(Baton Rouge) -- Louisiana State University (LSU) and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (MBP) continue to partner to provide one of the most prominent medical physics programs in the nation. LSU and MBP jointly hosted the Spring Meeting of the Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (SWAAPM) at LSU's Cook Conference Center March 5-6, 2010.
The purpose of the meeting was for regional medical physicists to receive continuing clinical education, to discuss professional issues and to be aware of ongoing research in medical physics.
Dr. Kenneth Hogstrom -- MBP's chief of physics, Dr. Charles M. Smith Chair of Medical Physics in LSU's Department of Physics and Astronomy, and director of its medical physics program -- was the meeting's scientific program director and local host. The program included a research session on medical applications of synchrotron radiation aimed at showcasing the upcoming improvements to the medical beamline at the LSU CAMD synchrotron facility. Its professional session, which focused on medical physics training and the future market demand for medical physicists, included presentations by former president of the American Board of Radiology and current Editor of the leading journal Medical Physics, Dr. William Hendee, and by former chair of the American College of Medical Physics Board of Chancellors, Dr. Michael Mills.
Dr. Brent Parker, MBP, recently elected president elect of the Southwest AAPM chapter, hosted a session on recent experiences with new external radiation therapy machine technology that featured speakers from Mary Bird Perkins and Pennington Cancer Centers in Baton Rouge and the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Dr. Hogstrom hosted a session on the latest in electron beam therapy technology, including bolus conformal therapy, a technology developed under his supervision that recently became commercially available. Dr. Fontenot from MBP hosted a timely session on secondary cancer risks from both diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy procedures.
With four CAMPEP accredited graduate programs in the chapter's geographic area, a Young Investigator's Symposium was held in which 10 medical physics graduate students presented results of their research. Presentations were judged by a panel of senior medical physicists, and the top four papers were be recognized with an award. Two MBP students were recognized with awards - Chad Robertson recieved 1st place honors, while Katey Talbert tied for 4th place.
The 2010 Spring AAPM meeting marks the return of the Conference to Baton Rouge from a highly successful hosting of the meeting in 2006. The Southwest chapter of the AAPM includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.