Medical Physics (MEDPHY)
Associate Professor Dobbins, Director; Associate Professor Samei, Director of Graduate Studies; Professors Coleman, Dewhirst, Frush, Howell, Jaszczak, Johnson, Marks, Provenzale, Smith, Song, Spicer, Trahey, Yin, Samulski, Zalutsky; Associate Professors Das, Dobbins, MacFall, Samei, Tornai, Wong, Yoshizumi; Assistant Profesors Driehuys, Mukundan, Segars, Wax; Research Professors Stauffer, Vaidyanathan; Associate Research Professors Bida, Oldham, Tourassi, Turkington, Zhou; Assistant Research Professor Lo; Associate Clinical Professor Vujaskovic; Assistant Clinical Professors Craciunescu, Petry, Reiman, Song, Wang, Wu; Consulting Associate Professor Wieland; Clinical Physicist Bowsher; Health Physicist Gunasingha
Medical physics is a discipline that applies physics to the needs of medicine, and has been instrumental in the development of the medical fields of radiology, radiation oncology, and nuclear medicine. The Medical Physics Graduate Program, offers MS and PhD degrees, and is organized into four academic tracks: diagnostic imaging physics, radiation oncology physics, nuclear medicine physics, and medical health physics. Graduates are trained for employment opportunities in academic, clinical service, industry, or government labs. The medical physics program is a collaborative interdisciplinary program, and the faculty are drawn from the sponsoring departments of radiology, radiation oncology, occupational and environmental safety (health physics), biomedical engineering, and physics. Current research interests of the faculty include magnetic resonance imaging and microscopy, advanced digital imaging instrumentation and algorithms, detector and display characterization, computer-aided diagnosis, ultrasound, monoclonal antibody imaging and therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, on-board imaging in radiation therapy, SPECT and PET imaging, neutron-stimulated imaging, and dosimetry. All students take common core courses in the first year, followed by concentration in a major track of study.
200. Radiation Physics. A course covering the basics of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, atomic and nuclear structure, basic nuclear and atomic physics, radioactive decay, interaction of radiation with matter, and radiation detection and dosimetry. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Gunasingha. 3 units.
205. Anatomy and Phsyiology for Medical Physicists. A course focused on medical terminology, biochemistry pertaining to MP, basic Anatomy and physiology, elementary tumor and cancer biology, and overview of disease in general. Upon completion, the student should: (a) understand anatomic structures, their relationships, their cross-sectional and planar projections, and how they are modified by attenuation and artifacts in the final images; (b) understand the physiology underlying radionuclide images, (c) understand how (a) - (b) are modified by disease, (d) identify anatomical entities in medical images (different modalities), and (e) identify basic features in medical images (e.g., Pneumothrax in chest radiographs, microcalcoifications in mammograms). Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Reiman. 3 units.
210. Radiation Protection. Course discusses the principles of radiation protection dealing with major forms of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, the physics and chemistry of radiation biology, biological effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiations (lasers, etc.) at cellular and tissue levels, radiation protection quantities and units, medical HP issues in clinical environments, radiation safety regulations, and basic problem solving in radiation safety. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Yoshizumi. 3 units.
220. Radiation Therapy Physics. This introductory course has a clinical orientation, and reviews the rationale, basic science, methods, instrumentation, techniques and applications of radiation therapy to the treatment of a wide range of human diseases. Major radiation modalities are covered including low and high energy photon therapy, electron and proton therapy, and low and high-dose rate brachytherapy. The clinical process of treatment, methods of calculating dose to patient, and the role of the medical physicist in radiation oncology clinic, are covered in detail. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Oldham. 3 units.
230. Modern Diagnostic Imaging Systems (AC or GE). 3 units. C-L: see Biomedical Engineering 233
241. Nuclear Medicine Physics. Topics include basics of nuclear medicine imaging, gas, scintillation, and solid state radiation detectors, counting statistics, gamma camera principles including modern digital designs, SPECT, coincidence imaging principles, PET instrumentation, radionuclide and x-ray CT transmission scanning techniques, nuclear medicine treatments, and surgical probes. Instructor consent required. Instructor: Turkington. 3 units.
