Clinical Aspects of Medical Radia2on Physics Rebecca Guidry, M.S., DABR Clinical Medical Physicist Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Clinical Aspects of Medical Radia2on Physics
Rebecca Guidry, M.S., DABR Clinical Medical Physicist
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
What is Medical Physics?
• A medical physicist is a professional who specializes in the applica2on of the concepts and methods of physics to the diagnosis and treatment of human disease.
• Therapeu2c Physics • Diagnos2c Physics • Nuclear Physics • Medical Health Physics
Therapeu2c Radiological Physics
• The therapeu2c applica2ons of x-‐ray, gamma ray, neutron, electron, and charged par2cle beams, and radia2on from sealed radionuclide sources.
• The equipment associated with their produc2on, use, measurement and evalua2on. The quality of images resul2ng from their produc2on and use.
• Medical Health Physics
Cell Killing By Ionizing Radia2on
Diagnos2c Radiological Physics
• The diagnos2c applica2ons of x-‐rays, gamma rays from sealed sources, ultrasonic radia2on, and radio frequency radia2on and magne2c fields.
• The equipment associa2on with their produc2on, use, measurement and evalua2on.
• The quality of images resul2ng from their produc2on and use.
• Medical Health Physics
Discovery of X-‐rays • On 8 Nov 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (accidentally) discovered an
image cast from his cathode ray generator.
Diagnos2cs
• X-‐ray Machines • Fluoroscopy • Computerized Tomography-‐CT Scanner • Magne2c Resonance Imager-‐ MRI • MR Spectroscopy • Positron Emission-‐PET Scanner • CT-‐PET Scanner
Medical Nuclear Physics
• The therapeu2c and diagnos2c applica2ons of radionuclides in unsealed sources
• The equipment associa2on with their produc2on, use, measurement, and evalua2on.
• The quality of images resul2ng from their produc2on and use.
• Medical Health Physics
Nuclear Medicine
• Radioac2ve Materials injected or ingested • Radioac2vity yields images of func2on
• Fused MRI/NMI
Gamma Camera Scan
Medical Health Physics
• The safe use of x-‐ray, gamma ray, neutron, electron and other charged par2cle beams or radionuclides in medicine (for diagnos2c or therapeu2c purposes).
• The instrumenta2on required to perform appropriate radia2on surveys.
• Radia2on Safety Officer
Emergency Management of Radia2on Casual2es
Radia2on Exposure/Contamina2on
• Accidents • Nuclear reactor • Industrial irradiator • Lost/stolen sources • Transporta2on • Medical radia2on • Terrorist Event
Radia2on Doses and Dose Limits
• Flights—LA to London 5 mrem • Annual Public dose limit 100 mrem • Natural Background annual 300 mrem • Heart Catheriza2on, Barium enema, Chest X-‐ray, fetal dose limit, radia2on worker limit…
• Governs worker safety, pa2ent safety, staff safety, general public safety
Primary Discipline
76%
15%
3% 4% 1%1%
Radiation Therapy
Imaging Physics
Nuclear Medicine
Health Physics
Engineering
Administration
Primary Responsibility
78%
8%
5%3% 4% 2%
Clinical
Academic
Research
Administrative
Regulatory
ProductDevelopment
Clinical Responsibili2es
• Daily clinical support • Equipment acquisi2ons • Site planning • Quality assurance-‐d-‐w-‐m-‐a • Dose calcula2ons • Liaison between other medical professionals, manufacturers, regulatory agencies
• Development, inves2gate, scien2fic research
Professional Training
• MS or PhD in Medical Physics • MS or PhD in physics or related discipline with post-‐graduate academic training in medical physics
CLINICAL TRAINING • Residency in clinical medical physics-‐CAMPEP BOARD ELIGIBILITY 2014 • Must have CAMPEP approved residency
LSU Medical Physics Program
• Phys.lsu.edu – Medical Physics & Health Physics Program – Graduate Program – CAMPEP Accredited – Curriculum-‐Health Physics or Medical Physics
• Marybird.org-‐ Medical Physics Program – Graduate Training Program – Residency Training Program
Total AAPM Membership
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