Scientific Committee meeting

Saturday 2 December 2000- Archamps - France

Minutes

List of attendants

1 - Welcome from Alberto Del Guerra , chairman

The scientific committe is open at 10:30 by  A. Del Guerra who welcomes all the participants to the meeting and inform the audience that Dr Zoi Kolitsi is no longer available to act as secretary of the scientific committe.

The chairman suggests to appoint Dr. Suzanne Naudy to take over the position. This proposal is accepted by the audience .

A. Del Guerra states that point 11 ( others matters) will be developed in three points: EFOMP 2003, IOMP 2006 and Next Chairman of the Scientific Committee.This updated agenda is accepted.

2 -Apologies for absences

Dr Zoi Kolitsi ( Greece), Dr Alan Perkins (UK) and Dr Robert Novotny ( Austria) send apologies for absence.

3 - Patras Scientific Committee minutes

No comment arises . The minutes of the Patras Scientific Committee are approved

4 - European Congress of Medical Physics - Belfast 2001 [P.Smith reports]

Peter Smith reports on the current status of the scientific program.

The advance program and final call for papers is currently distributed to NMO's members. Delegates are informed that extra leaflets are available on the spot and encouraged to help themselves if they have not yet received this leaflets.

Further information can be obtained from the congress website: www.n-i.nhs.uk/belfast2001

Question from the audience: What about registration fees?

P. Smith answer: It will be finalized at the beginning of 2001 when tuning the budget.At the present 250 Euros are the provisional fees.

A Del Guerra stresses out that the Scientific Committee strongly endorses EFOMP congresses and therefore participation  of their members should be strongly encouraged by NMO.

                      Deadline for abstracts submission: 31^st March 2000

5 - Liaison with European Congress of Radiology

A Del Guerra reports that ECR-EFOMP communication is going well on ETP matters.

Within ECR, EFOMP is responsible on Physics in Radiology subcommittee of:

- proposing members of the sub-committee, to be nominated by the Program Planning Committee of ECR

- setting up refresher courses and scientific sessions

Besides , a workshop, under direct responsability of EFOMP is attached from 1999 to ECR meetings and is now (from 2001) embedded in the congress.

NMO should increase information of their members working in radiology to enhance medical physicists attendance to both ECR and EFOMP workshop

5.1 EFOMP Workshop ( A. Del Guerra reports)

at ECR 1999 : "Detector Technologies for X-ray diagnostic : New Methods and   Developments "

at ECR 2000: " New Technology in Diagnostic Radiology : Technological Advances in Dose Reduction and Improving Image Quality"

at ECR 2001: " New Technology in Diagnostic Radiology: Advances in combined Modalities and Image fusion" Vienna Austria - 3 March 2001- Visit www.EFOMP.org

The abstracts of the workshop have been published in Physica Medica and so have the extended papers, after reviewing procedure.

at ECR 2002: Date not yet decided- probably first week of march 2002

                    " New Technology in Diagnostic Radiology: Subtitle to be decided"

Question from the audience: What about registration fees

P. Dendy answer:                       Members 75 Euros including 45 Euros membership

                                                                  Non members: 170 Euros

The large technical exhibition provides support to the congress

5 .2 Physics in Radiology program ( A. Noel reports)

2000:  5 Refresher courses - 3 scientific sesions

2001:  5 Refresher courses , 2 scientific session.Visit: www.ecr.org

Physics program to ECR is compressed in 3 days , this should help physicists attendance

2002: 5 Refresher courses. Topics: X rays and pregnancy, PET, Fast MRI, Education and Training in Radiation Protection, Image quality and dose in CT

P Dendy remark: EFOMP gets a per capita contribution from ECR meaning that any increase of physics program will lead to reenforcement of EFOMP financial return.

6 - Liaison with others european bodies

- EANM [ European Association of Nuclear Medicine]( A. Del Guerra reports)

EANM decides each year who is responsible for the next coming congress. EFOMP  and EANM has now an official tie for European Congress of Nuclear Medicine 2001, to be held from 25 th to 29^th August 2001 in Napoli (Italy).

