INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL PHYSICS WEEK (IMPW) 2025

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AI vs. Human Expertise in X-ray Dosimetry


Monday, 5 May 2025 at 12 pm GMT; Duration 1 hour

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Organizer: Prof. Dr. John Damilakis, IOMP President

Panelists: John Damilakis, M. Mahesh, Madan Rehani

Abstract:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming medical imaging and dosimetry. However, the role of human expertise remains critical for the accurate, safe, and ethical application of AI-driven tools. This debate, AI vs Human Expertise in X-ray Dosimetry, will critically examine the strengths and limitations of AI in medical X-ray dose estimation, dose optimization, quality assurance, and clinical decision-making. Panelists will identify the key advantages AI offers in dose estimation and optimization, recognize the potential risks, biases, and interpretability challenges associated with AI-driven dosimetry, discuss the irreplaceable contributions of human judgment, and explore strategies for integrating AI-powered dosimetry into clinical practice.

Learning Objectives:

  1. To understand the capabilities of AI in X-ray dosimetry
  2. To analyze the limitations and challenges of AI in X-ray dosimetry
  3. To evaluate the role of human expertise in X-ray dosimetry


Panelist 1:
John Damilakis, IOMP President

Dr. John Damilakis is a professor and director of the Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, University of Crete and director of the Department of Medical Physics of the University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. He is the current President of the IOMP and was President of EFOMP, President of EURAMED, and President of the ‘Hellenic Association of Medical Physics’. His body of research work encompasses a wide range of research areas, including medical dosimetry, medical radiation protection, and the application of artificial intelligence in medical imaging. He has played significant roles as an editor, author, or co-author in several books within the field. Professor Damilakis has published 272 research articles listed on PubMed, accompanied by 10380 citations, and an h-index of 54 as documented on Google Scholar (February, 2025). He contributes to international initiatives, serving as an elected member of the ICRP Committee 3, Chair of the IUPAP AC4 and member of the steering committee of the ‘EuroSafe Imaging Campaign’. He has shared his expertise as a Visiting Professor, delivering lectures on medical dosimetry and medical radiation protection at Boston University in the United States.



Panelist 2:
M. Mahesh, IOMP Science Committee Chair

Dr. M. Mahesh is a Professor of Radiology and Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Dr. Mahesh also has a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Medicine Department of Environmental Health. His research interests are in medical physics and imaging, particularly in areas of MDCT, interventional fluoroscopy and digital mammography. Prof. Mahesh has authored numerous articles and a textbook in MDCT technology and radiation doses in medical imaging and has lectured extensively in the U.S. and internationally. He has served on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of the American College of Radiology, the Journal of the American Association of Physicists in MedicineAcademic Radiology, and RadioGraphics. He is currently the President of the AAPM, elected member of the ICRP and NCRP. Dr Mahesh is a fellow of AAPM, ACR, ACMP, SCCT and currently the associate editor of the Journal of American College of Radiology.



Panelist 3:
Madan Rehani, IUPESM President

Dr. Madan Rehani is Director, Global Outreach for Radiation Protection at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, and an adjunct professor at the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, US. He was President, IOMP (2018- 2022) and is currently President IUPESM. He worked earlier for over 11 years at the IAEA, Vienna, Austria. He was professor and head of medical physics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India, before joining the IAEA in 2001. He was also head of the WHO’s Collaborating Centre on Imaging Technology & Radiation Protection, which he established in 1997. Prof. Rehani is an Emeritus Member, ICRP, having been an active member for 24 years. He is the author of 9 Annals of ICRP. He is Senior editor Br J Radiology, Assoc Editor, Eur. J Medical Physics, was earlier Associate Editor Am J Roentgenology, and on editorial board of several journals. He has more than 200 publications, has written 40 chapters in books and edited 5 books.

AI vs. Human Expertise in Radiotherapy 

Tuesday, 6 May 2025 at 12 pm GMT; Duration 1 hour

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Organizer: Prof. Dr. Eva Bezak, IOMP Vice President

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Innovating Medical Physics Education with Artificial Intelligence

Wednesday, 7 May 2025 at 12 pm GMT; Duration 1 hour

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Moderator: Prof. Dr. Arun Chougule, IOMP Education and Training Committee Chair

Speakers: Issam El Naqa and Maryellen L. Giger



Part 1: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Training Next-Generation Medical Physicists


Abstract:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are revolutionizing various disciplines, including medical physics in both diagnostic and therapeutic areas. This presentation will showcase the current applications of AI/ML in medical physics and their impact on the profession. In light of this, we will highlight the necessity of updating current curricula to incorporate AI as key component.  Throughout, we will emphasize the notion that “AI will not replace medical physicists but medical physicists who know AI will replace medical physicists who don’t know AI.”

Learning Objectives:

  1. Role of AI in modern medical physics
  2. Impact of AI on the profession of medical physics
  3. Incorporation of AI into medical physics curric

Speaker: Issam El Naqa, PhD, DABR, FAAPM, FIEEE, FAIMBE

Dr. Issam El Naqa is a distinguished expert in medical physics, oncology, and machine learning. He is the Chair of the Machine Learning Department at Moffitt Cancer Center and a Professor at the University of South Florida. Holding a Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering, he has contributed extensively to radiotherapy, radiomics, and AI in oncology. He has secured numerous research grants, published over 200 papers, and mentored many students. A fellow of IEEE, AAPM, and AIMBE, he has received prestigious awards and holds editorial roles in major scientific journals. His research focuses on AI-driven clinical decision-making and adaptive radiotherapy.



