PSI Winter School for Proton Therapy 2026

18 Jan 2026, 18:00 → 23 Jan 2026, 17:30 Europe/Zurich

Auditorium (Paul Scherrer Institute)

Antony John Lomax (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut), Damien Charles Weber (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

Registration deadline has been extended to 04.01.2026!

Content of the course:                        

• Pediatrics and AYA
• Basic physics of proton therapy
• Radiation biology
• Delivery & treatment planning
• Therapy workflow
• Uncertainty & motion
• Specification, commissioning & Q.A.
• New directions in proton therapy

Aim of course:

To provide detailed knowledge on the clinical, physics and technological aspects of proton therapy using pencil beam scanning

Target audience:

Radiation oncologists, medical physicists, physicists, engineers, radiation technologists and dosimetrists. No previous knowledge of proton therapy is necessary.

Important:

The book "Physics against Cancer" will be included in the course fee.

Kindly note that the course is designed for 45 external participants and registration will close when the number of participants has been reached, but latest by: Sunday, January 4th, 2026

We are endorsed by:

 

Sunday 18 January

18:00 Enjoy the finger food and drinks

1 Registration

Dry run if requested.

20:00 Time at your convenience - you may enjoy the thermal baths

Monday 19 January

08:30 Departure to Paul Scherrer Institute - Meeting point in front of the Parkhotel

2 Welcome (Introduction of faculty, logistics etc.)

Speaker: Damien Charles Weber (Paul Scherrer Institut)

Welcome to access talks.pdf

3 A short historical overview of proton therapy

Speaker: Damien Charles Weber (Paul Scherrer Institut)

4 Basic physics for proton radiation

Speaker: Sairos Safai (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

Coffee break

5 Basic radiaton biology of photons and protons

Speaker: Martin Pruschy (University Hospital Zurich)

6 How significant are RBE variations in proton therapy?

Speaker: Harald Paganetti (Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School)

7 Outcome analysis - theory & modelling

Speaker: Harald Paganetti (Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School)

12:15 Lunch break

8 Toxicity Clinical

Speaker: Esther Troost

9 Toxicity: Clinical impact of proton RBE

Speaker: Dirk Wagenaar

10 Second malignancies

Speaker: Uwe Schneider

15:00 Coffee break

11 Validation methodologies for the clinical benefit of proton therapy

Speaker: Johannes Langendijk (University Medical Center Groningen)

12 Treatment planning for pencil beam scanning and IMPT

Speaker: Antony John Lomax (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

17:00 Group picture

17:05 Meeting point PSI West outside the auditorium

17:20 On the way to Parkhotel

17:50 Time at your convenience

18:30 Dinner at Parkhotel

20:00 Time at your convenience - you may enjoy the thermal baths

Tuesday 20 January

08:30 Departure to Paul Scherrer Institute - Meeting point in front of the Parkhotel

Physicians block

13 Tumors of the skull base and spine chordoma and chondrosarcoma

Speaker: Dominic Leiser (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

14 Proton therapy for adult CNS tumors

Speaker: Damien Charles Weber (Paul Scherrer Institut)

15 Head and neck cancers

Speaker: Johannes Langendijk (University Medical Center Groningen)

10:30 Coffee break

16 Reirradiation

Speaker: Piero Fossati (EBG MedAustron GmbH)

17 Liver PT

Speaker: Piero Fossati (EBG MedAustron GmbH)

18 Breast

Speaker: Stéphanie Peeters

Physics block

19 Active scanning beam 1: Modulation delivery

Speaker: David Meer (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

20 Active scanning beam 2: Controlling delivery

Speaker: Christian Michael Groh (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

21 Active scanning beam 3: Checking delivery/dosimetry

Speaker: Michele Togno (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

10:30 Coffee Break

22 Advanced physics

Speaker: Sairos Safai (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

23 Accelerators and beam production techniques for proton therapy

Speaker: David Meer (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

12:30 Lunch break

Physicians block

24 Proton beam therapy of NSCLC – best practice

Speaker: Esther Troost

25 Financial Toxicity

Speaker: Barbara Bachtiary (Dr. med.)

