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|Objectives
We have seen a slow progression in the techniques used routinely for daily, monthly, and annual quality assurance (QA) of linear accelerators. Most of us have been using the same methods for machine QA for decades, even though there has been significant development in new techniques and processes. Integrating new methods into the day-to-day clinical environment has not been fast enough. Machine QA measurements, analysis, trending, and data organization are substantial components of the workload in the life as a Medical Physicist. Despite this, in the last decade, we haven't seen many conferences or webinars devoted to implementing newer, efficient methods for machine QA. In 2020, the AAPM Summer School on Advances in Machine QA was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clearly, there is a need to continue the conversation on updating practices and how to move forward. We must define the best strategies to integrate vendor-provided tools and establish a partnership with vendors to innovate and move machine QA forward.AAPM is committed to advancing the field and improving work practices for Medical Physicists. Improving machine QA practices is a critical piece in this effort.
Program Outline
October 28 | |||
9:45am Meeting Link Opens | Room | Topic | Speaker |
Session Title: History, Current State, and Moving Forward | |||
10:00am - 10:15am | 150-200 | Welcome and Introductions | Koren Smith/Angelica Perez-Andujar |
10:15am - 10:45am | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | The History of QA in Medical Physics - How we got here? | Steven Sutlief |
10:45am - 11:15am | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | The Current State of Linac QA | Robert Krauss |
11:15am - 12:15pm | 25 min pres each, 10 min Q&A | Transforming and Combining QA Methods: Simplifying | Eric Ford/Jean Moran |
12:15pm - 12:30pm | 15-20 people per group | Breakout Small Discussion Group | |
12:30pm - 1:15pm Lunch Break | |||
Sesstion Title: Automation and Efficiency | |||
1:15pm - 2:15pm | 25 min pres each, 10 min Q&A | Automated Tools | Bin Han/Lana Critchfield |
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | Efficient QA Methods | Angelica Perez-Andujar |
2:45pm - 3:15pm | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | Integration of 3rd Party QA Tools | Miriam Weiser |
3:15pm - 3:45pm | 15-20 people per group | Breakout Small Discussion Group | |
3:45pm - 4:00pm Coffee Break | |||
Session Title: MLC, Resources, Machine Learning/AI | |||
4:00pm - 4:30pm | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | Timely Update to MLC QA | Moyed Miften |
4:30pm - 5:00pm | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | Using Resources at Our Fingertips (Detector Arrays/EPID QA/Log Files) | Sonja Dieterich |
5:00pm - 5:30pm | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | The Role of Machine Learning/AI in the Future of Linac QA | Gilmer Valdes |
5:30pm - 6:00pm | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | Round Table Discussion All Speakers and Take Aways | Koren Smith/Angelica Perez-Andujar/Session Speakers |
October 29 | |||
9:45am Meeting Link Opens | Room | Topic | Speaker |
Session Title: Vendors and Vendor/Physicist Collaboration | |||
10:00am - 10:15am | Second Day Welcome | Koren Smith/Angelica Perez-Andujar/Session Speakers | |
10:15am - 11:15am | 25 min pres each, 10 min Q&A | The Role of Vendors in the QA Process | Sasa Mutic (Varian)/Young Lee (Elekta) |
11:15am - 11:45am | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | Vendor-Provided Tools (Unwrapping the Black Box) | Koren Smith |
11:45am - 12:15pm | 25 min pres, 5 min Q&A | Vendor/Physicist Collaboration for Safe and Efficient QA | Todd Pawlicki |
12:15pm - 1:00pm | 15-20 people per group | Breakout Group Including Vendor Representative/FDA in Each Group | |
1:00pm - 1:45pm Lunch Break | |||
Session Title: FDA Processes | |||
1:45pm - 2:45pm | 25 min pres each, 10 min Q&A | The Process of Equipment Approval by the FDA | Jennifer Segui and Michelle Lis (FDA) |
2:45pm - 3:45pm | 25 min pres each, 10 min Q&A | From the FDA to the Clinic - Vendor Perspective | Alex Solodkin (Elekta)/Kayla Kielar (Varian) |
3:45pm - 4:30pm | Round Table Discussion and Take Aways | Koren/Angelica/session speakers | |
4:30pm- 4:45pm | Closing Remarks | Koren Smith/Angelica Perez-Andujar | |