Helmar Bergman acts as the EFOMP representative to EANM 2001

One combined session on " Implementation of Patient directive 97/43 : The role of Medical Physicist in Nuclear Medicine " will be organized. Additional time will be allocated to Physics in accordance wtih the number of papers submission

Visit web site: www.ega.it/eanm2001/

- ESI [ European Scientific Institute]- See I-L Lamm report to ETP committee

- EU [ European Union] ( H.J Van Kleffens reports).

I.L Lamm announces the creation of the EFOMP European Union Committee and the nomination of H.J Van Kleffens as chairman.

Results of investigation among EFOMP NMO on implementation of EC directive 97/43 are published in  Physica Medica - Vol XVI, N.3, July -September 2000

- ESTRO [ European Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology]

I.L Lamm was invited as an observer to the Physics committe of ESTRO.

Allan Mac Kenzie (Estro Physics Group) will join the EFOMP council Meeting as an observer.

F. Nusslin reports that cooperation with ESTRO Physics group has been difficult: the main disagreement being the clash EFOMP - ESTRO - DGMP  in automn 2001 without notification in advance.

A. Del Guerra stress out EFOMP scientific importance.

7 - Liaison with others extra or over european bodies

-    AAPM:[ American Association of Physicists in Medicine] (IL Lamm reports)

Cooperation is in progress:

-Contact should be established betwen corresponding committes (ETP and Scientific) of AAPM and EFOMP

-Workshop and common sessions should be thought of

IL Lamm, F. Nusslin and A. Del Guerra attended a joint steering committee in Chicago 2000.

AAPM will be invited to attend Belfast 2001.

-   COMP [Canadian organisation of Medical Physics] (F. Nusslin reports)

First contact was established during Chicago 2000 .

-   IEEE.( A Del Guerra reports)

IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference held in Lyon ( 15-20 October 2000) was the first IEEE NSS –MIC meeting in Europe and hosted the half a day EFOMP workshop : Advances in Electronic Portal Imaging.

Susan Sherriff point out that  it is very important to attract attention of non radiation physicists community through this kind of action

Sibylle Ziegler notices that mainly Nuclear Imaging Physicists attend IEEE meetings

- IOMP [IL Lamm]

EFOMP is now a regional chapter of IOMP,  the european chapter.

Scientific aspects have not been addressed in Chicago 2000.

A Del Guerra points out that EFOMP should be reinforcing the scientfic aspects in IOMP

IOMP has created a new instrument to shorten the link with members: the IOMP   International Advisory Council (www.iomp.org/IACcharge.html ). F.Nusslin has been elected chairman of the IAC

- IFMBE [IL Lamm]

This body can be seen as parallel to IOMP in the biomedical engineering field. No european chapters at the moment.

                      - IUPESM (International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine)

This union (IOMP+IFMBE) has now gained membership to ICSU [International Council for science] ( www.icsu.org)

- SAMPS [[IL Lamm]

The South African Medical Physics Society should soon formally apply to become an EFOMP affiliated association

8 - ESMP-ESI [European School of Medical Physics- European Scientific Institute]

Web site: www.cur-Archamps.fr/esi

This is a permanent school of EFOMP in agreement with ESI ( agreement to be renewed ).

4 Weeks organised in 2000- full capacity reached in imaging week

5 Weeks organised in 2001

Discussion on the announcement leaflet

H Bouscayrol:  " Qualified medical physicists to attend", isnt it too restrictive ?

Susan Sherriff: "Just to give an idea of the entry level but is not restrictive"

A del Guerra: " This point will be discussed with the ESMP steering committee"

IL Lamm: "Same as Susan but the aim of this course is not basic training"

H Bouscayrol: " Therefore , content should be more detailed"

IL Lamm:" See the web"

W Schmidt: approves H Bouscayrol

Pal Zarand : Information does not reach our country

F Nusslin: Dont forget that MP from different countries have different profiles: how to get uniform level on the course ? Students : click on your computer

A Del Guerra: " Conclusion: Eligibility is not the right word, this point will be discussed with the  ESMP steering committee"

9- EFOMP summer School

                      not adressed during SC- see council meeting minutes

10 - Relations with NMO [A del Guerra]

The lists of experts from various NMO’s has been received, still missing indications from France , Belgium and Switzerland: Quick action requested.