At the COMP ASM 2024, a presentation titled "Levelling the Playing Field: Access to Resources for Medical Physicists Everywhere" highlighted the initiatives and progress of Medical Physics for World Benefit (MPWB). The presentation focused on MPWB's vision, mission, and recent activities.

Key Points from the Presentation:

1. MPWB Vision and Mission:

   - Vision: A world with access to safe and effective applications of physics and technology in medicine.

   - Mission: Support the effective and safe use of physics and technologies in medicine, especially in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) through education, training, mentoring, and collaboration.

2. Organizational Structure and Leadership:

   - Founded by Jacob Van Dyk and co-founders Yakov Pipman, Jerry White, David Wilkins, Parminder Basran, and Robert Jeraj.

   - Current Board of Directors includes: Tomas Kron (Australia), PresidentAfua Yorke (USA), President-elect

John Schreiner (Canada), Past-President

Nancy Barrett, Advisor, CEO

Monique Van Prooijen (Canada), Secretary/Treasurer

Navid Khaledi (Canada), Director of Communications

Eduard Gershkevitsh (Estonia), Director of Fund Raising

3. Support for LMICs:

   - Focus on individualized education, training, and mentoring.

   - Emphasis on building long-term relationships and providing nimble assistance and consultation.

4. Membership Growth:

   - Significant increase in membership from 244 in 2022 to 561 in 2024, demonstrating the growing global reach and impact of MPWB.

5. Webinar Series:

   - MPWB has hosted numerous webinars covering topics like radionuclide dosimetry, high dose rate brachytherapy, and the impact of COVID-19 on medical physics practice.

6. New MSc Program in Kenya:

   - In collaboration with Academic Without Borders (AWB) and Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST), MPWB assisted in developing a new MSc in Medical Physics program in Kenya.

   - The program was approved by MUST and is awaiting full approval from the Kenyan Commission for University Education (CUE).

7. Virtual Mentorship Program:

   - MPWB aims to establish a sustainable mentorship program with defined goals, performance metrics, and global reach.

   - Initial efforts are focused on developing policies and matching mentors with mentees.

8. Other Key Projects:

   - Participation in the first Jamaican Association for Physics in Medicine sponsored Caribbean Conference.

   - Collaboration with training programs in Argentina and coordination with the Federation of African Medical Physics Organizations (FAMPO) to enhance medical physics training in Malawi, Zimbabwe, and beyond.

9. Open Syllabus Project:

   - Addressing the need for accessible, high-quality educational resources for medical physics residents in LMICs.

   - Development of an open syllabus capturing core competencies and linking to online educational resources.

2024 MPWB session COMP penult.pdf

The Medical Physics for World Benefits (MPWB) initiative announces the offering of awards to provide access to the educational, professional, and scientific resources of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) 66th annual meeting, scheduled for 2024. The primary objectives of this initiative are twofold: to enhance access to high-quality resources for medical physicists from low and middle-income countries (LMIC), and to foster the advancement of medical physics within their respective nations.

Successful applicants will receive a complimentary registration granting access to the content of the AAPM 66th annual meeting, accessible on-demand. Recordings of sessions will be available on the meeting platform, with post-session availability for up to 24 hours. Registrants will retain access to all recordings for one year following the event, facilitating flexible viewing.

To be considered for the award, interested individuals must complete and submit the online form "APPLICATION FORM MPWB sponsored AAPM".

The application deadline is June 7th, 2024. Applicants must meet specific criteria, including residing and working as a medical physicist in an LMIC, possessing a minimum of two years of relevant work experience, and demonstrating a need to attend the meeting.

Evaluation of applications will prioritize active members of MPWB, medical physicists from the lowest income countries according to World Bank data, and those who have not previously received the award. Additionally, consideration will be given to achieving geographical diversity and gender balance among awardees.

The number of awards granted will be limited, with successful applicants notified of their selection by July 8th, 2024. Registration for the AAPM meeting will be completed by July 15th, 2024, ahead of the meeting's commencement on July 21st, 2024.

