Search is Powered by Google
Follow us on:
Follow our health news on Twitter
Follow Our News on Facebook
Personalization
login | register
Cancer / Oncology News

New Initiative Gives Cancer Physics A Boost - Queensland University Of Technology, Australia

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine
Article Date: 11 Aug 2008 - 2:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article


Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:not yet rated

Health Professional:1 star

1 (1 votes)

Article Opinions: 0 posts

A health initiative spearheaded by QUT has received $800,000 from Queensland Health, allowing the university to attempt to raise the profile and increase the recognition of the field of cancer physics in the state.

The initiative will also aim to increase the levels of job satisfaction and level of external support for hospital-based physicists.

Professor Christian Langton, who came to Queensland University of Technology in February from the University of Hull in the UK, has been asked to lead this project.

"I was asked to look at how to improve the issues of recruitment and retention of physicists in the hospital sector, as well as how to raise the profile of cancer physics both nationally and internationally," he said.

"With the planned expansion of radiation oncology treatment provision throughout Queensland, it is essential that we have a sufficient number of hospital-based physicists.

"I thought to bring everyone together in a collaboration of physicists, therapists and oncologists, with the aim for Queensland to become an internationally acclaimed, academically minded Cancer Physics centre of excellence, breaking down professional and institutional barriers."

The Queensland Cancer Physics Collaborative operates under four domains: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Service Provision, Education and Training, Research and Innovation, and e-Networking and Awareness.

Professor Langton said the $800,000 would primarily go towards the appointment of two post-Doctoral researcher/trainee physicist posts, along with establishing Australasia's first Radiation Oncology Simulation Environment (3D-ROSE).

The simulator would provide a virtual-reality experience of radiotherapy treatment rooms and procedures, which in addition to training and research roles, may also have a valuable awareness role for cancer patients and their families.

Other initiatives planned include clinical exchange placements for trainees with international centres, and university-hospital partnership PhD studentships.

"For Queensland Health, the bottom line is making Queensland more attractive for physicists to work here, so we needed to find out why there are disappointing levels of recruitment and retention, to see what could be done," said Professor Langton.

"The feedback was that these physicists often feel that they are not recognised and valued, and that they are not given enough research time in hospitals.

"As a result, all the things we are doing will look at increasing the job satisfaction and recognition of hospital-based physicists, through the creation of a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional collaborative environment."

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said the collaboration would attract and retain much-needed cancer physicists in the state.

"This is the first initiative of its kind in Australia, and aims to increase the Queensland workforce by making careers in cancer physics more attractive, luring back physicists who have gone elsewhere and retaining our current staff," he said.

"The initiative will heavily focus on professional development and providing physicists with a training pathway, research, e-learning and more public recognition of the important role cancer physicists play in the treatment of patients with cancer."

Queensland University of Technology




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Hemophilia Opioid Induced Constipation Pneumococcal Disease ADHD Anxiety Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Please fill in our survey

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
Cellphones Cause Brain Tumors, Says New Report By International EMF Collaborative
26 Aug 2009
A new report, "Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern, Science, Spin and the Truth Behind Interphone," was released today by a collaborative of international EMF activists...


Stages of Breast Cancer image Stages of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer stages tell us the characteristics of the cancer and if it has spread beyond the breast tissue. Doctors can use this information to guide treatment decisions. Learn how staging is vital in determining next steps...

Living with Breast Cancer image Living with Breast Cancer

There are many options for treating breast cancer, including surgery, hormonal treatments, radiation and chemotherapy. All of these treatments have potential physical and emotional side effects. Discover how two women went through treatment and what they did to cope...

View more videos...