Services & Programs > Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute

Gamma Knife Education & Training


Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute
Gamma Knife Program
2500 Mowry Avenue
Fremont, CA 94538
Tel: (510) 745-6480
Toll Free: (888) PERFEXION (737-3394)

Washington Hospital is the first hospital in the United States that treated patients using the new Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion™, a revolutionary alternative to traditional open-brain surgery and/or daily radiation treatments, which are administered from four to six weeks.
  
Washington Hospital is offering two seperate courses to provide training for stereotactic radiosurgery utilizing the Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, which include four Upgrade Courses and two Physics Courses a year. Download the registration form here. 

Upgrade Course - Click here to download the syllabus
February 4-6, 2008
June 2-4, 2008
August 4-6, 2008
November 3-5, 2008

Target Audience:
Neurosurgeons, Neurologists, Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists

Objectives:
1)     Demonstrate the basic features and operation of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
2)     Demonstrate how to plan treatments for the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
3)     Demonstrate the basic safety features of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
4)     Demonstrate QA procedures that satisfy NRC requirements for the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™

Topics:
•          Evolution and Development of Radiosurgery
•          WHHS experience with Perfexion™
•          Technical description of the Perfexion™
•          Demonstration of operation of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ unit
•          Workflow for Perfexion™ 
•          Imaging Recommendations
•          Treatment planning for the Perfexion™
•          Brain Metastases
•          Benign Brain Tumors
•          Clearance check and multiple run procedures
•          Treatment Planning System (TPS) Administration
•          Radiation Safety Features of Perfexion™
•          Safety features of Perfexion™
•          New QA features including diode focus test tool
•          Observe the entire treatment process, from frame placement to treatment on the Perfexion™

Physics Course - Click here to download the syllabus
April 7-9, 2008
October 6-8, 2008

Target Audience:
Neurosurgeons, Neurologists, Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists

Objectives:
1)   Demonstrate the principals of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
2)   Demonstrate the basic features and operation of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
3)    Demonstrate how to plan treatments for the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
4)    Demonstrate the basic safety features of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™
5)    Demonstrate QA procedures that satisfy NRC requirements for the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™

Topics
•          Evolution and Development of Radiosurgery
•          WHHS experience with Perfexion™
•          Technical description of the Perfexion™
•          Tour of Gamma Knife suite and demonstration of Perfexion™ operation
•          Frame, Skull Radii, MRI and CT scans
•          Treatment Planning
•          Assessing the Accuracy of MR scans and treatment planning for a simple target
•          Approve and Export a treatment plan
•          Brain Metastases
•          Benign Brain Tumors
•          Treatment Planning System (TPS) Administration
•          QA and Radiation Safety Features of Perfexion™
•          Safety features of Perfexion™
•          Daily and weekly QA
•          Review Monthly QA and demonstrate the Test Runs
•          Review Annual QA procedures
•          Observe the entire treatment process 

Course Directors:
Washington Hospital's Gamma Knife Program is led by one of the most accomplished teams of specialized physicians, physicists and nurses. Neurosurgeon Sandeep Kunwar, M.D., Co-Medical Director, Gamma Knife Program, Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute and radiation oncologist David Larson, M.D, Ph.D, Co-Medical Director, Gamma Knife Program, Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute are both nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise, innovation and leadership in the field of Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Dr. Larson was a close advisor to Elekta in the design and development of the Gamma Knife® Perfexion™. Both board certified physicians, together they have more than 23 years of experience performing thousands of successful procedures. Paula Petti, Ph.D, radiological physics, Director of Gamma Knife Physics, Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute, is board certified in therapeutic radiological physics. Her areas of expertise include: stereotactic radiosurgery, charged-particle radiation therapy, Monte Carlo calculations, as well as particle and photon dose calculations.

Click Here to Meet the Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Faculty & Staff

Washington Hospital Healthcare System will meet all requirements on disclosure, information about relationships of presenters with commercial interests (if any) will be included in materials, which will be distributed at the time of the conference.

Registration:
Course enrollment is limited to 8 people and early registration is recommended. Please download and complete the Registration form and return via fax to the following:

Marry Henneuse
Community Relations
Washington Hospital Healthcare System
2000 Mowry Avenue
Fremont, CA  94538
Fax: 510-791-3496
Phone: 510-791-3417

Please notify us at least two weeks ahead of time of any special needs you may have.

Registration will not be confirmed without tuition payment. Please make tuition check payable to "Washington Hospital Healthcare System", or via credit card as noted on the Registration Form. Tuition for the Upgrade Course is $3,000 and for the Physics Course is $3,500.

Cancellation of registration prior to the commencement of the course:
up to 21 days, $500
up  to 21-14 days, 25% of the fee
up to 14-7 days, 50% of the fee
7 days, full fee

Course Location:
Both courses will be held at:
Washington Hospital - Click here for Maps & Directions
2500 Mowry Avenue (Washington West)
Fremont, CA 94538

In addition to the world class facilities and staff at Washington Hospital, we are ideally situated in the picturesque San Francisco Bay Area.  Transportation for training participants is quite easy, as we are located approximately 22 miles from Oakland International Airport, 17 miles from Mineta, San Jose Airport and 37 miles from San Francisco International Airport and one block from the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. Fremont, California is located within easy driving distance from anywhere in the Bay Area. Training participants can easily visit local and regional attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Discovery Museum in San Jose, our famed wine country Napa Valley as well as Lake Tahoe. 

Accommodations
We have negotiated a special rate of $79.00 per night at the Marriott Fremont Silicon Valley for this event. This is also the location of the dinner on the second evening of the course. The hotel is approximately 7 miles from the Hospital. The rooms have been held for arrival on the Sunday before the start of the course and departure on the Thursday following the completion of the training. Room reservations must be made AT LEAST 22 days before the start of each course in order to secure the corporate rate of $79. Reservations made any later than this can not be guaranteed the corporate rate.

The following is the address and contact information for the hotel:
Marriott Fremont Silicon Valley
46100 Landing Parkway
Fremont, California 94538 USA
Phone: (510) 413-3700
Fax:  (510) 413-3710
Sales: (510) 413-3745
Sales fax: (510) 413-3728

Please contact them to book your room reservation. When making your reservation, be sure to mention you are booking a room for the Washington Hospital Gamma Knife Training. This will ensure you have a room available to you as well as secure the corporate rate of $79.00 per night.

You may also use the following link to book your reservation online: http://marriott.com/sjcfm?groupCode=wstwsta&app=resvlink

If you are bringing a companion or have a special rooming request, please let us know when registering.

CME Credits
Please Note: This educational activity has been approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP) for 21.75 Medical Physics Continuing Education Credits (MPCEC).

Washington Hospital Healthcare System is accredited by the Institute For Medical Quality/California Medical Association (IMQ/CMA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Washington Hospital Healthcare System takes responsibility for the content, quality and scientific integrity of this CME activity.

Washington Hospital Healthcare System designates this educational activity for a maximum of 21.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This credit may also be applied to the CMA Certification in Conitnuing Medical Education.

(Please Note: The Center for Continuing Education and Washington Hospital Healthcare System do not certify that, through participation in this program, participants are competent to perform certain procedures or skills.)