Following the American Association of Physicists in Medicine's (AAPM) second 2012 Summit, AAPM President Maryellen L. Giger, Ph.D., called for academic institutions, hospitals and private practices to work toward creating more residency programs for medical imaging physics graduates. The summit focused on American Board of Radiology requirements for graduate education that will be implemented for 2012–2014.

"In their future jobs, graduating medical physicists will have various clinical physics responsibilities including the acceptance of imaging systems, performance of quality assurance for image quality and dose," said Dr. Giger. "In order to be trained appropriately, they need not only the didactic training that they receive in their graduate education programs, but also 'on-the-job' clinical experiences similar to radiology residents. They need to work with clinical medical physicists in diagnostic radiology departments and/or freestanding imaging practices. To do so, they need the support of both the department and the institution."

In the past year, the number of therapy residency programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP) increased from 20 to 24, with 12 more under review, Dr. Giger reported. However, the number of CAMPEP-accredited residency programs in imaging only increased from two to three, with only one more under review. AAPM is now working with various academic programs and private practice imaging physics groups to potentially create "hub and spoke" residencies, in which medical physics residents could rotate through different groups to gain experience across a wide range of instrumentation and procedures and to help residencies attain CAMPEP accreditation. The profession needs additional support if it is to achieve a sufficient number of residency slots to accommodate graduating medical imaging physicists, she added.

"It is estimated that approximately 200 master's-level and 100 Ph.D.-level medical physics students graduate per year in this country," said Dr. Giger. "For those who pursue a clinical medical physics career, necessary clinical training via medical physics residency programs needs to be available. It is extremely important to have a strong supply of properly trained, clinically qualified medical physicists to serve the clinical practice of radiology/imaging/nuclear medicine. Thus there is a critical need to appropriately train medical physicists and to make sure all graduates can obtain clinical training via residencies."

Residences could be connected with academic hospitals, clinical practice groups or private imaging groups that could sponsor residents, Dr. Giger noted. AAPM is also developing a Web-based program that will enable residents to track their training and check off requisites as they complete rotation in different departments and centers.

"This need must be recognized and addressed," said Dr. Giger. "We encourage academic institutions, hospitals and private practices to support medical physics residencies, noting that having a resident costs less than someone who might work as an apprentice.

"During residency training, the institution/practice can assess the resident as someone who might be a good candidate for a position later," Dr. Giger continued. "In addition, when an institution/practice does hire a medical physicist who has been through a residency, they will be more confident in the candidate as he/she will have been clinically trained in all aspects of medical imaging physics."

Image Gently Campaign Named to Associations Advance America Honor Roll

The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging has been named to the 2009 American Society of Association Executives' Associations Advance America Honor Roll in recognition of its Image Gently campaign.

The Alliance for Radiation Safety is a coalition of 41 organizations, including RSNA, dedicated to raising awareness and promoting education about radiation protection for children during medical imaging examinations. The Image Gently Web site offers educational materials for practitioners, including protocols for optimizing pediatric CT techniques, and information and tools for parents to keep track of their children's imaging records. For more information, or to join the more than 2,700 providers who have taken the Image Gently pledge, visit imagegently.org.

2009 Editorial Fellows Selected

RSNA has named José María García Santos, M.D., of Morales Meseguer University Hospital in Murcia, Spain, as the 2009 William R. Eyler Editorial Fellow. Samantha Lynn Heller, M.D., Ph.D., of New York University Medical Center, is the Trainee Editorial Fellow.

José María García
Santos, M.D.

Samantha Lynn Heller, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. García is editor-in-chief of Radiología, the official journal of the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM) and serves as an international liaison for the editorial board of the American Journal of Roentgenology. He said he hopes the fellowship will help him promote relationships between Spanish- and English-language journals and enhance the quality of Radiología. "I will dedicate the knowledge and experience gained from this fellowship to increase links between Spanish and English radiologic journalism, help forthcoming editors in Spain, improve education of Spanish-speaking radiologists interested in medical journalism and improve the professionalism of Radiología," Dr. García said.

Dr. Heller brings a unique background in language and the humanities to Radiology and RadioGraphics. She majored in history and literature at Harvard University and completed her doctorate in English literature at Columbia University in New York, focusing her dissertation on changing perceptions of science and technology in Renaissance England. "Over time, however, I found that understanding the cultural implications of science was no longer enough," she said. "I wanted to understand the science itself and this interest ultimately encouraged me to start a career in medicine."

Part of her decision to choose radiology as a specialty came from witnessing the crucial need for a radiologist's insight and expertise prior to a medical decision, Dr. Heller said. "I also loved the idea of always being able to—indeed, needing to—master changing technology which could then be used to improve understanding of disease."

Both fellows will work with Radiology Editor Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., in Boston and RadioGraphics Editor William W. Olmsted, M.D., in Bethedsa, Md. The Eyler fellowship lasts one month and trainee fellowship lasts one week. Each fellow will also visit the RSNA Publications and Public Information Division at RSNA Headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill. During the final weeks of fellowship, Dr. García will work with the RSNA editorial team at RSNA 2009.

For more information about the RSNA Editorial Fellow program, go to RSNA.org/Publications/Editorial_fellowships.cfm.