International Day of Medical Physics Poster

Yesterday was the International Day of Medical Physics. This event is organized by the International Organization for Medical Physics, and is held each year on November 7, the birthday of Marie Curie. This year’s theme is “Inspiring the Next Generation of Medical Physicists.”

The IOMP held a poster design contest to celebrate the event. The winning poster was created by Lavanya Murugan from Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Madras Medical College in Chennai, India. IDMP coordinator Ibrahim Duhaini (who works right here in Michigan at Wayne State University) wrote that “Her artwork beautifully captures the theme and spirit of this year’s IDMP and will continuously serve as an inspiration to others… Let us all commit to being beacons of inspiration for the next generation.” I couldn’t have said it better (but maybe Randy Travis could).

The award-winning poster, a masterpiece, is shown below. In case you can’t read it, the quote in the center is by Curie: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Never has this quote been more relevant than now, as we face the dire health threats generated by climate change. I can identify many of the famous physicists and medical physicists in the poster. Can you? By the way, that little sticky note on the upper left of the frame contains a conversion factor indicating that one roentgen deposits 0.877 rads in dry air.

The winning poster of the design contest associated with the International Day of Medical Physics 2024.

Lavanya sent me her thoughts about the design of the poster.

Inspiration: Once, I gave up my dream of becoming an artist to pursue a career in Medical Physics. This piece of art is a reflection of my study wall and myself, inspired by the world around me.

Technique: It’s a digital Art piece.

This artwork portrays a young girl immersed in her studies, surrounded by images of great scientists who have contributed to the field of radiation. The wall features news clips about Roentgen’s groundbreaking discovery and a picture of Marie Curie’s notebook, symbolizing power of radiating knowledge. Everyone experiences uncertainty about their knowledge, future and career at some point. Believing in ourselves is the first step to achieving our goals. The individuals whose photos adorn the wall were once in our shoes, grappling with doubts and questioning their abilities. Yet, they persevered, never giving up and ultimately inspiring us in the field of radiation. Today, we proudly serve healthcare and humanity as Medical Physicists, standing on their shoulders.

I have included one of my favourite quotes from Marie Curie, a female scientist who has been inspiring women in research: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

Everyone fears radiation and its impact on mankind, but people like us choose to be radiation professionals regardless of the risks involved. This quote inspires us to understand the risks for the betterment of this field.

The message I wanted to convey through this art is to inspire the next generation of Medical Physicists to contribute their best to our field, following in the footsteps of the great minds of our past.

Lavanya is a medical physicist with over eight years of clinical experience in radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, and radiology. She excels in treatment planning, quality assurance, and treatment delivery. She’s also an artist, creating artwork under the pseudonym “Nivi.” You can find many of her pieces at her Instagram account. Below I show a few that are related to medical physics. 

Lavanya calls this a “boredom doodle.” You can see a tiny version of it to the right of the Curie quote in her award winning poster.

This radiotherapy picture features many of the topics discussed in Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology.

Lavanya at work as a medical physicist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3a8i2F1Mf0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKxZZEFv0Bo