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List of Courses

The Highest Standards

"Upon joining Duke Medical Physics, I have felt a strong sense of camaraderie among my classmates, as these relationships are emphasized by the program since day one. A curriculum based on collaboration and teamwork, combined with the genuinely caring faculty and staff have created a learning environment where I have grown both academically and professionally. Outside of the classroom, we receive clinical training at the highest standard. We promote leadership and involvement in the larger Duke and Durham communities. Not to mention the access we have to a world class cancer center and research facilities that keep us students on the leading edge of this rapidly advancing field. My time in this program has been an amazing experience in all facets of graduate education."
Zachary Gude Portrait
Zach Gude
PhD student (MS 2022)

The curriculum consists of:

  • A core component, shared by all tracks
  • Advanced topics and electives
  • Clinical shadowing opportunities
  • Academic and professional development
  • Frontiers topics

Program Courses

CORE COURSES

This course covers 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: Turkington. 3 units.

This course focuses on medical terminology, biochemistry pertaining to medical physics, 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 with each other, 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., Pneumothorax in chest radiographs, microcalcifications in mammograms). Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Reiman. 3 units.

An introduction to radiation biology. This course covers the biological effects of radiation, including mechanisms of DNA damage, and normal tissue injury. The principle context is with relevance to radiation therapy treatment. Instructor consent required. Instructor: Dewhirst, Palmer. 1 unit

This 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 health-physics issues in clinical environments, radiation safety regulations, and basic problem solving in radiation safety. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Chu Wang. 3 units.

This clinically oriented course 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 clinics are covered in detail. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Adamson. 3 units.

This course covers the mathematics, physics and instrumentation of several modern medical imaging modalities starting with a review of applicable linear systems theory and relevant principles of physics. Modalities studied include X-ray radiography (film-screen and electronic), computerized tomography, ultrasound, PET/SPECT, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and optical imaging. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: MacFall/Solomon. 3 units.

SHADOWING

MP 781. Clinical Shadowing for Medical Physicists. This course provides an opportunity to shadow clinical medical physicists in a wide range of clinical tasks that include quality assurance, treatment planning, radiation measurement, patient treatment, etc. in different aspects of medical physics. Designed for first year Medical Physics Students. Instructor consent is required. Instructor: Staff. 1 unit.

MP 781. Clinical Shadowing for Medical Physicists. This course provides an opportunity to shadow clinical medical physicists in a wide range of clinical tasks that include quality assurance, treatment planning, radiation measurement, patient treatment, etc. in different aspects of medical physics. Designed for first year Medical Physics Students. Instructor consent is required. Instructor: Staff. 1 unit.

SEMINAR

Medical physics is the application of the concepts and methods of physics 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 radiology, physics, radiation safety, and radiation oncology. Prerequisites: background in engineering or physics: Turkington, Rodrigues. 1 unit.

Seminar Schedule

ADVANCED TOPICS

This course covers propagation, reflection, refraction, and diffraction of acoustic waves in biologic media. Topics include geometric optics, physical optics, attenuation, and image quality parameters such as signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range, and resolution. Emphasis is placed on the design and analysis of medical ultrasound imaging systems. Prerequisites: Mathematics 216(107) and Physics 152L(62L). 3 units.

This course covers advanced topics in clinical radiation dosimetry that are pertinent to both KV and MV energy ranges. Prerequisites: Medical Physics 500 and 505. Instructor: Chu Wang. Variable credit (1-3 units).

This course covers topics in radiation detectors, measurements and signal processing. The basics of various types of radiation detectors used in nuclear, medical and health physics applications and their usage are discussed in detail. Prerequisites: Medical Physics 500 and 505. Instructor: Staff. 1 unit.

This practicum course provides hands-on experiences in various hospital health physics functions, in RAM lab oversight, in X-Ray room shielding and verification, and in license preparation experience under NRC/States oversight. The course includes shadowing a clinician, technologist, and physicist, while performing their routine clinical tasks. Instructor: Chu Wang. 3 units.

This course covers the physics and clinical application of advanced external beam photon therapies with special emphasis on IMRT. Prerequisite: Medical Physics 520. Instructor: Q. Wu. 3 units.

This course covers advanced clinical applications of SRS and SBRT in the treatment of cancers. Prerequisites: Medical Physics 520. Instructor: Yin. 3 units.

