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Journal Article of Note:
Introduction to Concept Inventories for Medical Physics Education
Combined Clinical and Research Training in Medical Physics in a Multi-Institutional Setting: 13-year Experience of Harvard Medical Physics Residency Program »
Interviewing for Residency Positions While Completing a Graduate Degree: Considerations for Graduate Students, Mentors, and Program Directors »
Coffee Break Suggestions –
SDAMPP outreach committee has published a new FAQ document for all of those interested in submitting ideas for future coffee breaks.
FAQ document »
IMPORTANT NEWS:
Webinars/Coffee Breaks
Coffee Break Discussions
SDAMPP will be hosting monthly, informal coffee break Zoom meetings for interested SDAMPP members. Each coffee break meeting will be 50 minutes long, allowing time for a brief introduction of the topic by the moderators and ample time for open discussion by the assembled group.
Click to learn more about upcoming Coffee Break Discussions and how to add your ideas for future coffee break topics!
Alternative Certification Pathways for International Medical Physicists
October 9, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
Program directors often get questions from international medical physicists who are qualified in their country of origin. Joann Prisciandaro, chair of TG-448, will lead a discussion on this topic, providing guidance to program directors and involving the audience in this discuss.
Panelist:
Prisciandaro
Moderator:
Pearson
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
CAMPEP Apply online portal
August 18, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
This coffee break will provide a general overview and demo of the new CAMPEP Apply online system. CAMPEP Apply is the new online portal to submit educational program self-studies and annual reports. Following a brief demo, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions of the panelists.
To receive a calendar appointment for this event, please register using the following link:
SDAMPP Coffee Break Discussion: CAMPEP Apply online portal review
Panelist:
John Antolak
Moderator:
Joel St-Aubin
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Graduate Program Admission Logistics
August 21, 2025, 2:00 PM ET
Graduate program admission logistics can be difficult with annual uncertainty of how many offers programs should make to students to fill their classes and establishing admission timelines. Do programs make more offers than slots, anticipating that some will decline? Is it desirable to establish a common date among programs for offers to go out and a common deadline for students to accept or decline? What are the admissions obstacles for your program? Please join this SDAMPP coffee break to contribute your experiences and ideas.
To receive a calendar appointment for this event, please register using the following link:
SDAMPP Coffee Break: Graduate Program Admission Logistics
Panelists:
Stephanie Leon and Kip Matthews
Moderator:
Shannon O'Reilly
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
AI and Medical Physics Education
June 26, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
Generative AI is rapidly transforming how we teach and learn. What does this mean for medical physics education? Join us for a discussion on current applications of AI in training the next generation of medical physicists and explore how educators and program directors are adapting to this shift. This session will include a short presentation followed by an open forum for sharing ideas, concerns, and best practices.
Speaker:
Rafe McBeth
Moderator:
Shannon O'Reilly
Email Lisa Schober at
lisa@aapm.org
to get a calendar appointment for this event.
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
ABR Update
June 4, 2025, 2:00 PM ET
Dr. Geoffrey Ibbott will share updates from the ABR, including “2+1 eligibility for ABR Part II” and “International CAMPEP-accredited programs.”
Panelist:
Geoffrey Ibbott
Moderator:
David Pearson
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
CAMPEP Graduate Program Annual Report Results
May 21, 2025, 12:00 PM ET
The CAMPEP GEPRC Chair will present the results of the most recent annual report submission.
Presenter:
Dr. David Hintenlang
Moderator:
Dr. Manuel Arreola
>> Download Presentation <<
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
ABS guideline on resident brachytherapy training
May 15, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
With the elapse of the ABR endorsement of the AMP status, the working group chair, Jessica Huang, will talk about the progress in the ABS Consensus Guidelines for Medical Physics Residency Training in High-Dose-Rate Remote Afterloader Brachytherapy.
Speaker:
Jessica Huang
Moderator:
Yixiang Liao
>> Download Presentation <<
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Theranostic education:
Current training, resource sharing, future need
April 29, 2025, 12:00 PM ET
Due to the increasing prevalence of theranostics and radiopharmaceuticals in our field of medical physics, it has become evident that we will be more involved in this treatment delivery if we aren't already. This can be complicated due to competing departments and finding the right approach to the potential politics at play. We want to talk about our role as medical physicists in this endeavor as well as training for residents on the therapy versus diagnostic tracks.
