The Upstate New York chapter of AAPM (UNYAPM) held its fall meeting on November 18, 2017 at the Twig Auditorium, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY. The UNYAPM comprises members from all across the upstate New York region, from Buffalo to Albany. The meeting started with an invited presentation by Dr. Harish Malhotra from Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Quality assurance and patient safety are becoming the main focus in health care. Dr. Malhotra talked about improving patient safety in radiation therapy using the guidelines outlined in the AAPM TG-100 report, which drew much interest from the audience.

Proffered Paper session talks were held then, with nine students from Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and Toshiba Stroke and Vascular Research Center presenting on their research. The work presented by the students was excellent with good impact in the field of medical physics. Mr. Mubin Shaikh, President-Elect of UNYAPM, also gave an informative talk on the capabilities of an expansive group of treatment planning systems to create dosimetrically challenging treatment plans.

The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the Chapter's Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Physics honoring Dr. Michael G. Herman for his outstanding contributions and achievements in medical physics throughout his distinguished career. As part of the award ceremony, Dr. Herman presented a keynote lecture highlighting his days at Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic, covering aspects of his early clinical implementation projects, some of the fun he had in education, and his leadership experience in AAPM/ACMP.

The next chapter meeting is scheduled for April 2018 and non-members are welcome to attend. Details can be obtained from the Chapter Secretary, Vikas Patel and the chapter website.

Dr. Harish Malhotra giving the lecture on Patient Safety at the UNYAPM meeting.

Dr. Michael G. Herman receiving the Life Time Achievement Award from UNYAPM executive members. From left to right: President Lalith Kumaraswamy, award recipient Michael Herman, immediate past president Daryl Nazareth, president-elect Mubin Shaikh, and AAPM board rep Iris Wang.