Technical advances for dose reduction in diagnostic imaging

• Grant number: 14/07959-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Duration: August 10, 2014 - August 23, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Medical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Roberto Costa
• Grantee: Paulo Roberto Costa
• Visiting researcher: Isabel Ana Castellano
• Visiting researcher institution: Royal Marsden NHS Trust, England
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Professor Dr. Isabel Castellano will present a short-course in the post-graduation program of IFUSP about technological advances on patient dose reduction in diagnostic imaging, emphasizing Mammography and wide bean Computed Tomography, at Physics Institute of São Paulo University, open to post-graduation students also of other Universities. These technologies have been widely applied in the entire world and researchers have been working in practices in medicine that allow maximize the diagnostic information, but concerning to the potential radiation risks to patients. Professor Castellano has great experience in this research area, with publications in many different works in this investigation line. Besides, in her visit in Brazil, in case this present proposal is accepted, professor Castellano will interact and contribute to research projects of post-graduation students of Radiation Dosimetry and Medical Physics Group of IFUSP, under this proponent supervision. Between this projects, stands out the projects conducted by Josilene Cerqueira Santos (Doctorate project FAPESP 2013/07117-0) and by Juliana Cristina Martins (Master's project FAPESP 2013/09596-3). Their working project are substantially associated to Dr. Castellano research area and her contribution will be extremely important to the higher impact on their expected results. Furthermore, she may contribute to the working project conducted by the students Alejandro Heyner (Doctorate to be proposed to FAPESP in july/2014) and Daniel Vicente Vieira (Master's student of CNPq scholarship). Their project are in Computed Tomography which have great intersection to the visitor researcher area of knowledge. Another activity that has been planned with Dr. Castellano is her participation as evaluation committee member of the master's program of the student Thamiris Rosado Reina (Master's student, alumnus FAPESP, process 2012/03393-0). The student's master thesis is about one of the most important contributions published in literature by Dr. Castellano (dose measurements in AEC-systems used in CT). Her evaluation will be very important not only for scientific articles arising from the student's results, but also for her eventual continuity in the Group researches programs.Finally, Dr. Castellano will visit the Radiology Institute of the Clinics Hospital and Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo "Octávio Frias de Oliveira", both from USP Medical School and present at least one lecture for their radiological physicians' community. The Radiation Dosimetry and Medical Physics Group is responsible for the Quality Assurance Program in the diagnostic imaging section of these hospitals and they have some cooperative research projects ongoing. Moreover, Dr. Castellano shall participate on some activities in the XIX Brazilian Medical Physics Congress that is going to be during her staying in Brazil. This participation may provide a wider visibility of the research programs in partnership to the researcher, especially in projects associated to FAPESP scholarships' students. All the expenses needed to her transfer to the Congress location will be paid for the event organization. (AU)