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Thread - 1/Hello! it’s International Day of Medical Physics #idmp2017 @ipemnews @IntDayofMedPhys @IOMP_Official @BHR_hospitals
2/It was founded by the International Organization for Medical Physics: Marie Curie’s anniversary, born 150 years ago today @IOMP_Official
3/Marie Curie was the first person to win two Nobel prizes; the only person to have won in two scientific disciplines (chemistry & physics)
4/Marie Curie discovered polonium, named after her native Poland, and radium, which was used in the first radiotherapy treatments
5/Today, the work of Medical Physicists is vital for the development and use of many modern diagnostic and treatment techniques @ipemnews
6/Medical Physics @BHR_hospitals has Radiotherapy, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection sections...
7/...with 12 physicists and 2 trainees, 6 dosimetrists (radiotherapy treatment planners), and 1 linac engineer (here are a few of them)
8/ Radiotherapy treats cancer with hi-energy X-rays, getting treatment dose to the tumour whilst minimising dose to normal tissue @ipemnews
9/ Here is one of our radiotherapy treatment machines – we have three like this. They are being replaced over the next year with newer ones
10/Here’s our brand new Halcyon treatment machine: the first of its kind in the UK. You can learn more about it here https://www.varian.com/oncology/events-resources/centerline/introducing-halcyon-innovative-treatment-platform
11/This is our CT scanner, used to take X-ray pictures of patients so we can see tumours and design radiotherapy plans to treat them
12/This is a gamma camera in Nuclear Medicine – it takes pictures by detecting gamma rays from radioactive isotopes injected in patients
13/Unlike X-ray methods, Nuclear Medicine diagnostic images can show the body’s physiology working, e.g. kidney function, bone growth
14/Nuclear medicine can also use radioactive isotopes to treat disease, such as hyperthyroidism and some cancers
15/The staff in Radiation Protection department monitors the safe use of radiation in the hospital. They are ready for anything!
16/Medical Physics also covers ultrasound, computing, diagnostic radiology, MRI, physiological measurement. And don’t forget Engineering...
17/You can learn more at The Institute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) http://www.ipem.ac.uk @ipemnews #idmp2017
18/For more on International Day of Medical Physics, see other MedPhys organisations @iaeaorg @EFOMP_org @aapmHQ @MedphysCA @IOMP_Official
