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General
In order to promote the exchange of scientific information for the advancement of the medical physics field at the international level, the AAPM has established a program whereby AAPM members may serve as Exchange Scientists. The host institutions may be universities, colleges, medical institutions, national laboratories, agencies or health ministries of the host countries. It is expected that activities of the Exchange Scientist reflect a true scientific exchange endeavor and will be carried out without any financial support from the AAPM. The idea here was to establish a clearinghouse of AAPM members who might serve as Exchange Scientists.
The scope of the program has been broadened to facilitate shorter visits with a simplified version of the process.
Procedures
1. A written request by the host institution for an Exchange Scientist must be submitted to the Exchange Scientist Program Subcommittee (ESPS) of the International Affairs Committee (IAC).
2. The ESPS will establish a pool of Qualified Exchange Scientists with a desire to visit the specified countries. Medical physicists interested in participating in the Exchange Program must be full members of the AAPM, board certified by the ABR (or equivalent such as the ABMP and CCPM) in the field of their expertise, and have a minimum of 5 years of research, clinical or teaching experience in Medical Physics.
3. The request from the host institution may be for a specific individual, or if not specified, for any person selected from the pool of Qualified Exchange Scientists.
4. The ESPS will match a request of the host institution with an individual in the pool and make the appointment. The assignment period is usually one to two weeks but may be shorter or longer depending on the needs of the host institution and the availability of the exchange scientist. The appointed person will be given the title of "AAPM Exchange Scientist" and provided with a letter from the AAPM President to this effect.
5. All financial arrangements, if any, are to be made directly between the requesting host institution and the appointed Exchange Scientist. Neither the AAPM, its members, nor its officers are liable for activities associated with the Exchange Scientist.
6. After the visit, the Exchange Scientist will submit a brief written report within 6 months to the ESPS describing the scientific activities. The report should include other information useful to future Exchange Scientists and/or the Exchange Program, such as names of key physicists from the host country, recommended follow-up, travel concerns etc.
7. A simplified process is established for short visits (half-day or 1 or 2 days). The scenario of these visits is typically a side-visit that the Exchange Scientist has arranged to make during a longer visit to the region such as a vacation or conference trip. The ES should be on the existing ES pool list, but the host hospital does not have to have a submitted letter before the visit. The ES makes all the necessary arrangements. The ES completes a short report and submits it to the Chair of the ESP subcommittee after the trip. No official letter from AAPM will be provided to the ES, but the ES could use the ES designation when contacting the Host hospital. The purpose of this simplified process is to encourage AAPM members to establish contacts during the trips, which might lead to more substantial projects as the original ones intended for in this program.
8. The Chair of ESPS to report to the IAC.
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