“September” 2007 ... - the ACPSEM
“September” 2007 ... - the ACPSEM
“September” 2007 ... - the ACPSEM
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<strong>“September”</strong> <strong>2007</strong>… … ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..……<br />
Editors: J. Burrage, R. Day, T. A. Wuzho Department of Medical Engineering & Physics, RPH 9224 3216 John.Burrage@health.wa.gov.au<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
From <strong>the</strong> Editors<br />
Welcome to <strong>the</strong> <strong>“September”</strong> edition of <strong>the</strong> MQD. As an editor I suppose I could do <strong>the</strong><br />
right thing and apologise for its lateness, but as is <strong>the</strong> custom <strong>the</strong>se days I will instead<br />
blame our overheating ecomony, trade unions, daylight saving, and hippies (in that order).<br />
And now over to Sean.<br />
John<br />
Chairman’s Report<br />
The penultimate MQD for <strong>the</strong> year is upon us. It also happens to be my final report as<br />
Branch Chairman. We've had a busy year with a fantastic effort from <strong>the</strong> WA Branch in<br />
organising <strong>the</strong> annual conference and participating in various projects run by <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>ACPSEM</strong>, WA Health and <strong>the</strong> Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. Here is<br />
<strong>the</strong> summary of what we achieved:<br />
• Members of <strong>the</strong> WA Branch provided comments on <strong>the</strong> draft ARPANSA Codes of Practice and<br />
Safety Guides.<br />
• We commented on <strong>the</strong> draft Tripartite Radiation Oncology Treatment Standards and some of us<br />
attended <strong>the</strong> workshop on this project held in Sydney.<br />
• The branch submitted its financial reports to <strong>the</strong> <strong>ACPSEM</strong> Office as part of improved governance<br />
standards being adopted by <strong>the</strong> <strong>ACPSEM</strong>.<br />
• An issue with regard to running of <strong>the</strong> <strong>ACPSEM</strong> Training Education and Accreditation Program<br />
was raised by <strong>the</strong> branch and <strong>the</strong>se issues are being dealt with.<br />
• The branch was asked by WA Health to comment on several issues affecting medical physicists<br />
and biomedical engineers and a letter addressing <strong>the</strong>se issues was submitted by <strong>the</strong> branch to <strong>the</strong><br />
Office of <strong>the</strong> Chief Health Professions Officer.<br />
• And of course EPSM-ABEC <strong>2007</strong> was held. This was extremely successful with many positive<br />
comments received from <strong>the</strong> exhibitors and attendees. My congratulations go out to <strong>the</strong> organising<br />
committee for EPSM-ABEC <strong>2007</strong>, particularly Janette Atkinson and Ed Scull who both put in a<br />
tremendous effort in getting it right on <strong>the</strong> night.<br />
There are some outstanding issues for next year's committee.<br />
• The I-131 radiation protection paper is still to be finalised.<br />
• The proposed UWA MSc in Medical and Radiation Physics is still to grow some legs and <strong>the</strong><br />
committee will need to keep an eye on its progress.<br />
Much of this work could not have been achieved without <strong>the</strong> strong support of <strong>the</strong> branch committee<br />
and <strong>the</strong> conference organising committee. These committees are made up of people like you and me.<br />
The Branch AGM is to be held at RPH on Tuesday 11 December at which time <strong>the</strong> new committee will<br />
be elected. I urge all members to attend this event and encourage you to nominate for <strong>the</strong> branch<br />
committee so that <strong>the</strong> direction <strong>the</strong> branch takes in 2008 and beyond represents your interests. This is<br />
particularly important because <strong>the</strong> <strong>ACPSEM</strong> is beginning to be recognised as <strong>the</strong> organisation<br />
representing <strong>the</strong> professional interests of medical physicists and biomedical engineers in this state,<br />
Australia and New Zealand. We are going to be increasingly relied on to comment on government<br />
policy and to propose projects for funding our professional development. There are several million<br />
dollars being made available by <strong>the</strong> Commonwealth to fund education programs for us and related<br />
professions. It is in your interest to participate in <strong>the</strong> <strong>ACPSEM</strong> activities and provide direction to your<br />
representatives on <strong>the</strong> WA Branch Committee and <strong>the</strong> <strong>ACPSEM</strong> Council.<br />
As this is my final report I wish next year's committee all <strong>the</strong> best.<br />
Sean<br />
MQD Sep <strong>2007</strong> Page 1 of 3
Robert Stanford Award<br />
AGM<br />
The Robert Stanford Award winner this year is Ben Khoo for his principal authorship of <strong>the</strong> paper “A<br />
