Dear AFOMP Colleagues and friends,
Welcome to the first edition of AFOMP PULSE Newsletter in 2025. I would like to thank all our members and my ExCom colleagues for their work and commitment to AFOMP in 2024.
2024 ended up on a high note, with one of the highlights for me being the IOMP School on Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) organized in collaboration with AFOMP in the AFOMP region. It was held from October 5-8, 2024, at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Putrajaya, Malaysia and hosted ~30 attendees from Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and even Mexico. Thanks to our excellent local NCI hosts, participants had access to clinical facilities, lecture rooms, and excellent hospitality. Partnering with Varian, the program offered hands-on training using treatment planning software, generating treatment plans for prostate, breast and head and neck IMRT. The planning sessions were accompanied by a QA session on a linear accelerator at the NCI. The immediate feedback was overwhelmingly positive and currently we conduct follow up zoom sessions to see how the participants are implementing the acquired knowledge in their clinical practice.
The last 2024 meeting of the AFOMP ExCom and Council meetings were conducted face-to-face in Penang, Malaysia, andmany of the ExCom and Council members were fortunate enough to attend the AOCMP/SEACOMP 2024congress in person. AOCMP/SEACOMP 2024 received 380 abstracts and over 500 participants attended – with local hosts lead by Prof Jeannie Wong and Prof Chai-Hong Yeong, delivering a perfect professional meeting with exceptional hospitality (https://www.aocmp2024.com/). Attending in person, enabled us to have in depth discussions with medical physics colleagues in Asia and Southeast Asia to better understand the status of the profession and the support required from AFOMP.
I was honoured to deliver an opening talk of AOCMP 2024 on diversity, equity, and inclusion which are essential to fostering an innovative environment in all areas of science, including medical physics.
AOCMP2024 also presented an excellent video lecture by Professor Dr Youngiyih Han, Korea, who was awarded the 2024 Kiyonari Inamura oration for her services to the AFOMP region. Professor Han played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Samsung Proton Therapy Center and led the integration of IMRT, IGRT, and Tomotherapy systems at the Samsung Medical Center. She has also served as chair of the Asia-Oceania Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group and has served on several committees within the Asia-Oceania Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (AFOMP) and the International Medical Physics Certification Board. She has over 90 peer-reviewed publications and 20 patents that have significantly impacted the field of radiation oncology. Our warmest congratulations to Professor Han.
Please note that the International Medical Physics Week (IMPW) will be held from 5 to 9 May this year and the topics are organized around the impact of artificial intelligence on our fields and health care. Program will be released in near future.
In 2025 we will also run AFOMP elections for the new term of AFOMP officers for the term period of 2026-2028 (the succession of officers usually occurs during the AOCMP). Relevant notification will be sent to our NMO contacts and Council members.
Next year will be equally exciting, with IUPESM World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 2025 preparations well underway.This tri-annual event will be held in Adelaide, Australia from 29/9 to 4/10 2025. Please visit https://wc2025.org/ for details. The exhibition and sponsorship packages have been launched (https://wc2025.org/sponsor-exhibitor/). Abstract submissions opened in September, with 27 determined tracks (https://wc2025.org/abstract-submissions/). Efforts are being made to provide student-friendly accommodations and secure travel grants for participants. The Local Organizing Committee aims for 30% of participants to be from low- to middle-income countries and 25% to be students.
Our confirmed plenary speakers include Prof Simon Cherry (UC Davis, the whole-body PET CT co-inventor), Dr Marian Sowa, Deputy Director of the Science Directorate, NASA and Jitendra Sharma, Managing Director and CEO of the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), one of world’s largest medical technology manufacturers, Prof Fiona Adshead, the chair of the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition that inspires partnerships and action on sustainable healthcare and past Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Director General in the UK Government, Director of Chronic Disease and Health Promotion at the World Health Organisation and more.
Lastly, none of the AFOMP activities and successes would happen without you – our members, wherever you are around the globe. Your continued support and and active participation in AFOMP events and activities are essential for the growth of the profession and improving the standards of education and training around the world.
Wishing you all the best in 2025
Eva Bezak
President, AFOMP