Panelists:
Irina Vergalasova, Stephanie Leon, Abby Besemer, and Keshia McCall
Moderator:
Lindsay DeWeese
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Teaching Radiobiology
April 17, 2025, 2:00 PM ET
Panel discussion of medical physicists who teach radiobiology in graduate programs, covering needed preparation/training, the AAPM recommended curriculum vs. reality, and future innovation.
Panelists:
Behzad Ebrahimi, Kyle Lafata, Wayne Newhauser, Karl Rasmussen
Moderators:
Leonard Kim and Janet Ching-Mei Feng
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Summary of Annual CAMPEP Report – Residency Program
March 27, 2025, 12:00 PM ET
Bruce Libby will give a summary of the Annual CAMPEP Residency Report. Open discussion follows.
Panelists:
Bruce Libby
Moderator:
Joel St-Aubin
>> Download Presentation <<
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Budgeting for Success and Sustainability:
Strategies for Financial Viability of Medical Physics Residency Programs
March 5, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
This coffee break will be hosted as a panel discussion to provide information about how residency programs support a financially sustainable program within their institution. Please come to learn new ideas, ask questions of the panelists from different residency programs throughout the country, and collaborate to develop solutions for the viability of the profession.
Panelists:
Amy Shu-Jung Yu, Minsong Cao, Jennifer Zou, Jean-Pierre Bissonnette, Adi Robinson, Salim Balik, Baozhou Sun
Moderators:
Courtney Buckey & Janet Ching-Mei Feng
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Medical Physics Match Overview
February 17, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
This coffee break will provide a general overview of the Medical Physic Match Program (MP-RAP). This is the opportunity for new program directors to learn about MP-RAP and experienced program directors to provide their experience, comments, and suggestions for future improvement.
Panelist:
Joseph Dise
Moderator:
Joel St-Aubin
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Budgeting for Success and Sustainability:
Strategies for Financial Viability of Medical Physics Residency Programs
February 6, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
This coffee break will be hosted as a panel discussion to provide information about how residency programs support a financially sustainable program within their institution. Please come to learn new ideas, ask questions of the panelists from different residency programs throughout the country, and collaborate to develop solutions for the viability of the profession.
Panelists:
Amy Shu-Jung Yu, Minsong Cao, Jennifer Zou, Jean-Pierre Bissonnette, Adi Robinson, David Gladstone, Baozhou Sun
Moderator:
Janet Ching-Mei Feng & Courtney Buckey
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Budgeting for Success and Sustainability:
Strategies for Financial Viability of Medical Physics Graduate Programs
This coffee break will be hosted as a panel discussion to provide information about how graduate programs support a financially sustainable program within their institution. Please come to learn new ideas and ask questions of the panelists from different graduate programs throughout the country and collaborate to develop solutions for the viability of the profession.
January 13, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
Panelists:
Manuel Arreola, Ashley Cetnar, Rebecca Howell, Michael McNitt-Gray, Shannon O’Rielly, Brian Pogue and Jay Burmeister
Moderator:
David Pearson
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Residency program directors: How have you been handling the termination of the NRC's recognition of ABR certification for RSO status? An open forum to exchange practices
December 04, 2024, 2:00 PM ET
Residency program directors: How have you been handling the termination of the NRC’s recognition of ABR certification for RSO status? An open forum to exchange practices
What We Know about RSO Curriculum Standards and Expectations as well as Imaging and Nuclear Medicine Residency Programs
What does an RSO actually *do* all day, every day, for a year?