The course is designed to combine traditional lectures and clinical physics practica on the topic of LDR (low dose rate) and HDR (high dose rate) brachytherapy and large field dosimetry as used clinically for TBI (Total Body Irradiation)/TSI (Total Skin Irradiation). Instructors: Craciunescu/Meltsner. 3 units.

This course focuses on the fundamentals of Monte-Carlo simulations and provides hands-on experience with clinical Monte-Carlo codes used in medical dosimetry. The course will introduce software such as MCNP, EGS, FLUKA, GEANT and Penelope and companion data analysis software ROOT, PAW and CERNLIB. Students will study at least one major code and will perform two or more projects based on a clinically relevant task. Prerequisites: Calculus, modern physics, and programming. Knowledge of C, C++, or Fortran is a plus. Instructors: Staff. Variable credit (1-3 units).

This course focuses on external beam treatment planning and covers both fundamental knowledge of treatment planning and advanced practice of treatment planning at common clinical sites. Instructor: Chunhao Wang. 1 unit.

This course covers advanced topics in ionizing-based imaging modalities such as X-ray and Computed Tomography imaging, including linear system theory, image quality metrology, digital radiography and mammography. Instruction will consist of didactic lectures accompanied by hands-on laboratory exercises (practicum). Instructor: Samei, CIPG. 3 units.

This course covers advanced topics in non-ionizing Imaging modalities such as Ultrasound and MR imaging, including speckle statistics, Doppler imaging, advanced MR pulse sequences, MR angiography, flow and diffusion etc. Instruction will consist of didactic lectures accompanied by hands-on laboratory exercises (practicum). Instructor: Robertson. 3 units.

This course covers advanced topics in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including image acquisition and reconstruction, artifact correction, functional MRI, and diffusion MRI. Instruction will consist of lectures accompanied by hands-on exercises in Matlab. Students will also have the opportunity to perform different types of MRI scans such as functional and diffusion MRI on each other and to reconstruct and analyze the acquired MRI data. Instructor: Trong-Kha Truong. 3 units.

This course covers the physical and anatomical/physiological foundations of internal radiation dosimetry. Topics covered include definition of dose, absorbed fractions, residence times and methods to determine them, the MIRD methodology, and strategies to convert small animal radiopharmaceutical biodistribution data to humans. Prerequisites: Medical Physics 500, 505 and 510. Instructor: Reiman. 1 unit.

This course covers advanced topics in radionuclide-based imaging modalities such as PET and SPECT, including image acquisition, image reconstruction and analysis, detector and detection theory, radionuclides, etc. and therapeutic applications of radionuclides. Instruction will consist of didactic lectures accompanied by hands-on laboratory exercises (practicum). Instructor: Turkington. 3 units.

This course covers advanced topics in radiation biology. Topics covered include: physics and chemistry of radiation absorption, cell survival curves, repair of radiation damage, radiation carcinogenesis, risk assessment models, cancer biology, model tumor systems, and dose fractionation in radiotherapy. Prerequisites: Medical Physics 507. Instructor consent is required. Instructor: Dewhirst, Palmer. 1 unit.

This course will provide an introduction to boundary value problems and analytical partial differential equation techniques for wave-guide geometries found in medical applications (e.g., linear accelerators). ANSYS EM simulations will be performed to generate more accurate representation of linear accelerator waveguides and how (un)charged particles behave within the conductors. Hardware demonstrations will be provided time and resources permitting. Additionally, an introduction to complex variables and their application regarding the linac X-ray target and how they are related to different observed scattering phenomena (e.g., Compton scattering).Instructor: Darnell. 3 units.

An independent research project with faculty advisor. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Staff. Variable credit.

ADVANCED PRACTICUMS

This course provides an opportunity to participate in the creation of clinical learning experiences geared to individual students’ needs, interests, aptitudes and desired outcomes. The student will work closely with a faculty instructor to develop a personalized project on a clinical topic. Instructor: Staff. Variable credit.

This course provides an opportunity to participate in the creation of academic learning experiences geared to individual students’ needs, interests, aptitudes and desired outcomes. The student will work closely with a faculty advisor to develop a personalized project on an academic topic. Instructor consent is required. Instructor: Staff. Variable credit.

This course provides an opportunity to participate in the creation of professional experiences geared to individual students’ needs, interests, aptitudes and desired outcomes. The student will work closely with a faculty instructor to develop a personalized project on a professional development topic. Instructor consent is required. Instructor: Staff. Variable credit.

Updated: March 01, 2023
This page will be updated with the most up-to-date schedule information, so please check back periodically to see the latest version.

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