Student Education and Training

• Overview
• Medical Dosimetry
• Clinical Medical Physics Residency
• Biomedical Engineering Masters of Science

The Stony Brook University Medical Center is a highly acclaimed academic and regional hospital. Our mission is to provide excellence in patient care, education, research, and community service. This mission is achieved through commitment to the core values of Quality, Excellence, Integrity, Honesty, and Respect.  In compliance to this mission, the Radiation Oncology Department fosters and supports three nationally recognized programs that encourage the Stony Brook University community to continue its education in the fields of Medical Dosimetry and Medical Physics.

Medical Dosimetry Program

The Medical Dosimetry Program is a 1 year Post-Baccalaureate program offered as a continuation of the Health Science major and provide students eligibility for the Medical Dosimetry Certification Board exam. Students work along side the Radiation Oncology staff within the department, as well as several satellite facilities as to further their experience.  Students work clinically to hone their skills in a professional setting, while continuing academic classes taught by departmental faculty and staff.

The Post-Baccalaureate Medical Dosimetry program offers accepted students a first hand experience in treatment planning, dose calculations, and responsibilities pertinent to that of a board certified Medical Dosimetrist. As the students continue with a regular regimen of classes, the program concurrently prepares students to handle clinical responsibilities that one would encounter on a daily basis as well as obstacles that may appear on an occasional agenda. During the clinical year, students also undergo a series of tasks that render them competent in basic dosimetry techniques.

Back to top of page

Clinical Medical Physics Residency Program

• Introduction
• Training Schedule
• Application Process

The Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Residency Program at Stony Brook University Medical Center is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs, Inc (CAMPEP). The objective of the residency program is to train individuals so that at the end of the training the trainee will be able to sit for American Board of Radiology (ABR) certification to practice independently as a certified therapeutic radiologic physicist in the Department of Radiation Oncology.

The Medical Physics Residency Program is 24 months in length. The residency training will take place under the close supervision of experienced therapeutic radiologic physicists.  The program emphasizes all areas of clinical training and experience that will be required by a therapeutic radiologic physicist to practice in a "state-of-the-art" treatment facility.

Training Schedule for Medical Physics Resident

Year 1 - Freshman

Month 1-Simulation

1. Patient positioning and immobilization
2. Treatment simulation
3. Target and structure delineation
4. Field definition
5. Simulation techniques for curative intent cases
6. Simulation techniques for palliative intent and emergency cases
7. Treatment time and monitor unit calculations

Months 2-4-Basic Training in Treatment Planning

1. Data transfer and planning tools
2. Basic treatment planning concepts
3. Prescription, evaluation, and dose reporting guidelines
4. Treatment planning techniques for different sites

Months 5-6- Clinical Treatment Planning

1. Clinical aspects of treatment planning
2. Clinical treatment delivery
3. Clinical treatment planning and delivery of electron beams

Months 7-9-Brachytherapy Treatment Planning and Dose Delivery

1. High dose rate brachytherapy (HDR) basics
2. Treatment time calculations for HDR brachytherapy
3. 2D Treatment planning for HDR brachytherapy
4. 3D Treatment planning for HDR brachytherapy
5. Eye treatments
6. LDR brachytherapy
7. Permanent implants

Months 10-12- Advanced External Beam Treatment Planning and Delivery Techniques

1. 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
2. ARIA Oncology Information System
3. SRS and SRT: Stereotactic RadioSurgery and RadioTherapy
4. SBRT: Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy and ExacTrac
5. Respiratory GatingIGRT: Image Guided Radiation Therapy and ExacTrac ® X-ray 6DTBI: Total Body Irradiation

Year 2-Senior

Months 1-5- Quality Assurance

1. QA program
2. Guidelines for radiation oncology QA programs
3. QA equipment
4. QA measurement
5. Technical specification, acceptance testing, and commissioning of treatment units
6. Specification, acceptance testing, and commissioning of treatment planning systems
7. Clinical reference dosimetry
8. External QA audits
9. Absolute dosimetry

Month 6- Radiation Protection

1. Radiation safety program
2. Regulations
3. Licensing
4. Radiation safety issues
5. Facility design and radiation surveying techniques

Months 7-12-Clinical Physics Practice and Project

1. Clinical rotation
2. Chart review
3. Project
4. Teaching

Clinical Medical Physics Application Process

The applicant must have a MS or PhD (or equivalent degree) in medical physics or in a related science or engineering field. To better homogenize the experience gained in the two-year residency program and in recognition of the need to focus the residency period on clinical experience rather than didactic education CAMPEP now requires that:

1. Students applying for a Medical Physics Residency programs shall have acquired a strong foundation in basic physics.  This should be documented by either an undergraduate degree in physics or a degree in a related engineering or physical science with coursework equivalent to a minor in physics (including two general physics courses with calculus and three upper level courses in, for example, electricity and magnetism, atomic physics, nuclear physics, modern physics, quantum mechanics, or mechanics).
2. Students applying for a Medical Physics Residency program shall have a masters or doctoral degree in medical physics, radiologic physics, physics or other relevant physical science or engineering discipline. The candidate should have taken a minimum of three graduate courses in medical physics. These might include, for example, General Radiation Physics (equivalent to BME 517at Stony Brook), Medical Health Physics (equivalent to BME 519 at Stony Brook), Radiation Oncology Physics (equivalent to BME 540 at Stony Brook), Clinical Radiation Oncology Physics (equivalent to BME 617 at Stony Brook), and in addition, one in Biology or Radiation Biology and one in Anatomy or Physiology are required.

There is one position in the Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Residency Program each year on a competitive basis. To apply for the program please submit:

• Application Form  (requires Adobe Reader)
• A letter explaining your interests in our program
• College and graduate school transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation

Application materials should be sent to the address below. For more information regarding the Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Residency Program please contact:

Zhigang (Josh) Xu, Ph.D., DABR
Director, Medical Physics
Department of Radiation Oncology
Stony Brook University Medical Center
Stony Brook, NY 11794

Tel: (631)444-3617

Back to Top of Page

Biomedical Engineering Masters of Science

In conjunction with these programs, the Stony Brook Radiation Oncology Department offers the Biomedical Engineering Masters of Science Candidates a forum of advanced learning.  Through hands on experience in the clinic and classes taught by our residents and departmental faculty, the MS candidates are afforded an opportunity to acquire experience in Medical Physics.