History

In Rijeka, application of physics in medicine started in a middle of 1960s when physicists Neda Stipčić Šolić and Vesna Švarcer were involved in development of new fields of medicine based on use of ionizing radiation, radiation oncology and nuclear medicine.

In 1965 first Rijeka’s telecobalt device began with operation and Neda Stipčić Šolić together with Predrag Pavlović, MD was instrumental in implementing new methods of telecobalt therapy for cancer patients. Physicists were active in the area of brachytherapy as well. After procurement of the first linear accelerators, physicists established advanced quality assurance and quality control system of the radiotherapy devices and processes. With the implementation of 3D conformal therapy back in 2007, radiotherapy in Rijeka was elevated to the state-of-the-art level. Later, in 2016, intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, was introduced and clinically implemented, which was a crown achievement. It is one of the most demanding and one of the best methods for radiation treatment of oncology patients. Since then, this method is regularly used for the clinical practice in CHC Rijeka.

In 2000s Division for Radiophysics and Dosimetry was a part of Department for Radiotherapy and Oncology. Head of the Division was physicist Slaven Jurković, who is current head of Department for Medical Physics and Radiation Protection. On September 1st, 2012 the Division for Radiophysics and Dosimetry was reformed into a larger autonomous Center for Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, which gathered all the physicists which were previously employed by other medical departments at CHC Rijeka, namely at Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology, Clinical Department for Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Department for Radiology.
Besides Radiation Oncology, physicists were an important part of the history of today’s Clinical Department for Nuclear Medicine, and very important role in its founding was played by physicist Vesna Švarcer and Branko Antonin, MD. Their efforts resulted in establishment of Radioisotope laboratory in 1965, which later grew into Clinical Department for Nuclear Medicine. Now, physicists who work in the area of nuclear medicine conduct a quality assurance and control programme, they are crucial in iodine radiotherapy and for the radiation protection.

In the 2012, medical physicists were formally involved in diagnostic and interventional radiology at the Clinical Department for Radiology. Since then, physicists formed a quality control and assurance program of radiological devices and processes in accordance with international standards. Despite being the youngest, this part of Department for Medical Physics and Radiation Protection achieved remarkable results in Republic of Croatia and beyond, which is proved by counter-parting of two international projects which are performed at CHC Rijeka. They are also involved in implementation of QA/QC programmes of radiological devices and processes in public health institutions in west Croatian region (Primorsko-goranska county and Istria).

On March 2018, Center for Medical Physics and Radiation Protection became Department for Medical Physics and Radiation Protection.