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Frey to lead radiation information course team


G. Donald Frey, Ph.D., a medical physicist in the Department of Radiology, will  head up a team of physicists and public relations experts presenting a course on how to handle calls about radiation at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. 
 
Dr. G. Donald Frey

The meeting, expected to draw 60 thousand radiologists, physicists and other radiology personnel will be held in Chicago the last week in November.
        
The course is entitled “You Take the Call—Handling Questions About Radiation from the Public and Press.” Frey feels the efforts it is particularly important to improve communication skills of experts in this field in the wake of the recent terrorist activity.
         
At MUSC, Frey routinely fields calls from the public about radiation exposure.  The calls range from concerns about air travel to worries about contamination of well water.  
 
He has had calls concerning electric power problems, radioactive dishes, and medical X-ray exposure.  “Most medical physicists have the technical skills to deal with these calls,” said Frey. “But many lack training in dealing with the public and don't give the caller the information needed. The callers are seldom asking for indepth technical knowledge. Instead they want some basic knowledge and either some reassurance or a way to solve their problems.”