About Medical Physics

The Division of Medical Physics provides medical physics support for clinically effective and safe use of both radiation-producing (i.e., CT, X-ray) and non-ionization (e.g., MR, ultrasound) imaging modalities.

Medical Physics faculty play an active role in equipment acquisition, such as site planning, shielding design and testing, and project management for new installations and equipment upgrades. We perform acceptance testing of all new equipment as well as periodic performance assessments. It is our goal to ensure continuous optimum operating characteristics, regulatory compliance and patient-specific quality assurance. The Medical Physics faculty engages in high-level problem-solving, covering all aspects of imaging equipment performance, at UMMC.

Academic duties include teaching radiology residents. Courses are taught in diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, digital imaging, informatics and radiation biology.

The division's members are also actively involved in research. Research topics cover a broad range of projects related to the understanding of fundamental aspects of imaging processes, including efforts to improve image quality and control radiation doses. Examples of projects are MR-guided radiotherapy, calculating patient absorbed dose, quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fMRI-guided targeting of MR spectroscopy, patient-specific MRI geometrical correction and automated QA/QC of MRI machines.