Leadership and Challenges in Medical Physics: A Strategic and Robust Approach; a Eutempe Network Book

Leadership and Challenges in Medical Physics: A Strategic and Robust Approach aims to help present aspiring future medical physics leaders with effective, strategic and robust leadership skills in a world dominated by austerity economics, inter-professional competition and sometimes unchecked commoditization.

Chapters are dedicated to healthy leadership and leadership styles, organizational politics, organizational psychology and negotiating skills. A compendium of SWOT themes provides leaders with a ready resource of possible ideas to trigger initial SWOT brainstorming and discussions when developing strategic plans with their own group or team. In addition, the script is peppered with reflection/discussion points or case studies to promote a systematic and well-thought out approach to strategic planning.

Medical physicists working in the clinical environment undergo a structured education and training programs to keep on track with the fast progress of technological development in their field. Medical physicists feel that these programs provide little experience in how to deal with the real-world issues facing them when they move from the relative security of their academic physics departments to the realities of modern, multi-professional healthcare systems.

This book guides a professional medical physicist to become a strategic and robust leader, emphasizing that a people-oriented approach to leadership is crucial for team motivation and stressing the difference between leadership and management. It is divided into 10 chapters to narrate various aspects of leadership and its influence on growth and recognition of the profession. The text is laced with reflection/discussion points or case studies to promote a systematic and well-thought-out approach to strategic planning. I agree with the point of view of the author that no book will turn someone into a leader--ultimately a person has to make oneself a leader! The book is recommended for medical physicists, postgraduate students and educators in health professions.

Reva Garg 2021 Optics and Photonics News, The Optical Society