For more information and to access the application form, visit https://w4.aapm.org/meetings/2024AM/ or contact MPWB at medphyswb@gmail.com.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11aXK6P-KS3C205Kv-cc10OgSLVHElYgJ/view

Sincerely,

The MPWB Team

Register: https://buff.ly/3Q02VIX  

Dr. John L Humm is attending physicist and chief of the molecular and X-ray imaging physics service at Department of Medical Physics and Radiology of Memorial Solan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Tuesday, 23rd April at 9:00 am EST(15:00 CET)

Speaker: Dr. John L Humm (USA)

Moderators: Sarah Ashmeg and Arjit Baghwala

Register: https://buff.ly/3Q02VIX  

Speaker: Dr. Peter Sandwall (USA)

Moderators: Sarah Ashmeg and Lindsey Bloom

Please register:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5zf3qflOSZ-F3AoiDBPxIg

Peter Sandwall, PhD DABR is a clinical physicist at OhioHealth in Mansfield, Ohio. A first generation Bolivian and second generation Swede, Dr. Sandwall has family in La Paz and Stockholm. This global perspective motivates him to maintain engagement in Global Health endeavors with ongoing projects in Latin America and West Africa. Dr. Sandwall serves on the board of trustees for Radiating Hope, is an active independent consultant, and instructor at his local community college. He is passionate about his family and helping others.

 The IAEA consistently supports the safe use of nuclear science to enhance global health including medical imaging; however, proper training, equipment management, and an inclusive workforce are essential to maximize its benefits and ensure the highest levels of quality and safety.

The Women in Nuclear IAEA Chapter is organizing this hybrid event with distinguished guest speakers. The event seeks to emphasize the importance of medical imaging in health, advocate for skilled training and diverse human resources, promote gender inclusivity in the profession, and encourage collaboration across various entities to bolster these goals.

Event Date: 2 November 2023
Event Time: 13:00 – 14:00 Hours Vienna time

Venue: Board room A, M-building, 2^nd floor & online via WebEx: https://shorturl.at/moyA5

Dear MPWB Community,

We recognize these recent weeks may have been difficult for our community, and we know that they have also been deeply painful for some friends and members of our community. The MPWB board expresses its utmost rejection of violence in any form, especially those directed at innocent civilians.

Our mission is to support activities that will yield effective and safe use of physics and technologies in medicine, especially in low to middle-income countries. Core values of MPWB include "Spirit of Collaboration" by aiming to work together with professional colleagues and partner agencies and organizations, and "Mutual Respect" by considering local circumstances, customs, and cultural diversity.

In stressful moments like this, MPWB encourages us all to embrace our shared humanity, be supportive of one another, and work together to improve access to healthcare, particularly for those on earth who need it most.

Sincerely,
Tomas Kron

MPWB President

Did you know that MPWB hosts regular webinars?

Our latest one, features Navneeth Hariharan as he reviews the key elements of TG-100 and Risk-Based Quality Management with a focus on radiation oncology.

Navneeth is a seasoned clinical physicist with over a decade of experience in the field. He has made significant contributions to the medical community as an active AAPM volunteer and a member of the working group on Implementation of TG100. He also serves as an ACR ROPA surveyor and volunteer at the ABR. Prior to his career in healthcare, Navneeth earned a degree in Industrial Engineering, bringing a unique perspective to his work as a medical physicist. Currently, he works at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard medical school teaching hospital in Boston. His passion lies in improving patient safety and refining clinical processes through innovative projects.

Link to his and other invited webinars here. 

• Donate to any charity in Canada this June to automatically have a chance to WIN $20,000 during the Great Canadian Giving Challenge. Every $1 donated counts as an entry for your favorite charity to win! Please visit  https://www.canadahelps.org/en/givingchallenge/?gclsrc=aw.ds to learn more.

• Are you going to the AAPM ASM in Houston? Do you like meeting people? Are you as passionate about helping people in low to middle-income countries access high-quality healthcare as much as we are? Then join us! We are looking for volunteers to station our booth at the AAPM. Join us, spare a few hours, and meet other MPWB members. Please get in touch with psb92@cornell.edu if you can spare an hour or two during the meeting.
• We are pleased to host an information meeting at the AAPM ASM! Details are Tuesday, July 25, 12:15-1:45, Room 350D in the George Brown Conventional Center. Learn more about our projects and meet some of our volunteers and board members! If you cannot, drop by our booth in the exhibition area!

• MPWB once again received great interest from Medical Physicists in low to middle-income countries expressing an interest in attending the AAPM ASM virtually. We are currently reviewing applications and hope to alert applicants soon on their status.  
• Last year, we were able to secure funds for approximately 40 medical physicists to attend, and this year our numbers look relatively the same.