AMPERE: A Global Physics Framework for Advancing Medical Physics Research, Education, and Workforce Development
ORAL · Invited
Abstract
The AMPERE (Access for Medical Physicists to Education and Research Excellence) program is advancing medical physics research education across 11 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. AMPERE addresses the worldwide shortage of medical physicists by using physics-based training to create scalable research and education pathways, even in settings with limited infrastructure.
This presentation will highlight AMPERE’s global architecture, including training hubs in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, and Bangladesh, and additional sites representing a diverse international ecosystem. These hubs function as interconnected physics training centers supported by virtual labs, cloud-based platforms, and coordinated remote mentorship. Students engage directly with AI tools, radiation detectors, transport simulations, QA procedures, and planning algorithms through hybrid hands-on and digital environments that mirror the core experimental and computational methods used in medical physics research.
AMPERE’s global strategy aligns closely with APS priorities and complements international physics efforts such as the African School of Physics (ASP) and the African Strategy for Fundamental and Applied Physics (ASFAP), while creating new bridges between APS divisions and emerging training networks worldwide. These collaborations strengthen the global physics talent pipeline, accelerate knowledge exchange, and demonstrate the societal impact of physics in improving health systems and expanding cancer care capacity.
By connecting countries through a unified, physics-driven training model, AMPERE offers a blueprint for advancing innovation, expanding the medical physics workforce, and increasing equitable access to cancer care. This talk will illustrate how APS can play a transformative role in shaping the next generation of global medical physics leaders.
This presentation will highlight AMPERE’s global architecture, including training hubs in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, and Bangladesh, and additional sites representing a diverse international ecosystem. These hubs function as interconnected physics training centers supported by virtual labs, cloud-based platforms, and coordinated remote mentorship. Students engage directly with AI tools, radiation detectors, transport simulations, QA procedures, and planning algorithms through hybrid hands-on and digital environments that mirror the core experimental and computational methods used in medical physics research.
AMPERE’s global strategy aligns closely with APS priorities and complements international physics efforts such as the African School of Physics (ASP) and the African Strategy for Fundamental and Applied Physics (ASFAP), while creating new bridges between APS divisions and emerging training networks worldwide. These collaborations strengthen the global physics talent pipeline, accelerate knowledge exchange, and demonstrate the societal impact of physics in improving health systems and expanding cancer care capacity.
By connecting countries through a unified, physics-driven training model, AMPERE offers a blueprint for advancing innovation, expanding the medical physics workforce, and increasing equitable access to cancer care. This talk will illustrate how APS can play a transformative role in shaping the next generation of global medical physics leaders.
*Funding: Supported by the NCI/NIH under Award Number R25CA291597. Additional institutional support provided by the Penn Global GEF Fund, PSOM Center for Global Oncology, and the Global Health Catalyst.Disclaimer: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or NCI.
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Presenters
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Stephen M Avery
- University of Pennsylvania