Program Format & Course Catalog

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the primary imaging modalities commonly used in clinical practice including X-ray, CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and nuclear medicine. It focuses on the practical applications of these technologies in diagnostic imaging and image-guided radiotherapy. The course emphasizes the underlying physical principles, technical implementations, advanced image reconstruction algorithms, and essential quality assurance protocols required to ensure accurate and reliable imaging. In addition to the theoretical content, students engage in hands-on laboratory sessions, providing them with practical experience across a variety of imaging modalities. A clinical shadowing component is also included, offering students the opportunity to observe and interact with imaging professionals in real-world clinical settings, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Prerequisite: ESE589; permission of the program director

Instructor: Zhongwei Zhang, PhD

Credits: 2 credit hours

This class will develop a fundamental understanding of the physics and mathematical methods that underlie biological imaging and critically examine case studies of seminal biological imaging technology literature. The physics sections will examine how electromagnetic and acoustic waves interact with tissues and cells, how waves can be used to image the biological structure and function, image formation methods and diffraction limited imaging. The math sections will examine image formation and analysis using basis functions (e.g. Fourier transforms), synthesis of measurement data, reduction of multi-dimensional imaging datasets, and statistical image analysis. Original literature on electron, confocal and two photon microscopy, ultrasound, nuclear imaging, computed tomography, functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging and other emerging imaging technology will be critiqued.

Prerequisite:  Physics and calculus

Instructor: Joseph O’Sullivan PhD

Credits: 3 credit hours

This comprehensive course is designed to describe the structure and function of the human body through an integrated survey of anatomy, physiology, and histopathology. This information will provide a framework for understanding clinical aspects of medical physics. The anatomy sections of this course will include its regions, viscera (organs), tissues, and spatial orientation, as well as a three-dimensional appreciation of the human body through imaging-based anatomy every organ system or region in the body covered.  The physiology sections of the course will provide students with a profound understanding of human physiology from cellular to systemic levels, with the ability to articulate and comprehend the core principles of physiological concepts within major human systems.  Students will also be introduced to human histology, including the principal tissue types (epithelia, connective tissue, blood vessels, muscle, neural tissue) and their organization into organs as well as basic pathologic concepts, including major non-neoplastic and neoplastic disease processes. The course content will be delivered through a combination of in-person lectures and, for a majority of the physiology content, self-paced, asynchronous, interactive modules available through Canvas. Team-based active learning sessions will provide an opportunity for students to consolidate and apply the knowledge gained from both lectures and learning modules.

Prerequisite: permission of the program director

Instructor: Ashley Morhardt, PhD, Dionne Lai Kuan, PhD, Ian Hagemann, MD, PhD

Credits: 3 credit hours

This class is designed to construct a theoretical foundation for ionizing radiation dose calculations and measurements in a medical context, and to prepare graduate students for proper scientific presentations in the field of x-ray imaging and radiation therapy. This course will cover the fundamental concepts of radiation physics, how ionizing radiation interacts with matter and how the energy that is deposited in the matter can be measured in theory and practice. Specifically, a student completing this course will be able to do the following:

1.  Understand and apply key concepts specific to energy deposition for both ionizing photon interactions and transport in matter, and for energetic charged particle interactions and transport in matter. Radiation sources include radioactivity, x-ray tubes, linear accelerators, and particle accelerators.

2.  Understand the theoretical details of ion-chamber based dosimetry and of cavity-theories based clinical dose measurement protocols.

3. Understand the working principles of reference and relative dosimeters, and their associated practical considerations.

4.  Perform and present real world style research projects as a group and present these projects in a typical professional scientific format and style.

5.  Achieve an appreciation of the history and potential future developments in ionizing radiation detection and dosimetry.

Prerequisite:  Physics and calculus; permission of the program director

Instructor:  Arash Darafsheh, PhD

Credits: 3 credit hours

The independent study course is designed to provide graduate students with an opportunity to gain insight into an aspect of the field of medical physics. The goal of the course is to provide introductory experience on a focused project with one or more faculty mentor(s). Graduate students will be matched with a project/mentor based on a number of factors including student interest in the area of study and availability. 

