Each year more than 4,000 professional medical physicists from around the world gather for the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Conference to present research and attend workshops and review courses. This summer, UT medical physics students Nicholas Sperling, Bhoj Gautam, Ian Gordon and Xiance Jin attended the conference in Anaheim, Calif., to present their research.

From left, PhD candidate Nicholas Sperling; Toledo Radiation Oncology Physician Group members Dr. John Feldmeier, professor and chair of radiation oncology, Dr. Ishmael Parsai, professor and director of the graduate medical physics program and chief of medical physics, and Dr. Faheem Ahmad; and PhD candidates Xiance Jin and Bhoj Gautam

Dr. Ishmael Parsai, professor and director of the graduate medical physics program and chief of medical physics in the Radiation Oncology Department, also attended the conference as both a mentor to the students and a professional in his field.

The four students received financial support from the Toledo Radiation Oncology Physician Group to attend this conference and meet other medical physicists from around the world.

The group presented six abstracts with supporting materials at the conference, and all six were published in the June issue of the Journal of Medical Physics. Their presentations covered a wide range of medical topics related to an advanced radiation detector system technology (patented at UT), a new treatment modality for prostate cancer (another UT patent), a novel technique in treating superficial cancer lesions using the high dose rate Iridium-192 source, radiation dosimetry, and treatment technology, among others.

In addition to his attendance at the conference, Parsai was one of two U.S. delegates sponsored by the AAPM to attend the World Congress in Medical Physics in August in Munich, Germany. Parsai’s work in advancing the global education of medical physicists was recognized, and he was presented with a plaque in one of the plenary sessions.

As the ninth-year editor of the Medical Physics World, the official bulletin of the International Organization for Medical Physics, Parsai was among more than 5,000 participants from around the world to attend this congress.

Medical Physics World is produced at UT and reaches 18,500 members in 82 countries worldwide.

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