Following the series of previously conducted symposia on dedicated medical imaging instrumentation to answer specific medical needs, the 9th issue of this event will be held in the beautiful city of Valencia, Spain. The workshop will address the huge medical and societal challenges related to poor access of two thirds of the world population to efficient early diagnostic imaging tools.
Nuclear Medical Imaging is at the forefront of molecular imaging diagnostic, theragnostic and treatment efficacy assessment techniques for many diseases (cancer, neurodegenerative impairment, cardiovascular disorders, etc.), particularly in the rapidly growing context of personalized medicine.
However, there is a dramatic imbalance in the access to molecular imaging diagnostic tools between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and medium-income countries (LMICs). Given the rapid adoption of new imaging technologies in high-income countries (HICs) to improve health outcomes, there are growing concerns around potential widening of disparities between such countries and the majority of people worldwide without access to nuclear imaging. It is therefore of paramount importance for LMICs to invest in imaging technologies that are best suited to address local causes of death and disability, such as fractures (nearly 50 millions people in LMICs), cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, just to cite a few. In a microsimulation based on 11 types of cancer, the Lancet Commission in Oncology found that scaling up imaging technology in LMICs would significantly improve cancer survival, with a return up to 180 dollars for every 1 dollar invested.
Technologies designed primarily (but not only) for LMICs can make huge strides towards addressing specific population health needs within the local context. This concept considers limited human resources and infrastructure and incorporating end-user feedback from the initial design stage. They are often portable/mobile, addressing the geographic and space barriers that often exist in LMICs, and they are not intended to cheaply mimic high-end technology, but focus on intentionally addressing local health care needs while considering local challenges. Expert-level reading can be approached by the use of local or distant AI technology.
The cross-fertilisation between physics and medicine has the potential to pave the way to the development of cost-effective and portable imaging approaches. This would allow for a better deployment of nuclear imaging modalities in LMICs, with a huge societal and economic impact with high return for each invested dollar. This ambitious goal, in line with the 3rd out of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030: “Good Heath and Well Being” for everyone. has been the subject of a World Health Organisation (WHO) resolution on strengthening medical imaging capacity (WHA78.13) adopted by the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025 and endorsed by a number of statements, including the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB), the International Society of Radiology (ISR), the International Organization of Medical Physics (IOMP) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The MEDAMI workshops are unique in that they address a medical imaging topic from the medical, clinical, instrumentation and lately also from the affordability perspectives. We invite experts from different backgrounds relevant to the selected subject disciplines, including biology, nuclear medicine, radiochemistry, physics, and engineering to foster multidisciplinary interactions leading to novel, cutting-edge applications using the latest technological developments. In addition to the subject of the particular conference, the stakeholders from academia, medical institutions and organizations, regulatory agencies and industry, have the opportunity to jointly discuss the strategic directions to better address this important medical and societal challenge.
We are therefore excited to announce the IXth MEDAMI workshop to be held on May 15-17 2026 at the Terminal Hub[1] at the Valencia harbour, Valencia (Spain).
For interested people and to minimize traveling costs, this workshop will immediately follow the more technically oriented FTMI/TBPET/PSMR 2026 workshop on May 11-14 2026 at the Las Arenas hotel in Valencia[2], to shape the future of PET imaging.
We are currently working on finalizing logistical details such as registration fees (and modalities), accommodation options, and the scientific program. Check regularly the indico website, still under construction, with more relevant information, at the following address:
https://indico.cern.ch/event/1570977/overview
For the time being, book these days in your agenda! We are looking forward to welcoming you in Valencia in May 2026.
Program chairs
John Prior
Paul Lecoq
International Advisory Committee
● John Prior, CHUV Lausanne, Switzerland
● Paul Lecoq, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland and I3M (CSIC/UPV), Valencia, Spain
● Antonio J. Gonzalez, I3M (CSIC/UPV), Valencia, Spain
● Nicola Belcari, University of Pisa and INFN Pisa, Italy
● Jose Maria Benlloch, I3M (CSIC/UPV), Valencia, Spain
● Massimo Carpineli, University Milano Bicocca, Italy
● Klaus Schonenberger, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland
● Franco Garibaldi, ISS & INFN, Rome, Italy
● York Haemisch, Direct Conversion/Varex, Munich, Germany
● Peter Križan, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
● Rok Pestotnik, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
● Roger Lecomte, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
● Craig Levin, Stanford University, USA
● Stan Majewski, University of California, Davis, USA
● Vesna Sossi, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
● Charalampos Tsoumpas, UMCG, University of Groningen, Netherlands
Local Organizing Committee
● Antonio J. Gonzalez, I3M (CSIC/UPV), Valencia, Spain
● Paul Lecoq, I3M (CSIC/UPV), Valencia, Spain & Metacrystal SA, Geneva, Switzerland
● Marta Freire, I3M (CSIC/UPV), Valencia, Spain
● Fiammetta Pagano, I3M (CSIC/UPV), Valencia, Spain
● Patricia Sanjuan, Turevents & Go, Valencia, Spain
● Daniela Alvarado, Turevents & Go, Valencia, Spain
