IAEA Launches Global AI Webinar Series to Advance Radiation Medicine Skills

As AI applications rapidly expand in healthcare, particularly in medical imaging and radiotherapy, the need for robust oversight and technical expertise has become increasingly critical.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a six-month global webinar series on artificial intelligence (AI) in radiation medicine, attracting more than 3200 registrants from around the world. The initiative reflects growing global interest in how AI is transforming medical imaging and radiation therapy, and highlights the expanding role of medical physicists in ensuring these technologies are used safely, effectively and ethically.

The inaugural webinar, held on 14 October 2025, drew record participation. “We had a record number of registrations for the sessions and for the whole series, which really highlights the growing interest in the artificial intelligence topic and the importance of sharing knowledge across our community,” said Ioannis Delakis, a medical physicist at Queensland Health in Australia and lead country coordinator for a regional technical cooperation project on medical physics in the Asia Pacific.

Strengthening Skills for AI in Radiation Medicine

As AI applications rapidly expand in healthcare, particularly in medical imaging and radiotherapy, the need for robust oversight and technical expertise has become increasingly critical. “As the integration of AI into medical imaging and radiation therapy continues to grow, ensuring the safe and effective implementation of AI-based systems is critical,” explained Olivera Ciraj Bjelac, an IAEA medical physicist and one of the technical officers leading the webinar series.

She emphasized that medical physicists play a central role in translating AI innovation into real clinical benefit. Working within multidisciplinary healthcare teams, they support the clinical implementation, validation and quality assurance of AI systems, helping to maximize benefits for patients while minimizing risks.

To support this role, the IAEA’s human health programme has already developed guidance on the responsibilities, education and training of medical physicists. In collaboration with the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the Agency has also conducted capacity-building workshops and continues to develop additional guidance. New IAEA guidelines focused specifically on the clinical implementation of imaging-based AI systems are expected to be published soon.

A New Global Learning Resource

Building on these efforts, the IAEA designed a comprehensive 12-part webinar series to equip medical physicists with practical knowledge and skills for introducing imaging-based AI systems into clinical practice. The series is organized jointly by the IAEA’s human health and technical cooperation programmes under a regional project aimed at improving the quality and safety of radiology services through medical physics.

The online sessions are held every two weeks from October 2025 through April 2026. Experts from Germany, India, the Netherlands and the United States are leading interactive presentations and live discussions covering a wide range of topics, including:

• Introduction to AI, including historical background and terminology

• Roles and responsibilities of medical physicists in AI

• Basic and advanced statistical methods

• Ethical and regulatory considerations for AI systems

• Machine learning models, training and validation

• Deep learning architectures

• Data management

• Clinical implementation of imaging-based AI systems

• AI applications in diagnostic radiology

• Imaging-based AI systems in radiotherapy

• Radiomics for medical physicists

• Clinical validation of AI technologies in medical imaging

By the end of the series, participants are expected to be better equipped to promote the safe, efficient, ethical and responsible use of AI in clinical settings.

Global Impact and Professional Growth

Participants have highlighted the value of the programme in shaping their professional perspectives. “Participating in the IAEA AI webinar series has deepened my understanding of how medical physicists can lead the safe and effective integration of AI into clinical practice,” said Noramaliza Mohd Noor, associate professor and medical physicist at Universiti Putra Malaysia. “The sessions have broadened my perspective on the future of our field and strengthened my commitment to enhancing patient-centred care through innovation.”

How to Participate

Medical physicists and other interested professionals can register for the webinar series through the IAEA Human Health Campus. Recordings of each session will be uploaded to the platform and made available on demand, ensuring broad access across regions and time zones.

Looking Ahead: IDOS 2026

AI in dosimetry will also be a key topic at the IAEA’s upcoming International Symposium on Standards, Applications and Quality Assurance in Medical Radiation Dosimetry (IDOS 2026). The symposium will take place in Vienna, Austria, from 5 to 9 October 2026. Medical physicists, radiation metrologists and researchers working in radiation dosimetry are invited to submit abstracts by 2 April 2026.