Excellence in Medical Physics

Luciano Bertocchi has been honoured by the Italian Association for Medical Physics (AIFM) with the title of Honorary Member. This recognition acknowledges Bertocchi’s lifelong efforts to promote medical physics, both in Italy and throughout the developing world. The announcement was made by AIFM President Carlo Cattaneo at the association’s general conference held in Verona, Italy, from 16 to 18 October 2025.

At ICTP, Bertocchi has been a cornerstone of all activities in medical physics, culminating with its Master's Programme in Medical Physics (MMP), run in collaboration with the University of Trieste, with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency and AIFM.

Bertocchi’s interest in medical physics started when he was a lecturer at the University of Trieste and was asked to teach medical physics to undergraduate physics students. Having worked with Abdus Salam since ICTP’s early days, Bertocchi also brought the discipline to ICTP, where he organised a series of workshops that later evolved into the bi-annual College in Medical Physics, established in 1988. Bertocchi worked together with Renato Padovani at ICTP and Renata Longo at the University of Trieste towards the creation of the Master in Medical Physics, which was launched in 2014. The programme has since provided essential training for nearly 200 physicists from 72 countries across 5 continents, the large majority of whom have returned to their home countries and are now contributing to the local healthcare system.