Addressing the knowledge gap in MRI physics in Türkiye: A continuing educational initiative by the Turkish Medical Physics Association

Motivation: Türkiye has nearly 1,000 MRI scanners and eight MRI-guided linear accelerators but faces a shortage of trained MR physicists. Goal(s): An MR physics course aimed to bridge the expertise gap among medical physicists in Türkiye, enhancing clinical practice quality and safety. Approach: The Turkish Medical Physics Association collaborated with US-based experts to deliver a nine-week MR physics course. Pre- and post-course evaluations assessed participants' understanding across core topics, including MR principles and safety. Results: The course improved participant knowledge significantly (p < 0.001), highlighting the value of international partnerships in advancing medical physics education and presenting a scalable model for other regions/countries. Impact: The number of MR scanners in Türkiye recently increased rapidly without an associated expansion of MR education. The Turkish Medical Physics Association identified this gap and collaborated with international experts to create a webinar series that quantitatively increased participants' knowledge.