Seminar

Medical Physics Seminar – Monday, November 6, 2017

Clinical Applications at Gunderson Medical Physics

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John Wochos, MS, DABR; Casey Abing, MS, DABR; and Mary Ellen Jafari, MS, DABR (hosted by Dr. Larry DeWerd)
Gunderson Health System, LaCrosse, WI - USA

A discussion of the implementation of Medical Physics at Gundersen will be given.

John Wochos will discuss Gundersen’s implementation of AAPM Task Group 100. Radiation Oncology Department Safety – it’s more than radiation. The Clinical Medical Physicist plays a lead role in department safety that can extend beyond our normal training. I will demonstrate how our department implemented some aspects of AAPM’s TG100 recommendations.

Casey Abing will discuss a process for implementation of new technology: results from Gundersen annual safety initiative. A process for implementation of new technology – can a physicist learn “soft” skills? Technology within the field of Radiation Oncology changes at a rapid pace, and adopting this technology in an expedited fashion can often lead to confusion amongst staff and unsafe treatment scenarios for patients. It often falls to the clinical physicist to lead the implementation of these projects, and create an environment where staff can have effective communication, proper education and prove competent with new processes and/or technologies. Part of the physicist leading the implementation is learning to transition from “hard” skills to “soft” skills and understand how different staff member perceive these changes.

Mary Ellen Jafari will discuss Radiation Safety Considerations in Y-90 Radioembolization.

The clinical medical physicist plays an important role in transarterial radioembolization (TARE) procedures in Interventional Radiology (IR) in which Yttrium-90 labeled microspheres are used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic metastases. Topics addressed include Y-90 characteristics, dose preparation and administration, personnel safety, radioactive waste handling, and post-procedure patient safety considerations.

Location: 1345 HSLC (Health Sciences Learning Center), 750 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705 - USA

Time: 4-5