The right blend of understanding, support and team work has resulted in the successful running of the international workshop and conference ‘Meet the Experts in PET-CT Session’. Organized by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia (FPSK, UPM) at the prestigious international meeting venue - The Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 31st July 2006, the event witnessed an encouraging response with active participation of representatives from various institutions from far and wide in Malaysia as well as overseas.

Changes in technological advancement have greatly influenced the rapidly developing medical services, including Nuclear Medicine service. In view of the obvious shortage of expertise in the field of Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography, or better known as PET-CT, the aim was to hold an awareness activity on this emerging area.

This idea was further nurtured during the scientific visit to the Nuclear Medicine and PET-CT Centre, Klagenfurt Hospital, Austria. The proposal was accepted by the Director, Professor Dr Peter Lind, who is also the Dean, European School of Nuclear Medicine (ESNM) and was also seen to strengthen the fellowship and goodwill that was fostered during the visit.

Support was also given by The Malaysian Ambassador and The Permanent Malaysian Attaché to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna at that point of time whereby, the University’s delegation had the opportunity to pay a courtesy call to various heads of Nuclear Medicine sections at IAEA head office in Vienna International Centre.

The visit was successful in obtaining the assistance from the IAEA to develop external relationship and support with the hub of Nuclear Medicine knowledge in Europe by participation of the PET-CT experts to deliver important features of this highly advanced technology for the workshop and conference and to establish liaisons between the European School Nuclear Medicine and Malaysian Universities.

The bridge between the Malaysian Institute of Nuclear Technology and Research (MINT) as the IAEA’s representative in Malaysia and University Putra Malaysia (UPM) through a memorandum of understanding assisted in bringing two prominent PET-CT experts for this workshop. They were Professor Dr Peter Lind (MD) from Klagenfurt, Austria and Prof Dr R. Fulton (PhD) from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney.

The value of smart partnerships as summoned and cultivated by the Malaysian Government was implemented in organizing this workshop which brought the initiative of the private vendors to sponsor world figures in PET-CT from Europe, Prof Dr Gustav Von Schulthess from University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland and Prof Dr Ewald Kresnik of Klagenfurt, Austria.

Another eminent invited speaker, Prof Dr Claudio Rossetti from the University of Milan, Italy who is also the Chairperson in Accreditation, Union European Medical Specialists (UEMS), and IAEA experts who had also been kind enough to participate in this event by special invitation.

All of the above mentioned speakers have many years of experience in the field of PET-CT with invaluable academic contributions towards the progress and advancement of Nuclear Applications in Medicine.

The workshop held in Kuala Lumpur successfully demonstrated various live clinical cases brought in from several European hospitals i.e. Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Apart from highlighting interesting and challenging clinical cases, this workshop also featured the introduction of the latest software system and workstation for displaying PET-CT images specially brought in from a neighborhood country. The participants were given the privilege to have hands-on experience in handling the workstations themselves .

Participants were from various institutions in Malaysia. They were from the Ministry of Education’s Institute of Higher Learning, Ministry of Health’s Hospitals, Ministry of Science and Technology’s Institute of Nuclear Technology, private sector, insititutes and companies and several Austrian representatives. They included professionals in Nuclear Medicine, Radiology, Medical Physicists, Pharmacists, administrators, accountants to technical personnel such as the radiographer and nuclear medicine technicians.

The closing ceremony was smooth and concluded in a grand manner with the certificate presentation and souvenir of appreciation to all the invited speakers. The latter was in the form of the traditional dagger of the Ilang tribe of remote Sarawak, Borneo to invoke sweet memories of Malaysia. The closing ceremony was also graced by the presence of Dr Mohd Padzil Bin Hashim, representative of Datuk Dr Adham Baba, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Higher Learning Education of Malaysia.

The activities of this International Workshop continued the next day with the scientific visit to a private hospital, Wijaya International Medical Centre(WIMC) in Petaling Jaya to see the PET-CT facility and workings of a cyclotron in a detailed manner and closed setting.

Besides the acquisition of knowledge through academic lectures, there was an opportunity to know the latest computer software for imaging PET-CT as well as first hand experience with the PET-CT Scan equipment and cyclotron.

The united and close cooperation forged by the Radiology Department, FPSK UPM enabled a successful international workshop “Meet The Experts In PET-CT” at PWTC Kuala Lumpur on 31st July 2006.