251. Seminars in Medical Physics. Medical physics is the application of the concepts and methods of physics and engineering to the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. This course consists of weekly lectures covering broad topics in medical physics including diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, radiation safety, and nuclear medicine. Lectures will be given by invited speakers drawn from many university and medical center departments including Biomedical Engineering, radiology, physics, radiation safety, and radiation oncology. Prerequisites: background in engineering or physics. 1 CC (0.5 ES/0.5 ED). Consent of instructor required. Instructors: Lo and Oldham. 1 unit.
259. Independent Study in Medical Physics. An independent research project with a faculty advisor. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Staff. Variable credit.
322. Advanced Photon Beam Radiation Therapy. This course will cover the physics and clinical application of advanced external beam photon therapies with special emphasis on IMRT. Prerequisite: MP 220. Instructor: Das. 3 units.
323. Advanced Brachtherapy/Special Procedures. This course covers advanced LDR and HDR brachytherapy, and other selected special procedures and special topics. Instructor: Fang-Fang Yin. 3 units.
327. Observership in Clinical Radiation Oncology. The course aims to provide an appreciation for the practical procedures, realities, and work flow that pertains to the clinical practice of radiation oncology. Through a shadowing arrangement, the students will be directed by a clinical oncologist to experience the decision making processes, the interface with various members of the treatment team, the treatment planning, and the interface with the physics staff. Prerequisites: Medical Physics 220 and 322 (or Medical Physics 322 concurrently). Instructor: Marks. 1 unit.
328. Clinical Practicum and Shadowing (RT). The course gives hands on experience in practical aspects of medical physics as applied to radiation therapy. Special emphasis is given to the operation of various therapy units and dose measuring devices, techniques of measuring the characteristics of radiation beams, commissioning and quality assurance checks for radiation producing devices in the clinic. The course includes shadowing a clinician, technologist, or physicist, while performing their routine clinical tasks. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Wang. 3 units.
329. Medical Physics Clinical Internship. The course offers an internship opportunity to students who wish to gain a more hands-on, practical experience in clincial aspects of the paractice of medical physics. The intership will be conducted in a clincial facility under the supervision of a clincial a medical physicist. Instructor: Yin. 10 units.
331. Advanced Medical Imaging Physics. The course includes advanced topics in diagnostic imaging including linear system theory, image quality metrology, digital radiography and mammography, new advances on three-dimensional imaging modalities, MRI, CT, ultrasound, and evaluation of diagnostic imaging methods. Prerequisite: MP 230. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: MacFall. 3 units.
332. Molecular Imaging. The course covers topics related to imaging molecular processes in small animal and human applications. Instructor: Mukundan. 1 unit.
338. Radiology in Practice. 3 units. C-L: see Biomedical Engineering 334
341. Nuclear Medicine Physics. Topics include basics of nuclear medicine imaging, gas, scintillation, and solid state radiation detectors, counting statistics, gamma camera principles including modern digital designs, SPECT, coincidence imaging principles, PET instrumentation, radionuclide and x-ray CT transmission scanning techniques, nuclear medicine treatments, and surgical probes. Instructor consent required. Instructor: Turkington. 3 units.
348. Clinical Practicum and Shadowing (NM). The course gives hand on experience in clinical nuclear medicine. Students will work with gamma cameras, PET systems, surgical probes, does calibrators, technetium generators, well counters to learn operation principles, calibration, and quality control methods. Students will spend time in the PET facility, nuclear cardiology, nuclear medicine, and the radiopharmacy. The course includes shadowing a clinician, technologist, or physicist, while performing their routine clinical tasks. Consent of instructor required. Instrcutor: Turkington. 3 units.
359. Independent Study in Medical Physics. An independent research project with faculty advisor. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Staff. Variable credit.
360. Public Speaking for Medical Physics. An overview of effective communication techniques for scientists and engineers. Course will focus on speech and delivery, structure of effective presentations, and proper use of visual aids. Students will be required to actively participate in exercises on extemporaneous speaking, formal research presentations, and question and answer sessions. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Saunders. 1 unit.
361. Biostatistics for Medical Physics. The course covers topics in bio-statistics foundational to all sub-specialties of medical physics. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Tourassi. 3 units.
