The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki hosted two Particle Therapy MasterClasses PTMC carried out under the scientific coordination of Dr. Yiota Foka, physicist and researcher at GSI and CERN. It aimed to introduce students to cutting-edge developments at the intersection of physics and medicine, and, also to highlight the role of the IFIGENEIA EU project, which is coordinated by AUTH. The 23rd March PTMC was attended by 60 high-school students, coming from Veroia, which is actively promoting the PTMC initiatives through its Public Central Library. The 1st April PTMC was attended by 120 university students, from various faculties, who were welcomed by Prof Triaridis, Head of the AUTH Medical School and Prof Bamidis, director of the Medical Physics Laboratory and president of ELEVIT.
The full-day PTMC program combined theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience. During the morning sessions, participants attended lectures enriched with audiovisual material. The program focused on Particle Therapy, an advanced cancer treatment technique that can precisely target tumours, using protons and heavier ions, while sparing healthy tissues. In the afternoon, participants engaged in practical exercises and were introduced to advanced methodologies, using the matRad open source treatment planning toolkit developed by the DKFZ German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg for education and research purposes. Thus, they gained valuable insight into real-world clinical applications and appreciated the importance of imaging as well as the role of innovative medical accelerators. Such topics gave the opportunity to emphasise the aims and developments of the IFIGENEIA project as well as possible career paths in related fields. The program concluded with an international videoconference, moderated by particle therapy experts, giving participants the opportunity to actively interact with them.
Participants who delivered three of the matRad treatment planning exercises received certificates of participation.
These PTMCs were co-organised by GSI, CERN and DKFZ in collaboration with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, ELEVIT, the ACHEPA, Theageneio and Papageorgiou Hospitals of Thessaloniki, with the support of the CNAO hadron therapy centre in ITALY and the Region of Central Macedonia.
