We have two great new officers to introduce! 

Robin Miller will serve in the 3-year presidential chain, starting with the office of President-Elect, effective immediately. Not a stranger to the chapter, Robin recently ended her three-year commitment as our chapter's representative on the AAPM Board of Directors.

Sarah Geneser will take on the role of Secretary-Treasurer-Designate, a one year shadow of the incumbent Secretary-Treasurer that rolls into a 3-year term as Secretary-Treasurer.

Thanks to all the members that participated in our recent officer elections! 

Guest post from NWAAPM member, Jessica Fagerstrom:

Medical Physics outreach efforts not only promote interest in the field, but also engage a whole new generation of scientists by providing them access to valuable learning and practical experiences. The “Portal to the Public” project through the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services aims to promote public engagement with current science by fostering dialogue between local scientists and their communities. As part of this outreach initiative, I feel very fortunate to have received a generous grant through the Northwest Chapter of the AAPM to undergo training as a member of the most recent cohort of Science Communication Fellows at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington.

The “Portal to the Public” project is led by the Pacific Science Center and involves a network of over sixty institutions, including universities, natural history museums, libraries, zoos, aquariums, and research groups.  Science Communication Fellows at the Pacific Science Center undergo an eight week class designed to build skills in communicating their area of expertise specifically to a non-scientific audience.  As a fellow, I developed a hands-on educational activity about medical physics and radiation therapy with the guidance of Pacific Science Center staff.  The activity is now a regular part of the Science Center’s “Meet a Scientist” program, and primarily attracts young visitors to the Science Center, as well as their parents, as an introduction to therapeutic medical physics.

The stated mission of the AAPM is “advancing medicine through excellence in the science, education, and professional practice of medical physics.” Education, including education within our broader communities, is an important part of this mission (consider, for example, the excellent work of the Women’s Professional and the Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittees on the “Med Phyz Whiz Kidz” outreach program).  The financial support of the Northwest AAPM chapter highlights the organization’s commitment to community outreach and engagement, and to the promotion of professional medical physics to a broad, community-based audience.  By participating in events involving aspiring young scientists, this program will alert a new generation about opportunities in our field.  The stated purposes of the Northwest Chapter are:

1. To promote the application of physics to medicine and biology. 
2. To encourage interest and training in medical physics and related fields. 
3. To prepare and disseminate technical information in medical physics and related fields. 

I am honored to be able to support these goals by becoming a medical physicist Science Communication Fellow at the Pacific Science Center.  The experience has been incredibly rewarding, and I encourage other AAPM members to explore similar opportunities in their communities.

Thanks to everyone for a great fall 2017 chapter meeting. We had 69 registrants in addition to our speakers and 17 vendors. We have tentatively scheduled the spring meeting for May 11, 2018 in the Portland area. We look forward to seeing you then.

We will have a fantastic slate of speakers for our fall NWAAPM chapter meeting. The meeting will be held October 27th in Seattle. Please go ahead and register now. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

The fall chapter meeting is scheduled for the Talaris Conference Center for October 27th.

Talaris Conference Center

4000 NE 41st Street

Seattle, WA 98105

t: 206-268-7000

The NWAAPM is pleased to announce that our spring chapter meeting will be held in Portland at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) on Friday, March 31, 2017. The theme of the meeting is "Improving Value in Clinical Care". We are currently developing the agenda, so please continue to check our website for additional details. 

We are excited to announce that the fall meeting of the Northwest Chapter of the AAPM will be held October 28th at the Seattle Museum of Flight. The Museum should provide a unique and enjoyable setting to learn about new developments in our field and to connect with your colleagues from around the Pacific Northwest.

Please check out the agenda for the spring NWAAPM chapter meeting to be held at Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington on April 1st. The speakers include distinguished speakers from the Pacific Northwest as well as some top names from our national radiation oncology community. The list includes Lei Xing from Stanford, Kristy Brock-Leatherman from the University of Michigan, Pat Kupelian from UCLA, and Christopher Wennerstrom from Kettering Medical Center. Do not miss the opportunity to attend this meeting!

Please join us for our spring chapter meeting on Friday, April 1st. The meeting will held at the beautiful Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, WA. This is only 11 miles from the Portland International Airport.

Many thanks to all of our attendees, volunteers, speakers, and vendor sponsors for making our fall meeting a big success.  The meeting included many distinguished speakers including the Chair of the AAPM Board, John Bayouth.  Topics covered included the impact of accountable care organizations, personalized medicine, the future of medical physics, and knowledge based treatment planning. You can see photos of the meeting here.  We are already starting to plan the spring meeting.  We hope to see you there!