News Releases
UPCOMING CONFERENCE:
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) 51st Annual Meeting
Anaheim, California, July 26 - 30, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:
Jason Socrates Bardi,
American Institute of Physics,
301-209-3091 (office)
858-775-4080 (cell)
jbardi@aip.org
Sudarshan Chamakuri,
AAPM Media Relations Subcommittee Chair
radiationtherapy@hotmail.com
Washington, D.C. (June 22, 2009) -- Thousands of scientists and health professionals from the field of medical physics will meet at the 51st meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) from July 26 - 30, 2009 in Anaheim, California. They will present the latest technologies in medical imaging and radiation therapy and discuss the ethical and regulatory issues facing those fields today.
AAPM is one of the largest associations of medical physicists in the world. Its membership includes both researchers who develop cutting-edge technologies and board-certified health professionals who apply these technologies in community hospitals and clinics.
The seminars and presentations at the AAPM meeting will cover some of the most interesting topics in medicine -- including new ways of imaging the human body and the latest clinical evidence on treating cancerous tumors with protons, X-rays, and electrons from accelerators. Other topics will include tailoring therapy to the specific needs of people undergoing treatment, such as shaping emissions to conform to tumors or finding ways to image children safely at lower radiation exposures while maintaining good image quality.
Journalists are invited to the AAPM meeting. Registration information appears below. Future news releases in July will highlight presentations of interest to reporters.
RELATED LINKS
- Main Meeting Web site: http://www.aapm.org/meetings/09AM/
- Search Meeting Abstracts: http://www.aapm.org/meetings/09AM/PRSearch.asp?mid=42
- Meeting program: http://www.aapm.org/meetings/09AM/MeetingProgram.asp
- AAPM home page: http://www.aapm.org/
- Background article about how medical physics has revolutionized medicine:
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/538208/
INDUSTRIAL PHYSICS FORUM
For each of the past 51 years, the Industrial Physics Forum (IPF) has brought together industry, academic, and government leaders to examine applications of scientific research to emerging industrial research and development (R&D) activities. This year's IPF is themed, "Frontiers in Quantitative Imaging for Cancer Detection and Treatment" and will be held in conjunction with the 51st AAPM Meeting on Monday and Tuesday, July 27-28.
See: http://www.aapm.org/meetings/09AM/IPForum.asp.
In Anaheim, there will be speakers discussing next-generation DNA sequencers, opto-genetics for brain imaging, and on how accelerator and particle physics enable some of the latest medical applications.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSICS
As part of the Industrial Physics Forum, a "Frontiers in Physics" session addressing some of the most cutting-edge research going on today will feature three speakers:
- Steve Turner of Pacific Biosciences will discuss
single-molecule real time DNA sequencing.
See: http://www.aapm.org/meetings/amos2/pdf/42-12146-24762-371.pdf.
- Joseph Lykken of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will discuss how the same breakthroughs needed to make large high-energy particle accelerators affordable will also make medical linacs smaller and cheaper.
See: http://www.aapm.org/meetings/amos2/pdf/42-12147-68631-764.pdf.
- Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University will report on opto-genetics, a new research field in which light is used to activate neurons in living animals. (No abstract available).
PRESS REGISTRATION
Journalists are welcome to attend the conference free of charge. AAPM will grant complimentary registration to any full-time or freelance journalist working on assignment. The Press guidelines are posted at:
http://www.aapm.org/meetings/09AM/VirtualPressRoom/
If you are a reporter and would like to attend, please fill out the press registration form:
http://www.aapm.org/meetings/09AM/VirtualPressRoom/documents/pressregform.pdf.
Questions about the meeting or requests for interviews, images, or background information should be directed to Jason Bardi (jbardi@aip.org, 858-775-4080).
ABOUT MEDICAL PHYSICISTS
If you ever had a mammogram, ultrasound, X-ray, MRI, PET scan, or known someone treated for cancer, chances are reasonable that a medical physicist was working behind the scenes to make sure the imaging procedure was as effective as possible. Medical physicists help to develop new imaging techniques, improve existing ones, and assure the safety of radiation used in medical procedures in radiology, radiation oncology and nuclear medicine. They collaborate with radiation oncologists to design cancer treatment plans. They provide routine quality assurance and quality control on radiation equipment and procedures to ensure that cancer patients receive the prescribed dose of radiation to the correct location. They also contribute to the development of physics intensive therapeutic techniques, such as the stereotactic radiosurgery and prostate seed implants for cancer to name a few. The annual AAPM meeting is a great resource, providing guidance to physicists to implement the latest and greatest technology in a community hospital close to you.
ABOUT AAPM
The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is a scientific, educational, and professional organization of more than 6,000 medical physicists. Headquarters are located at the American Center for Physics in College Park, MD. Publications include a scientific journal ("Medical Physics"), technical reports, and symposium proceedings.
See: www.aapm.org.
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