Prerequisite:  permission of the program director

Instructor:  Dean Hobbis, PhD

Credits:  1 credit hour

Students will complete a clinically-focused, hands-on project under the supervision of a faculty mentor.  Students will learn background as to the impetus of this project, will develop a plan or procedure for completing the project, and will take a major role in performing and completing the developed tasks.  The goal of this is to simulate and gain an understanding of the workflow needed to achieve advancements in the clinic and/or patient care, as well as for students to gain a deeper understanding about a clinically focused topic. An oral presentation and written report describing the completed project work are required.

Prerequisite:  2 semesters of MP5020; permission of the program director      

Instructor:  Michael Altman, PhD

Credits:  variable credits up to 6

Students will complete a clinically-focused, hands-on project under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Students will learn background as to the impetus of this project, will develop a plan or procedure for completing the project, and will take a major role in performing and completing the developed tasks. The goal of this is to simulate and gain an understanding of the workflow needed to achieve advancements in the clinic and/or patient care, as well as for students to gain a deeper understanding about a clinically focused topic. An oral presentation and written report describing the completed project work are required.

Prerequisite:  2 semesters of MP5020; permission of the program director      

Instructor:  Michael Altman, PhD

Credits:  variable credits up to 6

This course prepares students to critically evaluate ethical, regulatory and professional issues, and leadership in clinical practice and research. The principal goal of this course is to prepare students to recognize ethics and compliance resources in clinical research and the situational factors that give rise to them, to identify ethics and compliance resources, and to foster ethical problem-solving skills. Additionally, the course introduces professionalism, core elements, common traits of the medical physics profession, confidentiality, conflict of interest, interpersonal interactions, negotiations, and leadership skills. Characteristics of successful leadership are also identified. Interaction with patients, colleagues, vendors, and clinic staff are also emphasized.

Prerequisite:  permission of the program director

Instructor: Naim Ozturk Ph.D.

Credits: 1 credit hour

This class is designed to establish a foundation for ionizing radiation interaction with biological tissues. It will cover the fundamental concepts of cell biology, how ionizing radiation interacts with cells, radiation damage and carcinogenesis, radiation therapy fractionation and related concepts. The effects of ionizing radiations on living cells and organisms, including physical, chemical, and physiological basis of radiation cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenesis are also covered.

Prerequisite: permission of the program director

Instructor: Buck Rogers PhD

Credits: 2 credit hours

This course is designed to build on the concepts of radiation dosimetry techniques and bring them into the clinical therapy realm. The students will learn clinical applications of radiation dosimetry, as well as fundamentals of treatment devices, treatment planning, dose measurements as used in radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer or other conditions.   External beam radiation therapy, treatment planning processes, treatment approaches and dose calculation algorithms, stereotactic radiation therapy, brachytherapy, protons and charged particle therapy, therapeutic imaging approaches, including treatment verification imaging and image-guided radiation therapy, quality assurance, and motion management, will all be focused elements of the course.

Prerequisite:  MP5010 or permission of the program director

Instructor: Michael B. Altman, PhD

Credits: 3 credit hours

This course is designed to further the concepts of radiation interactions and dosimetry to radiation protection and safety. Biological effects of radiation exposure in humans, protection and safety of the radiation worker and patient, as well as detection equipment will be the main focus. The fundamentals of shielding design of x-ray facilities will be discussed. This course will briefly cover regulations and radiological protection in various clinical environments. 

Prerequisite:  Physics and calculus; permission of the program director

Instructor:  Ziad Saleh, PhD

Credits: 2 credit hours

The student will rotate through various areas within the radiation therapy clinic and develop an understanding of the applications of physics in the use of radiation for the treatment of cancers. This will include simulation, quality assurance of various imaging and radiation sources, dose calculation, intensity modulation treatments, radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy, brachytherapy, radiopharmaceutical therapy, and more.

Prerequisite:  MP5010, MP5070 and MP5080; permission of the program director

Instructor: Jose Garcia-Ramirez, M.Sc.

Credits: 1 credit hour

The objective of this course is to reinforce and enhance the understanding concepts developed in didactic medical physics courses through practica, laboratory work, and/or special lectures.  Students will gain a deeper understanding of the physics and methods involved in clinical imaging and/or radiation therapy treatment processes.   The various practica will cover an array of topic areas including absolute dosimetry, relative dose measurements, patient QA, imaging QA, radiation beam modeling, treatment planning, proton therapy, brachytherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, and adaptive radiation therapy.

Prerequisite:  MP5010, MP5070 and MP5080; permission of the program director

Instructor: Taeho Kim, PhD

Credits: 2 credit hours