Residency RSO Training: Counting and Attestation
Open Discussion
Panelists:
Josh Wilson, Jessica Clements, and Tianliang Gu
Moderator:
Janet Ching-Mei Feng
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Alternate Pathway for International Medical Physicist via ABR
October 16, 2024, 2:00 PM ET
Panelists:
Todd McNutt, Wolfgang Tome, Joshua Wilson, Amar K. Basavatia, Chris Njeh
Moderator:
Kristi Hendrickson
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
SDAMPP Coffee Break: Termination of the NRC's recognition of ABR certification for AMP status
October 9, 2024, 1:00 PM ET
Residency program directors: How have you been handling the termination of the NRC's recognition of ABR certification for AMP status? An open forum to exchange practices
Panelists:
Jeremy Kunz, Christopher Tien, Maryann Ayoade
Moderator:
Anna Rodrigues, Christopher Tien
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
SDAMPP Coffee Break: Medical Physics Residency - Research Year Curriculum
September 26, 2024, 12:30 PM ET
While many Medical Physics residencies provide trainees with the opportunity to have a year dedicated to research, most do not provide a structured formative framework around that time spent by the residents. I am proposing a structured third-year research curriculum for medical physics residents, which integrates research with professional development activities such as scientific writing, protocol submission, public speaking, teaching, and innovation. Let's discuss ways to refine this program to further enhance residents' growth and career development.
Moderator:
Marian Axente
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
SDAMPP Coffee Break: CAMPEP Self Study Hints and Guidelines
September 13, 2024, 1 PM ET
The CAMPEP GEPRC Chair will present some best practices for drafting your graduate program's self-study and be available to answer your questions about writing the self-study.
Panelists:
David Hintenlang
Moderator:
Kristi Hendrickson
>> Download Presentation <<
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
SDAMPP Coffee Break: CAMPEP Self Study Hints and Guidelines
August 7, 2024 2 PM ET
CAMPEP board members will be available to present some best practices for drafting your program's self-study and to answer your questions about writing the self-study.
Panelists:
David Hintenlang and Bruce Libby
Moderator:
Kristi Hendrickson
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
SDAMPP Webinar: Accessibility in Medical Physics Residency
May 14, 2024 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time
In this webinar, we will explore the critical considerations surrounding accessibility in medical physics residency programs, including addressing challenges faced by physicists with disabilities. We will gain insights from first-hand experiences of a physicist using accommodations, legal perspectives on residency requirements, and practical strategies for program coordination, and learn more about the multifaceted motivations for fostering inclusivity in medical physics education.
Moderator/Session Coordinator:
Jessica Fagerstrom
Speakers:
Mary Goodwin-Oquendo, Lindsay Jones, & Jessica Nute
Video Link
SDAMPP Coffee Break: Updates on Residency Guidelines from the AAPM TG-249u
June 20, 2024 1 PM ET
The AAPM report TG-249 Essentials and Guidelines for Clinical Medical Physics Residency Training Programs is currently being updated, and the new report was recently made available to AAPM members for public comment. This coffee break will provide SDAMPP members the opportunity to learn more about the updated report and engage in further discussion about the upcoming changes and guidelines.
Moderators:
Joseph Dugas, PhD and Jonathon Nye, PhD
Learn more about Coffee Break Discussions
Annual Meeting
2025 SDAMPP Annual Meeting
Will be held in person on Saturday, July 26th, 2025. We will have a continental breakfast, followed by the meeting, with lunch afterwards. We have an
exciting agenda
planned and hope to see you all there!
ABR Items
UPDATE:
The ABR has accepted SDAMPP’s recommendation and will move the Medical Physics Part 1 Qualifying Exam back to August. The exam will be offered in both January and August 2023. Beginning in 2024, the exam will be offered only in August.
SDAMPP's board voted unanimously in November to inform the ABR that we recommend that the ABR Medical Physics Part 1 Examination be held in August. It further recommends the exam not be held in January. This is based on an analysis of data from 45 respondents (of 66 contacted) to a survey on the matter. The board expresses its gratitude to colleagues at ABR and AAPM for their cooperation on evaluating this issue. SDAMPP will continue to participate in this discussion as requested.
New ABR Policy Regarding Family Leave
The ABR has instituted a new policy starting in July 2021 regarding family leave. That policy
can be viewed here
. SDAMPP’s Education Practices Committee would like to hear from directors regarding their plans for implementation and any outstanding questions (
chair.education.practices.committee@sdampp.org
. Stay tuned for more details about a forum for SDAMPP members to openly discuss this new policy.
ABR Update on Remote Exams - Geoffrey S. Ibbott, PhD
Click here
to view the video.