cortical-bone structural geometry phantom: dental plaster as a convenient and radiologically similar<br />
fabrication material”, published in <strong>the</strong> Australasian Physical & Engineering Sciences in Medicine<br />
Volume earlier this year.<br />
Congratulations to Ben, and thanks to <strong>the</strong> sponsors of <strong>the</strong> award, Nucletron.<br />
The <strong>ACPSEM</strong> AGM will be held on Tuesday December 11 at <strong>the</strong> Department of Medical Engineering &<br />
Physics at 5.15 pm.<br />
Sandwiches and <strong>the</strong> sort of beverages that usually gets served with sandwiches will be provided.<br />
The <strong>2007</strong> committee has nominated <strong>the</strong> following people for committee posts in 2008:<br />
Chairperson: John Burrage<br />
Vice-Chairperson: Nikki Caswell<br />
Treasurer: Peter Rampant<br />
Secretary: Simon Woodings<br />
Spokesperson: Janette Atkinson<br />
Ordinary Committee Members: Sean Geoghegan, Rob Day, David Causer, Roger Price<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r nominations are welcome. They must be seconded, must include <strong>the</strong> written consent of <strong>the</strong><br />
nominee, and must be submitted to <strong>the</strong> branch secretary by no later than 10 Dec <strong>2007</strong>.<br />
Ask <strong>the</strong> Leningrad Cowboys<br />
As part of MQD’s long-time commitment to continuing education, we present<br />
<strong>the</strong> Ask The Leningrad Cowboys segment, where members of <strong>the</strong> cult rock<br />
band answer your questions.<br />
If you have a question about health, engineering, physics, or anything really,<br />
send it in and we’ll let <strong>the</strong> boys take a swing at it.<br />
This time we have a letter from regular correspondent Peter Henson from Nedlands. He says:<br />
Dear Editors 3<br />
To update Your Editorships on my NHMRC funded project, Svetlana <strong>the</strong> tractor and I have met with<br />
disaster. Things went well with <strong>the</strong> initial experiments and we were rewarded with significant and<br />
valuable results (did you read <strong>the</strong> reports in <strong>the</strong> prestigious Joondalup Community journal, p10,<br />
<strong>2007</strong>?). Incidentally, I can’t remember mentioning <strong>the</strong> actual field of study and now <strong>the</strong>re seems to be<br />
some sort of scurrilous rumour about ram raiding but, hey, sheep stealing!? As that great CONTROL<br />
agent and sadly unrecognised philosopher, Maxwell Smart, may well have said; ‘would you believe -<br />
potatoes?’ Well, we were on our way to a new experiment site but someone must have grassed on us.<br />
The tractor had a bug in it and we were ambushed by <strong>the</strong> Anti Free Potato gang. Svety did an<br />
amazing impression of a quantum superposition of states by trying to go in four directions at once<br />
while I made a more mundane incoherent exit. I haven’t seen her since. Anyway, I’m sure she’ll show<br />
up somewhere and, hopefully, not reveal all. However, <strong>the</strong> potato work has now gone pear shaped<br />
and I must go inconspicuously where many o<strong>the</strong>rs have gone before i.e. overseas. Oh dear, I think I<br />
hear someone coming and if it’s Svety, I don’t want to become number 7 on her hit list, so, where <strong>the</strong><br />
hell’s my sombrero, adios amigos, felice Navidad.<br />
Yoursinahurry<br />
PHen<br />
MQD Sep <strong>2007</strong> Page 2 of 3
Svetlana answers:<br />
Hello. Oh dear, things not really work out as planned. Party look disapprovingly on<br />
grant money which have been wasted, so not much happiness towards Peter or<br />
myself right now. Such a beautiful letter but sadly I have not time to write proper reply<br />
as am heading towards Kursk in stolen combine harvester. So much sadness in<br />
Svetlana’s life right now; <strong>the</strong> sorrows grow legion in number, like so many dead exhusbands.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> meantime, can I just say - why not buy a Leningrad Cowboys LP or tape!! The perfect<br />
Christmas present for loved ones and party officials alike. Only 20 roubles! Cheap at half <strong>the</strong> price! (A<br />
saying which I never understand really, since most things cheap at half <strong>the</strong> price except items in<br />
David Jones.)<br />
Bye for now!<br />
Svetlana<br />
News That Will Be Breaking At Some Point in <strong>the</strong> Future, Perhaps – Election Special – Election Special<br />
Australian Zombie Party’s “eat brains” policy failing to gain traction with<br />
voters.<br />
Nervous Rudd to spend election eve alone in front of TV with large tub of<br />
earwax.<br />
The Garrett gaffe: a dark day in Australian politics when is <strong>the</strong> sanest man in<br />
<strong>the</strong> room is Richard Wilkins.<br />
Terrorists apprehended, beaten, under mistaken belief <strong>the</strong>y were <strong>the</strong> Chaser team.<br />
The Amazing Wuzho<br />
Howard strenuously denies Liberals running “scare campaign”.<br />
MQD Sep <strong>2007</strong> Page 3 of 3