Dr. Pedro Andreo, Director of the IAEA Division of Human Health, has received the 2006 Award of Merit in Medical Physics from the International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine.
The award was presented at the 2006 World Congress of the IUPESM held in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Also honoured was Dr. Dov Jaron of Drexel University in the United States, who received the award in Biomedical Engineering.
Dr. Andreo was commended for his outstanding achievements during "a distinguished career which has exerted a significant impact on the science and scientific practice of medical physics". He becomes the seventh medical physicist worldwide to be honoured with this award since its inception nearly 20 years ago.
Dr. Andreo´s international career includes positions at the IAEA as well as in Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and other countries. He has headed the IAEA Human Health Division since 2003 and previously headed the Agency´s Section on Dosimetry and Medical Physics.
The IAEA Division of Human Health serves the Agency´s 141 Member States and partner organizations through multiple programmes. They encompass projects and activities in nuclear medicine; applied radiation biology and radiotherapy; dosimetry and medical radiation physics; and nutritional and health-related environmental studies.
The IUPESM represents more than 40,000 medical physicists and biomedical engineers working in fields of medicine. It comprises the International Organization for Medical Physics and the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Its Award of Merit has been presented triennially since 1988 to distinguished professionals for outstanding achievements in the field. The Union works to advance health care and treatment around the world.