Australiasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine

The ACPSEM has set up a Foundation to address the concern that not enough effort was being directed towards attracting and keeping physicists and engineers in the medical profession and the College had previously not been able to accept donations that offered a tax deduction. The focus, in the initial stages of the Foundation, will be on Prizes and Awards but as the fund builds up this focus will broaden. Prizes and Awards can provide support and encouragement for medical physics and biomedical engineering students and other qualified professionals to travel, publish and undergo continuing professional development; thereby ensuring that standards improve and quality professionals are encouraged to stay in the industry. Existing awards include: The Richard Bates Travel Scholarship, The Boyce Worthley Young Achiever Award, ACPSEM Branch Travel Grants, and there are also specific purpose branch and conference awards that are made from time to time. Further details of existing awards are available by contacting the ACPSEM Office. Your (or your company) name could be applied to a scholarship which sponsors a trainee registrar who is aiming to work in an area relevant to your business. You could receive recognition on the ACPSEM Website and in the APESM Journal, and follow your registrar's progress through their academic career. Alternatively, you could talk to us further about a particular area that you wish to encourage and we will initiate a new award, prize, research project or scholarship.

Did you know?

Our health services rely on a very small number of physics, engineering and physical science specialists working in medicineThe numbers employed in Australia and New Zealand are inadequate with only around :

150 expert radiation oncology medical physicists;50 radiology medical physicists;50 nuclear medicine physicists and;an equally small number of medical physicists and biomedical engineers supporting the physiological medical sciences;Some universities provide postgraduate medical physics and biomedical engineering courses but clinical training and experience is essential;With Government and university partnerships, ACPSEM has begun establishing training, education and accreditation programs (TEAP) for individuals to qualify as medical physicists in radiotherapy, radiology and nuclear medicine;

Why do we need your support?

• Around 10% of our workforce leaves Australia to take up lucrative overseas jobs with very attractive research opportunities;
• Many of the most experienced will soon be lost from our workforce;
• There are major shortages of trainee positions in some areas and many vacancies in other areas.

We need to attract and keep the best as our health specialists and we need funds and your support to do this.

Why Research?

• A number of physicists and engineers have received the Nobel Prize for their work in the medical sciences.
• Medical imaging is a vital tool for the diagnosis of many diseases.
• Radiotherapy is equally vital for cancer patient treatments.
• Many other aspects of medicine are based on physical principles and engineering design.
• Our experts in physics and engineering play an essential role in the standards, safety and accurate processes of modern diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.
• On-going research and development in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases is essential for the continued improvement of the communities’ health needs.
• To provide the best quality patient care in the future, some very effective initiatives are needed.
• We need to boost and retain a high quality workforce for our research, development and service role.