14:45 Coffee break

26 Proton therapy for pediatrics and AYA patients (part 1)

Speaker: Anita Mahajan (Mayo Clinic)

27 Proton therapy for pediatrics and AYA patients (part 2)

Speaker: Anita Mahajan (Mayo Clinic)

Physics block

28 Technological innovation: From Eye to AI: Advances in Proton Therapy

Speaker: Zoltan Perko

29 Technological innovation part 1: Delivery

Speaker: Konrad Pawel Nesteruk (Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School)

14:45 Coffee break

30 Gantry PT workflow

Speaker: Michelle van Heerden

31 Ocular PT

Speaker: Jan Hrbacek (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

16:15 Departure to social event - Meeting point PSI West outside the auditorium

16:30 On the way to the social event

17:15 Bowling

19:15 Dinner

22:00 Back to Parkhotel Bad Zurzach

Wednesday 21 January

08:30 Departure to Paul Scherrer Institute - Meeting point in front of the Parkhotel

32 Commissioning a new facility: Specifications

Speaker: Alejandro Mazal (Centro de Protonterapia Quironsalud)

33 Commissioning a new facility: Clinical

Speaker: Arturs Meijers (PSI)

10:00 Coffee break and group allocation

10:30 On the way to the workshop

34 Workshop 1 to 4 in parallel

Speakers: Alexey Cherchik, Arturs Meijers (PSI), Nicola Bizzocchi (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

11:45 Change workshop session

35 Workshop 1 to 4 in parallel

Speakers: Alessandra Bolsi (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut), Michele Togno (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

12:50 On the way for lunch

13:00 Lunch break

14:00 On the way to the workshop

36 Workshop 1 to 4 in parallel

Speaker: Antony John Lomax (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

15:15 Change workshop session

37 Workshop 1 to 4 in parallel

Speakers: Christian Michael Groh (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut), David Meer (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

16:20 Coffee break

38 Site tour - Optional

17:00 on the way to Parkhotel for those not attending the site tour

18:10 On the way back to meeting point outside the Auditorium

18:25 On the way to Parkhotel

19:00 Dinner at Parkhotel

Thursday 22 January

08:30 Departure to Paul Scherrer Institute - Meeting point in front of the Parkhotel

39 Uncertainties in PT

Speaker: Francesca Albertini (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

40 Motion / motion mitigation

Speaker: Ilaria Rinaldi

41 Rationale and implemenattion of online adaptive

Speaker: Francesca Albertini (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

10:30 Coffee-Break

42 Technological innovation: Imaging

Speaker: Giovanni Fattori (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

43 Technological Innovation: Treatment planning

Speaker: Jan Hrbacek (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

12:00 Lunch break

44 Technological Innovation: Flash:: BIOLOGY

Speaker: Marie-Catherine Vozenin

45 Technological Innovation: Flash:: PHYSICS

Speaker: Robert Schäfer

46 Technological innovation: Spatially fractionated minibeams therapy

Speaker: Cristian Fernandez (University of Bern)

14:30 Coffee break

47 Protons versus "the competition"

Speaker: Antony John Lomax (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

48 Closing Remarks

Speakers: Antony John Lomax (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut), Damien Charles Weber (PSI - Paul Scherrer Institut)

15:45 Departure to the hotel - Meeting point PSI West outside the Auditorium

16:00 On the way to Parkhotel

16:30 Time at your convenience - you may enjoy the thermal baths

18:30 Dinner at Parkhotel

19:30 Time at your convenience - you may enjoy the thermal baths

Friday 23 January

07:30 Skiing day - Optional

The Skiing day will take place at Flumserberg.
For any further information about it, please see:
https://www.flumserberg.ch/en/Experience-winter

Tour within Paul Scherrer Institute - Optional

Wishing you a safe travel back to your home country.