Unencrypted login | home

Program Information

Program Information

New for the 2013 Program:

  • Special Ultrasound Symposium (Monday - Tuesday, August 5 - 6)
  • Expanded SAMS offerings.
  • New session formats, including debates and panel discussions.
  • Increased dawn-to-dusk content in scientific and educational tracks.
  • Scientific symposia featuring increased interactive content.
  • The Professional Track will have a proffered paper session.

The following topics will be offered during the meeting:

Imaging Track

The 2013 Imaging Track explores both near- and far-term directions of medical physics research and innovation. These directions include: Estimating risk for low radiation doses, virtual validation tools for x-ray breast imaging systems, as well as advanced imaging methods for breast cancer. Additional topics include advances in models of image quality, nanotechnology & molecular imaging, and multi modal imaging for therapy response. These sessions will explore the state of the art and also show some of the directions that our scientific envelopes are being pushed towards.

Therapy Track

The 2013 Therapy Track will showcase the current hot topics in therapy with a focus on medical physics research and innovation. Symposia will include thefollowing general topics: accuracy requirements and uncertainties in modern radiation therapy, automation in clinical procedures, intensity modulated proton therapy, novel dose calculation methods, safety processes, and new therapy applicationsbeyond external beam radiotherapy or traditional brachytherapy.

Joint Imaging-Therapy Track

The 2013 Joint Imaging-Therapy Track will feature exciting topics highlighting the collaborative efforts between imaging and therapy medical physics. This track will include the following topics: a lively interactive session on the future of medical physics, the impact of OMICs on medical physics research, MR guidance in radiotherapy, and advanced applications in deformable image registration and proton range uncertainty.

Educational Course - Imaging Track

The Imaging Education Program at the 2013 Annual Meeting has been designed to meet the continuing education needs of physicists at all stages of professional development and this year course content has been balanced to meet both clinical and basic educational objectives of attendees.  In addition to 8 hours of SAM session programming there are “back to basics” sessions on advances in instrumentation in digital radiography, CT, and PET/MRI and Informatics courses on the role of informatics in imaging system acceptance and an update on the status of the DICOM structured dose report standard.  New also this year is an all-day Imaging Education Symposium on Wednesday entitled “The Management and Reporting of Imaging Procedure Dose”.  The strong line-up of Imaging Education course content throughout the annual meeting program culminates with new sessions on Thursday on lens of the eye dosimetry, parallel imaging in MRI,  and imaging artifacts in projection radiography.  The latter session will be followed by an “Image Clinic” outside the meeting room where attendees can bring their “problem” images for diagnosis by the experts.

Educational Course - Therapy Track

The Therapy Physics CE series will feature a total of 31.5 hours of educational lectures.  The emphasis of the program will be on safe and effective use of new technologies addressing the current issues in clinical practice. The program is designed to address the broad educational needs of our membership and will include topics in SRS, SBRT, IGRT, IMRT, VMAT, QA and safety, brachytherapy, electron and proton therapies as well as radiobiology.  The program will feature six SAM sessions spanning over the entire meeting program and several new courses including ‘Evaluating benefits and challenges of multi-modality co-registration, " Quality Control of Lung SBRT: Minimizing Uncertainties from Simulation to Treatment,” and "Safety Improvement through Incident Learning".  Some highly popular subjects such as Small Field Dosimetry and Electron Therapy will also be available along with new subjects such as Plastic Scintillators and Imaging Needs for Proton Therapy.

New development for the 2013 annual meeting program is two live point and counter point debates for subjects including Proton Therapy versus Heavy Ion Therapy for the Future and Brachytherapy versus External Beam Therapy for Accelerated Partial Breast RT as moderated by none other than Colin Orton. These debates will provide an instructive yet enlightening humor with a unique opportunity for audience participation.

Practical Medical Physics Track

The Practical Medical Physics Track offers presentations of use and interest to the practicing medical physicist.   Topics for 2013 include four newly-published AAPM Task Groups reports (two imaging, two therapy); statistics, error analysis, and uncertainty; grantsmanship and funding; treatment planning system management; installing and commissioning new equipment; CT tools and protocols available through AAPM; elements of a highly effective educational session; total quality management; and a continuation of the popular session on contouring guidelines for therapy.

Professional Track

TheProfessional Track continues to grow in depth and breadth to keep our membersabreast of the latest professionally-related developments. Topics this yearcoverboth clinical and research aspects of our profession. Among other topics, to be included inthe track is:PQI, DOT Shipper Training, RSO Refresher Course, ABR Update and Exam Preparation, Practice Guidelines, Economics, Publishing, Radioactive Materials Increased Controls, Practice Guidelines, and the Second AnnualInternational MedicalPhysics Symposium.

Science Council Session

Topic: Multi-Modality Imaging in Radiation Therapy: Planning, Guidance, and Assessment of Treatment Response

The Science Council Session includes proffered abstracts on a topic at the cutting-edge of medical physics research, presented in a special, high-visibility proffered oral session. For the 2013 Annual Meeting, the Scientific Program invites abstract submissions on the application of advanced, combined (two or more) multi-modality imaging for radiation treatment planning, guidance, or assessment of therapy response.   Potential image modalities and techniques incorporated at clinical and molecular scales include: structural and physiological kV/MV CT and  kV/MV CBCT; structural and biofunctional MR FDG and non-FDG PET-CT, SPECT, ultrasound, and optical imaging; 4D imaging; the use of targeted or nanotechnology contrast agents and radioligands; and novel hardware and software systems for multi-modality image fusion/registration, automated and quantitative image interpretation, and biophysical modeling of treatment and response. Scientific results for both pre-clinical and clinical studies are encouraged, as is the use of molecular imaging techniques combined with clinical imaging modalities.

Competitive abstracts will include the use of two or more imaging modalities in complementary or coupled fashion within or across the processes of radiation treatment planning, guidance, or assessment of therapy response.  The coupled use of two or more imaging modalities must be clearly presented and integrated within the scope of work.

Criteria for abstract evaluation include novelty of the combination of image modalities and/or applications, their complementary nature, and level of integration.  In addition, the impact and contributions to improved fidelity, quality, efficiency and efficacy of radiation treatment, image-based decision-making, and ultimately, patient response and prognosis will be used in the evaluation.

Innovation in Medical Physics Education

The Education Council of the AAPM is sponsoring a session to honor and publicize Innovation in Medical Physics Education. AAPM members are invited to submit a description of innovative medical physics educational activities for radiology residents, radiation oncology residents, medical physicists, technologists or others. The abstract can be scientific research, novel teaching strategies – team teaching or adult learning efforts, novel educational materials – lectures, websites, or other innovations.

The top six submissions will be invited to present their abstracts at the session during the Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. Each speaker will be allocated 15 minutes. The top presenting abstract will be presented a plaque and a $2,000 prize. The Award for Innovation in Medical Physics Education made possible by a generous bequest of Harold Marcus.

How the Meeting is Organized

Information currently not available. Please check back for details on this item.

How the Sessions are Defined

Information currently not available. Please check back for details on this item.

Special Recognitions & Acknowledgements

Information currently not available. Please check back for details on this item.