Medical Physics
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center signed an agreement with Louisiana State University in 2004 to partner in offering a Masters of Science degree in Medical Physics and Health Physics. The net result is one of the strongest clinically oriented medical physics graduate programs in the country. Program research and graduates benefit the Center, the State of Louisiana and the practice of radiation therapy.
The Center’s faculty and staff teach five of the 15 required courses to complete an MS in Medical Physics and Health Physics. Chief of Physics Dr. Ken Hogstrom directs the Advanced Radiation Therapy Physics course. Chief of Clinical Physics Dr. John Gibbons directs the Radiation Therapy Physics course and two Clinical Cancer Therapy Rotation courses.
The Dr. Charles M. Smith Chair of Medical Physics was recently established. This is the first endowed chair in medical physics at LSU and one of just a few in the nation. Endowed chairs in academic settings provide support that is largely used for targeted areas of research and academic study. The Dr. Charles M. Smith Chair of Medical Physics at LSU will provide support for research initiatives within the medical physics program.
Mary Bird Perkins’ medical physics team is made up of graduate level medical physicists and certified medical dosimetrists. The combined size and expertise of the Center’s team of medical physicists, medical dosimetrists and radiation oncologists are unique to Mary Bird Perkins and cannot be found elsewhere in Louisiana.
A medical physicist is the member of the radiation oncology team who is responsible for the technical aspects of radiological imaging and radiation therapy of cancer patients. The medical physicist’s duties include selecting and implementing new equipment and techniques, planning and delivering complex treatments such as radiosurgery and providing continuous quality control of patient treatments.
The medical physicist also manages radioactive material and ensures patient safety. A major pathway to becoming a medical physicist requires an MS or PhD in medical physics and two years of residency or on-the-job clinical training, after which certification by the American Board of Radiology in therapeutic radiologic physics can be achieved.
The medical dosimetrist is responsible for helping plan a patient’s treatment. Dosimetrists calculate radiation dosages prescribed by the radiation oncologist. In some cases, treatment devices such as masks or molds, which are used to block radiation from healthy tissue surrounding a tumor, are made by the dosimetrist. Medical dosimetrists assist the doctors by measuring and determining the proper dosage of radiation according to the doctor’s prescription.
Many dosimetrists start as radiation therapists and then, with very intensive training become dosimetrists. Others are graduates of one- to two-year dosimetry programs. They are certified by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board.
Medical physicists at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Kenneth Hogstrom, PhD
John Gibbons, PhD
Scott Alleman, MS
Dennis Cheek, PhD
Connel Chu, MS
Kara Ferachi, MS
Dan Neck, MS
Isaac Rosen, PhD
Angela Stam, MS