As medical technology evolves and patient needs increase, the need for well-trained and highly professional medical physicists (MPs) becomes even more urgent. The roles and responsibilities of MPs in various departments within the hospital are diverse and demanding. It is obvious that training, continuing education and professional development of MPs have become essential. One of the ways for an MP to advance his or her knowledge is to participate in conferences and congresses. Last year, the 22nd International Conference of Medical Physics (ICMP 2016) took place in Bangkok, Thailand. The event attracted 584 delegates with most of the participants coming from Asia. It attracted also delegates from 42 countries. The largest delegations were from Thailand, Japan and South Korea. ICMP 2016 included 367 oral presentations and e-posters, most of these being in the fields of Radiation Therapy, Medical Imaging and Radiation Safety. All abstracts were published as an e-book of Abstracts in a supplement to the official IOMP Journal. Many companies had exhibition stands at ICMP2016, thus allowing the participants to see the latest developments in the medical physics-related industry. The conference included 42 mini-symposia, part of the first "IOMP School" activity, covering various topics of importance for the profession and this special issue follows from the success of the conference.