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Gamma Knife Education & Training

Gamma Knife Education & Training

Washington Hospital is the first hospital in the United States that treated patients using the new Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion®, a revolutionary alternative to traditional open-brain surgery and/or daily radiation treatments, which are administered from four to six weeks.

Washington Hospital is offering a Physics Course, twice a year, to provide training for stereotactic radiosurgery utilizing the Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™.

    PHYSICS COURSE - CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE SYLLABUS

    • April 22-24, 2019

    • October 14-16, 2019

    Target Audience:
    Medical Physicists, Gamma Knife nurses

    Objectives:
    1) Demonstrate the principles of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
    2) Demonstrate the basic features and operation of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
    3) Demonstrate how to plan treatments for the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
    4) Demonstrate the basic safety features of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
    5) Demonstrate QA procedures that satisfy NRC requirements for the Gamma Knife®Perfexion™

    Topics

    • Evolution and development of radiosurgery
    • WHHS experience with Perfexion™
    • Technical description of the Perfexion™
    • Tour of Gamma Knife suite and demonstration of Perfexion operation
    • Frame, skull radii, MRI and CT scans
    • Treatment planning
    • Assessing the accuracy of MR scans and treatment planning for a simple target
    • Approve and export a treatment plan
    • Brain metastases
    • Benign brain tumors
    • Treatment planning system (TPS) administration
    • QA and radiation safety features of Perfexion?
    • Safety features of Perfexion?
    • Daily and weekly QA
    • Review monthly QA and demonstrate the test runs
    • Review annual QA procedures
    • Observe the entire treatment process

    Course Directors:
    Washington Hospital's Gamma Knife Program is led by one of the most accomplished teams of specialized physicians, physicists and nurses. Neurosurgeon Sandeep Kunwar, MD, co-medical director, Gamma Knife Program, Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute and radiation oncologist David Larson, MD, PhD, co-medical director, Gamma Knife Program, Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute are both nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise, innovation and leadership in the field of Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Dr. Larson was a close advisor to Elekta in the design and development of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™. Both board-certified physicians, together they have more than 23 years of experience performing thousands of successful procedures. Paula Petti, PhD, radiological physics, director of Gamma Knife Physics, Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute, is board certified in therapeutic radiological physics. Her areas of expertise include: stereotactic radiosurgery, charged-particle radiation therapy, Monte Carlo calculations, as well as particle and photon dose calculations.

    Washington Hospital Healthcare System will meet all requirements on disclosure, information about relationships of presenters with commercial interests (if any) will be included in materials, which will be distributed at the time of the conference.

    Registration:
    Course enrollment is limited to eight people and early registration is recommended. Please download and complete the registration form and return via fax to the following:

    Athena Cota-Calura
    Medical Imaging
    Washington Hospital Healthcare System
    2000 Mowry Ave.
    Fremont, CA 94538
    Fax: 510-608-1387
    Phone: 510-818-6103

    Please notify us at least two weeks ahead of time of any special needs you may have.

    Registration will not be confirmed without tuition payment. Please make tuition check payable to "Washington Hospital Healthcare System," or via credit card as noted on the registration form. Tuition for the physics course is $3,500.

    Cancellation of registration prior to the commencement of the course:
    up to 21 days, $500
    up to 21-14 days, 25% of the fee
    up to 14-7 days, 50% of the fee
    7 days, full fee

    Course Location:
    Both courses will be held at:
    Washington Hospital - Click here for Maps & Directions
    2500 Mowry Avenue (Washington West)
    Fremont, CA 94538

    In addition to the world-class facilities and staff at Washington Hospital, we are ideally situated in the picturesque San Francisco Bay Area. Transportation for training participants is quite easy, as we are located approximately 22 miles from Oakland International Airport; 17 miles from Mineta, San Jose Airport; 37 miles from San Francisco International Airport; and one block from the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. Fremont, California, is located within easy driving distance from anywhere in the Bay Area. Training participants can easily visit local and regional attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Discovery Museum in San Jose, our famed wine country Napa Valley as well as Lake Tahoe.

    Accommodations
    We have negotiated a reduced rate at the Marriott Fremont Silicon Valley for this event. This is also the location of the dinner on the second evening of the course. The hotel is approximately 7 miles from the Hospital. The rooms have been held for arrival on the Sunday before the start of the course and departure on the Thursday following the completion of the training. Room reservations must be made AT LEAST 22 days before the start of each course in order to secure the reduced rate. Reservations made any later than this can not be guaranteed the corporate rate.

    The following is the address and contact information for the hotel:
    Marriott Fremont Silicon Valley
    46100 Landing Parkway
    Fremont, California 94538 USA
    Phone: (510) 413-3700
    Fax: (510) 413-3710
    Sales: (510) 413-3745
    Sales fax: (510) 413-3728

    Please contact them to book your room reservation. When making your reservation, be sure to mention you are booking a room for the Washington Hospital Gamma Knife Training. This will ensure you have a room available to you as well as secure the reduced rate.

    You may also use the following link to book your reservation online:http://marriott.com/sjcfm?groupCode=wstwsta&app=resvlink

    If you are bringing a companion or have a special rooming request, please let us know when registering.

    CME Credits
    Please Note: An application for at most 21.25 medical physics continuing education credits (MPCEC) has been made to the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP) for this program.

    This program is provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider No. #CEP 3467.

    (Please Note: The Center for Continuing Education and Washington Hospital Healthcare System do not certify that, through participation in this program, participants are competent to perform certain procedures or skills.)

    Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute
    Gamma Knife Program
    2500 Mowry Avenue
    Fremont, CA 94538
    Tel: (510) 818-6680
    Toll Free: (888) PERFEXION (737-3394)