Welcome, Medical Physics Students

As an institute of theoretical physics, ICTP may not seem like a likely place for training medical clinicans. But it does indeed, welcoming a new class to the Masters in Medical Physics programme this week. Twenty five students started classes for the theoretical part of their two years of training, on their way to becoming recognized as clinical medical physicists at the front edge of knowledge and training in the field.

Jointly run with the University of Trieste, the programme starts with a year of training in the theory underlying medical physics, followed by a year in a hospital of clinical training. This week's welcome ceremony marked the start of training for the seventh class of students with a warm and informal gathering of professors and students.

Each new student introduced themselves and their backgrounds to their new community, alongside welcome remarks from three of the programme’s coordinators. Professors Luciano Bertocchi and Renato Padovani of ICTP and Professor Renata Longo of the University of Trieste welcomed the students to the programme and to the city of Trieste. Trieste will be the students' home for a year before they move to cities around Italy for a year of clinical training

The newly welcomed class includes students from six countries that have never been represented in the MMP programme before: Uzbekistan, Algeria, Belarus, Malawi, Costa Rica, and Myanmar. The 25 students hail from 20 countries, with 17 men and 8 women. 

With the arrival of this new class, a total of 122 students have arrived at ICTP for the combination of theoretical and practical training offered by the Masters in Medical Physics since it was inaugurated in 2014. These students will play key practical roles in healthcare as highly trained medical physicists, involved in both individual and public health.