2011 Medal Winners | francais

The 2011 CAP-COMP Peter Kirkby Memorial Medal for Outstanding Service to Canadian Physics

is awarded to

Ervin Podgorsak

"Medical physics has an illustrious history in Canada and has during the past two decades become recognized as an important branch of physics. I am truly delighted to have received the 2011 Kirkby medal from the CAP and the COMP for my professional activities as a medical physicist." winner quote

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) are pleased to announce that the 2011 CAP-COMP Peter Kirkby Memorial Medal for Outstanding Service to Canadian Physics is awarded to Ervin Podgorsak, McGill University Health Centre, in recognition of for his outstanding service to Canadian Physics reflected, in particular, by his leadership in developing and enhancing the Medical Physics profession at the national and international level. Known for his kindness and hospitality, he has served his community with wisdom, enthusiasm and integrity. announcement

Dr. Podgorsak is an outstanding leader and champion of professionalism for clinical medical physicists. He has been active within the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM), the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP), and the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP).

As Director of the McGill University Medical Physics Unit, 1991-2008, Ervin Podgorsak headed both a leading clinical service and an academic program. As an accomplished researcher, he built a strong research team at McGill. Dr. Podgorsak led both the McGill medical physics graduate program and the clinical residency program to be the first such Canadian programs to be internationally accredited, by CAMPEP.

Throughout his career, Ervin Podgorsak strived to improve health care in Québec and Canada. His long service to the CCPM, particularly in its early development, assured improved health services by setting standards for education and certification of the medical physicists active in patient care. He has been an outspoken voice for funding of health care in Québec and in Canada. As the physics leader one of the larger radiation oncology treatment services in Québec, Dr. Podgorsak was able, through active intervention with hospital and government officials, to trigger significant improvements in operational and equipment funding for cancer centres in the province.

Dr. Podgorsak was born in Vienna, and grew up in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where he earned his Dipl. Ing. He pursued graduate work in medical physics at the University of Wisconsin, receiving his Ph.D. in 1973. He followed this by post-doctoral studies and clinical training in Toronto. In 1975 Dr. Podgorsak joined McGill University's medical physics unit and remained there until his retirement in 2009.

He has stated that one of the highlights of his career was to host the international medical physics meeting of AAPM and COMP held in Montréal in 2002.

Ervin Podgorsak and his wife Mariana have two sons, Matthew and Gregor. nominator citation

The Peter Kirkby Memorial Medal was introduced in 1996 and is awarded biennially.

Dr. Podgorsak will be presented with the 2011 CAP-COMP Kirkby Memorial Medal for Outstanding Service to Canadian Physics during the 2011 CAP Congress banquet to be held on Thursday, June 16, 2011, at the Holiday Inn, St. John's, Newfoundland. Please refer to the Congress program for the schedule of plenary talks by CAP medal winners. medal description

The Canadian Association of Physicists, founded in 1945, is a professional association representing over 1600 individual physicists and physics students in Canada, the U.S. and overseas, as well as a number of Corporate, Institutional, and Departmental Members. In addition to its learned activities, the CAP also undertakes a number of activities intended to encourage students to pursue a career in physics. cap description

The Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists is a scientific and professional organization composed of 465 medical physicists and graduate students working in the areas of medical imaging, cancer therapy, and medical biophysics, plus Corporate Members who are involved in these areas. The COMP also has a close relationship with the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM), which is the national certification body in Canada for clinical competence in physics applied to medicine. joint description

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For more information, please contact:

Canadian Association of Physicists
Tel: (613) 562-5614
Fax: (613) 562-5615
E-mail: cap@uottawa.ca

or

Nancy Barrett
Executive Director,
Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists
Tel: (613) 599-3491
Fax: (613) 599-1949
Email: nancy@medphys.cacap contact and joint contact