues increase. Our budget will remain balanced; whether and how soon these ideas can move beyond the talking stage will hinge on energy, enthusiasm, and money. The Board takes very seriously our fiduciary responsibility to the Association. We need to manage our resources carefully while we position ourselves for the future.

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

Medical 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/ 2

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AAPM Chair of the Board’s Column J. Anthony Seibert, UC Davis Medical Center

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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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AAPM President-Elect's Column John D. Hazle, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

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

To bring you up to speed on a few things that I’ve been involved in during these first few months, I’d 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, I’d like to point out that the topic of residencies in radiation oncology physics was discussed. Interestingly, it turns out that there are only about 90 radiation oncology residents each year. If we make a rule-of-thumb assumption that one physicist is needed for each oncologist, then we are probably not too far off on the number of radiation physics residencies, approximately 80 today, with the equilibrium demand. While AAPM will certainly continue to accumulate and analyze data regarding manpower as it becomes available, it does appear that we are close to meeting those needs today and there is no need to panic about 2014.

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Southwest Chapter meeting in Oklahoma City. First, the local organizing committee put together an exceptionally strong venue to have the scientific sessions, meetings and social event. Second, the program committee put together a diverse scientific program that included presentations by a number of trainees, and the quality of these presentations certainly bodes well for the future of our profession. Finally, Russ Tarver presented information regarding the upcoming vote on an increase in the AAPM dues. It has been almost seven years since our last dues increase and Russ made a strong presentation of how our good stewardship of resources has allowed us to weather the recent financial storm without the increase, but how this continued stagnation of our dues will preclude us from reaching several strategic goals. There was lively discussion, both for and against the change, but in the end a straw poll indicated that about 75% of the attendees were in favor of increasing our dues to make the additional financial resources the Association needs to meet its strategic goals available.

I am also chairing an ad hoc committee to evaluate the way the editors of our four means of communication are compensated. The four publications are Medical Physics, Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics (JACMP), Newsletter and the AAPM web site. Obviously, Medical Physics is the most significant of our publications in terms of its impact on science and our budget. JACMP is an important journal that AAPM absorbed as part of the merger with the American College of Medical Physics. The Newsletter and web sites serve as tools for communicating other types of information to our members and constitute important aspects of our communication plan. The ad hoc committee will work with the oversight bodies of each publication to gather information regarding the editor(s) effort and other

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continued - President-Elect's Column needs of that office, consider the financial impact of the publication to the Association and balance in all the other intangibles that contribute to the value of these publications to the AAPM. In the end, the ad hoc committee will make recommendations to the board through EXCOM regarding how each of these editorial offices should be compensated.

Finally, I want to put in my support for the proposed dues increase. While we have managed to “make due” for the last 6-7 years on stagnant dues, this has been done at the cost of strategic planning and execution. For those that haven’t 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. We’ve 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

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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 Association’s 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

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continued - Ad Hoc Committee of the Board on Dues Strategy Report protocols, SRS output data, checklists, etc.

A formalized information exchange will provide support and confirmation to individuals working on special projects, as well as on routine work.

• Developing (with other societies) a national event reporting system for errors and ‘near misses.’ The AAPM must be proactive about creating a national reporting system before another agency mandates it for us.

By being the author of such a system, we have the ability to define inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as put in safeguards for privacy. If we don’t 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 Director’s Column Angela R. Keyser, College Park, MD 2012 Spring Clinical Meeting in Dallas have just returned from AAPM’s 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.

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While it may be hard to imagine, plans for the 2013 Spring Clinical Meeting are already underway.

The meeting will be held on March 16 – 19, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona.

New AAPM Reports The report of AAPM Task Group 179: Quality assurance for image-guided radiation therapy utilizing CT-based technologies is now available online at: http://aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_179.pdf AAPM Task Group 147: Quality assurance for nonradiographic radiotherapy localization and positioning systems is now available online at: http://aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_147.pdf Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Programs This year sixty-one undergraduates competed for five AAPM Summer Fellow positions (SUFP), plus an additional slot provided by funding from the Southern California Chapter of the AAPM. The program is designed to provide opportunities for undergraduate university students to gain experience in medical physics by performing research in a medical physics laboratory or assisting with clinical service at a clinical facility. In this program, the AAPM serves as a clearinghouse to match exceptional students with exceptional medical physicists, many who are faculty at leading research centers. For more information on the program, go to: http://www.aapm.org/ education/SUFP/default.asp In addition to the SUFP, six undergraduate students competed 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.