ABR Fee Schedule Changes
Working with AAPM Education Council, a summary of the ABR fee schedule changes was prepared, along with guidance for program directors to share with their students and trainees.
5 April 2021
Dear Students, trainees, and program directors,
It has recently come to AAPM’s attention that the ABR has revised their fee structure. Some initial certification candidates that are preparing to sit for their exam have seen an updated invoice that now reflects an outstanding balance. AAPM has been in touch with the ABR regarding this recent change. The ABR has stressed that the overall cost for initial certification has not changed. While you should seek formal guidance from the ABR, it is our understanding that these additional fees can be deferred or paid in installments without penalty or finance fees, and you can still sit for the exam if you are unable to pay the additional fee by April 15th. You should receive an official communication from the ABR with further clarification soon. Candidates should contact the ABR office at (520) 790-2900 to make arrangements to defer their payments, to pay an installment, or if you have additional concerns.
Sincerely,
Joann I. Prisciandaro, Ph.D., FAAPM
Chair, AAPM Education Council
Journal Articles of Note
AAPM’s Education Council has Recently Published Guidance Documents for Graduate Programs
AAPM Report #365
, certificate programs/alternative pathways
Task Group #298
, and
AAPM Report #373 on DMP programs
Combined Clinical and Research Training in Medical Physics in a Multi-Institutional Setting: 13-year Experience of Harvard Medical Physics Residency Program
This article highlights the 13-year experience of a Multi-institutional clinical and research training program in Medical Physics. To read, click
here
Interviewing for Residency Positions While Completing a Graduate Degree: Considerations for Graduate Students, Mentors, and Program Directors
The pipeline of new clinical medical physicists in the United States includes graduate education followed by residency training. A major bottleneck occurs as students on the verge of completing their advanced degree programs seek positions in residency training programs. There is little guidance for graduate students in balancing their limited time to be spent on the competing tasks of interviewing for a residency position and simultaneously completing their degree. This editorial seeks to raise an awareness of key factors that students and their faculty mentors should consider as they navigate through the bottleneck. To view the editorial, click
here
New Study on the Medical Physics Residency Experience
A new study published in JACMP sought to better understand the residency experience as related to resilience and well-being through the lens of current Medical Physics Residents and Medical Physicists working with residents. For more information, click
here
New Study on Aspects of Medical Physics Match
A new study published in JACMP gauges the experiences of applicants and program directors in the Medical Physics Match to determine the most important characteristics factors influencing the decision making for applicants and programs during various stages of the application/interview/ranking process. For more information, click
here
Introduction to SDAMPP in Medical Physics International Journal
Several members of the SDAMPP board of directors published an introduction to SDAMPP in the Medical Physics International Journal. The manuscript can be
downloaded here
Governance Updates
New Rules and Strategic Plan
SDAMPP’s board of directors recently approved new rules for the organization and set forth it's Strategic Plan for CY 2022. More info can be
found here
Amendments to By-Laws
Results of the voting on proposed changes to bylaws are as follows. 123 ballots were cast out of 176 members (regular and emeritus) who received ballots. 118 “yes” votes were required to pass a proposal.
Proposal 1 (wording updates throughout): 123 yes (passed)
Proposal 2 (increase numbers of at-large Board members): 115 yes, 7 no, 1 abstain (failed to pass)
Proposal 3 (change number of votes required to amend by-laws): 121 yes, 1 no, 1 abstain (passed)
Proposal 4 (relieve President of Membership Committee Chair responsibility): 123 yes (passed)
The participation rate was high, which reflects well on the level of engagement of our members. We are grateful for the direction you provided.
Webinars
Click here
to see the instructions and form to propose a webinar of interest to program directors and medical physics educators.
Interview Calendar
The
SDAMPP online Interviewing calendar
, a popular feature freely available to all, is available for CY 2025.
The Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs
1631 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2818
SDAMPP is a society formed to facilitate the interaction of key leaders in academic medical physics programs. SDAMPP aims to provide program directors many of the needed resources. Unless otherwise noted, all material on the SDAMPP webpage is copyrighted by SDAMPP. Use with prior permission.