Report of The Finnish Society for Medical Physics and Medical Engineering

The Finnish Society for Medical Physics and Medical Engineering started the year 2003 by arranging the second Medical Physics and Medical Engineering Day. It was held in Biomedicum (the centre for medical research and training), Helsinki on the 9th January 2003. The Day attracted 110 participants from all over Finland. As with the first meeting, the main event during the Day was a poster presentation of Master's graduate theses conducted in the field of Medical Physics and Engineering during year 2002. The works were evaluated based on poster presentation, and best works were rewarded. The award of €2002 was donated by Instrumentarium Imaging. In total 26 Master's graduates participated in the poster competition. Several departments from the hosting Helsinki University of Technology presented their education and research on biomedical engineering and medical physics via oral presentations. After the official program, the evening gathering was arranged by Datex-Ohmeda in their premises.
The abstracts of Master's graduate theses presented during the second MPME Day are on the Finnish Society's web site, http://www.lfty.fi/lft_paiva/posters03.html. Abstracts of rewarded works are in English with an author photo, http://www.lfty.fi/lft_paiva/abstracts03.html.

In addition to MPME Day, the Finnish Society was one organiser in the 30th International Congress on Electrocardiology, which was held in Säätytalo, Helsinki from June 11th-14th 2003. There were 216 participants from 30 different countries in the ICE2003. After the congress there was satellite symposium in Saariselkä, Lapland, June 15-17, 2003. The Midnight Sun Symposium attracted 57 participants from 12 countries. Information related to the ICE2003 and the Midnight Sun Symposium can be found from http://www.ice2003.net.

The Society's administrative committee members have been active members of the working group of Tekes, National Technology Agency of Finland, when Tekes evaluated future healthcare technology. Based on the working group recommendation, Tekes has launched one of its largest technology programmes, FinnWell - Future Healthcare, for years 2004-2009.

In the last year the Society purchased its own web domain, www.lfty.fi. All internet material has been transferred to a new server and the development of a web portal has begun.
We had 150 participants in our membership list.

Jari Viik, secretary of Finnish Society
secretary@lfty.fi