Part 2:
Perspective on How AI Could Impact Medical Physics Education and Practice


Abstract:

Artificial Intelligence in medical imaging involves development of quantitative analyses for task-based discovery, predictive modeling, and robust clinical translation, as well as methods to improve the efficiencies of the clinical practice workflow.  In these AI developments, curated and representative data are essential so that the training data sets match the testing datasets as well as the intended population for the AI.  This presentation will give a perspective on how AI could impact the education and clinical practice of medical physicists.  In addition, it is essential for the medical physicist to be educated in AI and how it may affect routine clinical practice of medical physics.  Also, it is beneficial to understand how AI could potentially change the current practice of medical physics.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Appreciate the role of data in the development, testing, and use of AI in medical imaging.
  2. Understand the impact that AI could have on medical physics education an clinical practice
  3. Learn the role of the medical physicist in clinical practices utilizing AI

Speaker: Maryellen Giger, PhD

Dr. Maryellen L. Giger is the A.N. Pritzker Distinguished Service Professor of Radiology at the University of Chicago, specializing in medical physics, imaging science, and AI applications in radiology. A leader in computer-aided diagnosis, she has contributed extensively to breast cancer detection and risk assessment. She has held numerous leadership roles, including past President of AAPM and SPIE. A fellow of IEEE, AIMBE, and RSNA, she has received multiple prestigious awards. Dr. Giger has published extensively, secured significant research funding, and mentored many students, making significant contributions to radiomics, quantitative imaging, and AI-driven precision medicine.

AI and its Ethical and Legal Implications in Medical Physics

Thursday, 8 May 2025 at 12 pm GMT; Duration 1 hour

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Potential of AI on Nuclear Medicine Imaging and Therapy

Friday, 9 May 2025 at 12 pm GMT; Duration 1 hour

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Organizer: Chai Hong Yeong, IOMP MPWB Chair

Speakers: Kuangyu Shi, Ph.D and Axel Rominger, M.D.

Abstract:

Recent advances in instrumentation and radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) present new opportunities for nuclear medicine. However, the increasing complexity and data volume of these advancements makes fully exploring their potential more challenging. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a promising tool to address these challenges. AI can assist in optimizing signal processing and image reconstruction, enhancing imaging quality while reducing radiation exposure. It can also improve diagnosis and prognosis in nuclear medicine imaging, facilitating tasks such as differential and early diagnosis. Additionally, AI has the potential to support the development of treatment planning tools for RPT, including simplified dosimetry procedures and pre-therapy dose prediction. This talk will explore the role of AI in imaging optimization, diagnostic assistance, and treatment planning from several developments from Bern. We will also discuss the challenges of AI implementation in nuclear medicine and the transformative potential of knowledge-guided AI in theranostics.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the potential of AI in the optimization of nuclear medicine imaging.
  2. Understand the potential of AI in personalized radiopharmaceutical therapy.
  3. Understand the concept of knowledge-guidance for trustworthy AI.

Speaker 1: Kuangyu Shi, Ph.D

Prof. Kuangyu Shi is the Chief Medical Physicist and Head of the Lab for Artificial Intelligence and Translational Theranostics at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland. Additionally, he is a senior lecturer at the Computer-aided Medical Procedure, School of Computation, Information & Technology at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. He did his Master and PhD at Max-Planck Institute for Informatics (2003-2008), Germany. Then he moved to Dept. Nuclear Medicine, Technical University of Munich for postdoctoral research and worked as subgroup leader from 2012 to 2018. On May 2018 he completed habilitation at Dept. Informatics, Technical University of Munich. His research is centered on advancing artificial intelligence and computational modeling techniques for nuclear medicine imaging, dosimetry and therapy, aiming to link the outcomes with underlying pathophysiological processes. Additionally, he is dedicated to developing both in vivo and ex vivo experimental methods, pushing the boundaries of microscopic nuclear imaging. His work has been recognized with the young investigator award of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and the Roger Perez Award of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM). He is currently a member of the AI committee of EANM, Task Group 36 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), and serves as an associate editors of Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging, EJNMMI Physics, IEEE TRPMS and Nuklearmedizin.

Speaker 2: Axel Rominger, M.D.

Axel Rominger, MD, is full professor at the University of Bern and Chairman of the Dept. of Nuclear Medicine at Inselspital Bern. His scientific interest includes the constant improvement of the PET technology and therefore he has set up groups on biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, and radiopharmaceutical research. He directs several research projects on PET imaging in the neurological and oncological field. From 2007 until 2018 he worked at Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich, where he served as deputy director for 5 years. During this period he won several national and international research awards. Prof. Rominger is author of more than 250 peer-reviewed publications. In October 2020 the first ultra-large axial field-of-view PET scanner from Siemens was put into operation at Bern University Hospital. To accelerate research on total-body PET imaging he established numerous international collaborations.