2017 Medal Winners | francais

The 2017 CAP-COMP Peter Kirkby Memorial Medal for Outstanding Service to Canadian Physics

is awarded to

Jerry J. Battista

"I am deeply honoured to receive the Kirkby memorial award. It spans the wide range of physics contributions to Canadian society, including radiation medicine. I follow in big footsteps of �Jack� Cunningham, an outstanding role model, and Erv Podgorsak, an educator and scientist with uncompromising attention to physics details. This is truly rewarding and inspiring." winner citation

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) are pleased to announce that the 2017 CAP-COMP Peter Kirkby Memorial Medal for Outstanding Service to Canadian Physics is awarded to Jerry J. Battista, Western University, in recognition of for his outstanding and lifelong contributions to Medical Physics in Canada that have fundamentally altered worldwide practice. In addition to being an outstanding teacher, researcher, and mentor, Dr. Battista has steadfastly advocated for his field through his work on many professional and accreditation committees, his service as an advisor to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Cancer Care Ontario, and his coordination of Canada's largest residency training program in clinical physics. announcement

Dr. Battista is an award winning Medical Physicist based in London, Ontario, Canada. He serves as the Director of Physics Research and Education at the London Regional Cancer Program and the past Chairman of the Department of Medical Biophysics at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Battista has supervised a number of graduate students who have become international stars in the world of radiation therapy physics. The resultant new technologies developed by them are now used worldwide as part of highly precise image-guided radiation therapy � the modern standard of practice. Dr. Battista is known for excellent communication skills that have resulted in multiple teaching awards, including receiving top honours at Western University. He is known for successful use of analogies bringing complex subjects to understandable levels. Furthermore, his research supervision of graduate students has resulted in award winning research papers both in the Canadian and broader international medical physics communities.

For many years, Dr. Battista has also served as the coordinator of the Medical Physics residency training program for the Province of Ontario. This program has long served as the model of medical physics education and training such that the graduates are highly sought after in both Canada and the US. Dr. Battista�s very positive and open attitude with his students, his peers and the general public epitomize what Peter Kirkby stood for � a vision of a strong physics community dedicated to efforts that support open communication, fairness and honesty. nominator citation

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