On September 28, 2009, more than 75 attendees trekked to Cargese, Corsica, for the Third Autumn School on Therapeutic Ultrasound. The School was directed by Gail ter Haar, PhD, of the Institute of Cancer Research, and Mathias Fink, PhD, founder of the Institut Langevin in Paris.
The organizational heavy lifting was undertaken by two full-time researchers at the Institut Langevin, Jean-François Aubry and Jean-Luc Gennisson, who did an exceptional job of bringing together attendees from 10 countries, including 19 faculty members. For the students, it was an incomparable opportunity to learn from the leaders in the rapidly emerging field of therapeutic ultrasound. The lectures began with an introduction to the physics and biophysics to build the foundation for understanding the technical aspects of therapeutic ultrasound, followed by individual lectures on topics ranging from commercial devices for treating prostate cancer to emerging applications for focused ultrasound. – Joy Polefrone, PhD, FUSF
The small town of Cargese, with only 290 inhabitants, allowed all of the sage and budding scientists in this newly emerging field to delve into the current technology, assess new developments as well as systems under development, and freely explore a wide range of biological and engineering challenges to FUS. The setting afforded ample opportunities for participants to meet with faculty while looking out over the cliffs, beaches, and Mediterranean sunsets. Where or when the next FUS school for scientists will take place is not yet known – France, London, or the USA. But hopefully it will afford opportunities to delve into many topics and to appraise the latest developments in the field with the same success experienced in Cargese in 2009. – Stanley H. Benedict, PhD, University of Virginia