QLD trip to upskill in nuclear medicine

EPA staff members attended training at the Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists (AANMS) in Brisbane on 24-25 August 2024.

Radiation Protection Officers, Anna Bedford and Kavitha Srinivasan, attended the sessions, to upskill their knowledge on how Theranostics, an approach to diagnosing and treating cancers through the use of radiotracers in nuclear medicine, is being used to treat cancer.

The sessions provided a comprehensive overview of contemporary theranostics practice by a world-class faculty. This included presentations by experts on the rapidly expanding evidence-base supporting PET imaging and radionuclide therapy for the personalised treatment of neuroendocrine tumours (NETs), prostate cancer and advanced thyroid cancer in a multidisciplinary setting.

The course outlines the process for recognition of experience in Theranostics for qualified practicing Nuclear Medicine Specialists. This process has been finalised by the RACP College Education Committee (CEC) which oversees the Committee for Joint College Training (CJCT) – stating that the process will be managed by the AANMS and its Theranostics Committee, along with the CJCT in Nuclear Medicine.

Ms Srinivasan says the training will enable the EPA, as regulators, to better identify the required qualifications, competencies, and training for a specialist to practice and authorise exposures in Theranostics.

“Theragnostic is an emerging and rapidly growing area in nuclear medicine, and we learnt a lot during our interstate training,” she said.