First recipient of new IPEM international award announced
THE first recipient of a new IPEM international award recognising the challenges medical physicists and clinical engineers can face in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC)* has been announced.
Iyobosa Uwadiae, a medical physicist from University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, has become the first person to receive the IPEM LMIC Sponsorship Award, which was launched last year.
The award seeks to support future healthcare leaders in the field of physics and engineering in medicine from low and middle income countries. The award is particularly focused around supporting the development of professional activities within LMICs with an ambition to increase access to these services for future generations of physicists and engineers.
Professor Dan Clark, IPEM’s Vice President International who launched the award at MPEC in Bristol, said: ‘Iyobosa impressed the judging panel with her clear enthusiasm for developing professional activities, her commitment to making things happen locally and regionally and her vision for improving medical physics in Nigeria and across Africa.
‘As part of her application Iyobosa put forward ambitious plans in several areas including supporting developing professional networks, organising summer schools and outreach events, supporting younger physicists and developing a mentorship scheme in Nigeria, building links between hospital scientists and academia and seeking national professional recognition.’
Professor Clark added: ‘Iyobosa’s sponsorship started earlier this year, which proved to be a challenging time for all of us with the Covid-19 pandemic affecting so much of what we do. Lockdown restrictions in Nigeria and increased workloads somewhat curtailed Iyobosa’s ambitions but supported by her IPEM mentor she has focused her plans in two key areas (summer school/outreach events and research support) and despite the challenges has already made great progress.
‘It has been a great pleasure to meet and work with Iyobosa who is already confirming the value of the award and I’m excited to see how she continues to develop over the next couple of years.’
‘IPEM will be announcing the call for this year’s award later in the year so please consider applying or recommending your colleagues.’