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Editor's Column

Mahadevappa Mahesh, Baltimore, MD

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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 year’s 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 Director’s 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 Wednesday’s 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.

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Reminder: Economics Committee provides reimbursement webinars In January, Economics Committee Chair Jim Goodwin and consultant Wendy Smith Fuss presented webinars for our members on the 2012 final rules by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (physicians and outpatient centers) and the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (hospital-based centers). The slide presentations remain available for download from the AAPM website at http://www.aapm.org/meetings/default.asp?tab=5#MeetingsPanel. Should you have any questions or requests for future presentations, feel free to contact Jim Goodwin, or Lynne Fairobent at AAPM HQ (lynne@aapm.org).

Supervision As many of you know, the concept of appropriate professional supervision is crucial in clinical practice. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have defined three levels of supervision of clinical procedures: General, Direct, and Personal (in increasing levels of involvement by the senior practitioner). The AAPM has a professional policy (PP-18) which affirms this principle for clinical medical physics, and CMS makes certain assumptions relative to medical physics supervision for many billable procedures. Many of our Task Group reports (such as TG-101 and TG-135) address supervision of specific procedures, but we do not have a concise, cohesive position on professional supervision that could serve as a foundation for most duties within the scope of practice of clinical medical physics. Tony Seibert convened an Ad-Hoc committee on the subject last year, and he provided a good description of the group’s 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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Education Council Report George Starkschall, Houston, TX

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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. ACR–AAPM Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of Computed Tomography (CT) Equipment • Resolution 35. ACR–AAPM–SIIM Technical Standard for Electronic Practice of Medical Imaging • Resolution 36. ACR–AAPM–SIIM Practice Guideline for Determinants of Image Quality in CSC Digital Mammography • Resolution 37. ACR–AAPM–SIIM Practice Guideline for Digital Radiography

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Health Policy/Economic Issues Marilyn Wexler, Santa Monica, CA

Medical Physics Procedure Billing - Getting it Right

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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 patient’s 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.

.

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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

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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

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Preparing for the ABR Therapy Exam

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Preparing for the ABR Diagnostic Exam

•

Medical Physics in Federal and State Governments

•

The Evolving Landscape of Scientific Publishing

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AAPM-SEFM-AMPR Joint Symposium

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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

• Monthly MV and kV imaging tests Spatial resolution, contrast-to-noise, overall noise • Complete MLC QA Comprehensive, quantitative analysis of MLCs including individual leaf positions, multi-port, leakage and leaf width • Automatic CATPHAN analysis for monthly CBCT QA tests Geometric distortion, spatial resolution, HU constancy, contrast, noise • Stereotactic QA 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

M

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 master’s 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 CAMPEP’s 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, I’ll present frequently asked questions (FAQs) of particular importance for medical physicists. You may also check out the ACR’s 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 individual’s credentials online. The following are examples of how this verification can be achieved: • To verify a physician’s medical license, facilities should check the physician licensing board in their state. Example: http://www.mbp.state.md.us/bpqapp/ • For physicians, their certification can be verified at the American Board of Medical Specialties website at https://www.certificationmatters.org/is-your-doctor-board-certified/ search-now.aspx

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AAPM 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.”

What’s 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!

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Physicists need to be engaged.

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22

AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Spring Clinical Meeting Report David E. Hintenlang, Gainesville, FL

T

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 year’s 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 Professional’s Resume

W

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 reader’s job is guesswork, that is judging which person will succeed and best contribute to the organization. The writer’s 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 reader’s “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

O

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

T

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 Chapter’s 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 Bronze Sponsors: CIRS

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

Persons in the News Richard Morin receives ACR Gold Medal

D

r. Richard Morin, past president of AAPM was one of three to receive the American College of Radiology’s (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 ACR’s Commission on Medical Physics and as a member of ACR’s 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 ACR’s 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.

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AAPM Newsletter

May/June 2012

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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