AAPM and the CONTRIBUTIONS of MEDICAL PHYSICISTS

AAPM AAPM and the CONTRIBUTIONS of MEDICAL PHYSICISTS he American Association of Secretary/Treasurer until, in 1969, Note that videos of all presentations TPhysicists in Medicine was an Administrative Office was made at these and many other founded in 1958 with 132 Charter established at the American Institute AAPM scientific and educational Members, increasing to over 9,000 of Physics in New York City. It meetings are available free to today. remained there, with a brief interlude members and, after an embargo of when it was relocated one year, to all medical physicists to a management worldwide. firm in Chicago, On the international level, AAPM until 1992, when has administered an International AAPM established its Scientific Educational Program series own Headquarters of over 30 courses delivered in low to at the American middle income countries. Center for Physics in College Park, MD. Publications Then, in 2016, the AAPM publishes two scientific Headquarters moved journals: Medical Physics and the to its current location open-access Journal of Applied in Alexandria, VA. Clinical Medical Physics. Other publications include over 150 Temporary Articles of Incorporation Scientific and Educational Reports, many of which define the were approved in 1958 and later Activities practice of medical physics in the US and have strongly influenced amended in 1965 to the current Initially, from 1959–1969, Annual practice at the international level, version, which gives the following Meetings were held in conjunction since all AAPM Reports are freely purposes of the association: with the RSNA General Assembly available to medical physicists • To promote the application of in Chicago. After this time, worldwide. There is also a series physics to medicine and biology. independent Annual Meetings were of about 40 Monographs, most of established with the first being held • To encourage interest and which are the Proceedings of AAPM in Washington, DC in July, 1970. All training in medical physics and Summer Schools, a series of freely Annual Meetings since have been related fields. available Medical Physics Practice held in the summer, with semi-annual • To prepare and to disseminate Guidelines, and a bi-monthly meetings continuing along with the technical information in medical members-only AAPM Newsletter. RSNA in November/December. physics and related fields. Annual Summer Schools started in Initially, AAPM’s administrative 1969 and Spring Clinical Meetings in services resided with the 2012. AAPM MISSION: Advancing medicine through excellence in the science, education and professional practice of medical physics. Scientific Contributions of Medical Physicists Some of the AAPM members who have made significant contributions include: | Edith Quimby | John Laughlin | Allan Cormack She is the world’s first female medical In 1953, he pioneered computerized In 1963, he published the first physicist, who introduced film- treatment planning. demonstration of computerized badge dosimetry by cutting X-ray tomography’s (CT) ability to determine film into strips, covering them with | Harold Johns the inner structure of an object from black paper and distributing them attenuation line integrals through the among radiological personnel. She object. In 1979, he was awarded the also was the first to devise ways to Nobel Prize in Medicine, along with Sir arrange radium sources and calculate Godfrey Hounsfield. doses and dose distributions for brachytherapy. | Paul Lauterbur | Donald Kerst In 1951, he developed the first Co-60 teletherapy machine (shown here demonstrating a Co-60 unit to Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon). He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 1998. In 1973, he published the first image | Rosalyn Yalow from a magnetic resonance (MR) He developed the betatron which, system. In 2003, he was awarded the in 1948, was adapted for cancer Nobel Prize in Medicine, along with Sir radiotherapy by a team that included Peter Mansfield. medical physicists Gail Adams and John Laughlin. | Willi Kalender | Gail Adams She developed the radioimmunoassay technique used to quickly and precisely measure concentrations of hormones, vitamins, viruses, enzymes, drugs, and many other substances. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in He developed spiral CT, which is Medicine in 1977, the second woman used worldwide for the diagnosis of He was the first President of AAPM and to ever receive this award. many clinical conditions (shown here the first Editor ofMedical Physics. receiving the Coolidge Gold Medal Award from AAPM President Maryellen Giger in 2009). AAPM.

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