Abstract #3966
Addressing the knowledge gap in MRI physics in Türkiye: A continuing educational initiative by the Turkish Medical Physics Association
Joseph Weygand1, Turgay Toksay2, Jesutofunmi Fajemisin3,4, Görkem Güngör5, Travis C. Salzillo6, Benjamin C. Musall7, Keith A. Michel8, John M. Bryant9, Pradnya Mhatre10, Houchun H. Hu11, William Swanson12, Peter Sandwall13, Gülin Ӧz14, Samuel A. Einstein15, and Evren O. Göksel5
1Department of Radiation Oncology and Applied Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States, 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Bursa Ali Osman Sönmez Oncology Hospital, Bursa, Turkey, 3Acıbadem University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey, 4Department of Applied Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States, 5Department of Radiation Oncology, Acıbadem University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey, 6Department of Radiation Physics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States, 7Department of Radiology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, United States, 8Department of Radiology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States, 9Department of Radiation Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, United States, 10Department of Radiology and Imaging Science, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States, 11Department of Radiology, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States, 12Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States, 13Department of Radiation Oncology, Ohio Health, Mansfield, OH, United States, 14Department of Radiology, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States, 15Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
Synopsis
Keywords: Safety, MR Value, Global Health, Outreach
Motivation: Türkiye has nearly 1,000 MRI scanners and eight MRI-guided linear accelerators but faces a shortage of trained MR physicists.
Goal(s): An MR physics course aimed to bridge the expertise gap among medical physicists in Türkiye, enhancing clinical practice quality and safety.
Approach: The Turkish Medical Physics Association collaborated with US-based experts to deliver a nine-week MR physics course. Pre- and post-course evaluations assessed participants' understanding across core topics, including MR principles and safety.
Results: The course improved participant knowledge significantly (p < 0.001), highlighting the value of international partnerships in advancing medical physics education and presenting a scalable model for other regions/countries.
Impact: The number of MR scanners in Türkiye recently increased rapidly without an associated expansion of MR education. The Turkish Medical Physics Association identified this gap and collaborated with international experts to create a webinar series that quantitatively increased participants' knowledge.
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