Course Descriptions
One can see a typical course sequence by clicking here
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
|---|---|
| MP 463, *q+ Radioisotopes in Med & Biol (2-3cr) | MP 265, Intro to Med Physics (2cr) |
| MP 471, Special Topics (Fall) (1-3cr) | MP 401 , Intermed Physics for Med, Biol (3cr) |
| MP 501, *q+ Radiological Physics, Dosimetry (3cr) | MP 410, * Radiobiology (Even yrs, 2002, 2004, etc)(2cr) |
| MP 547, Biomedical Optics (3cr) | MP 471, Special Topics (Spring) (1-3cr) |
| MP 567, *qi+ Physics of Diagnostic Radiology (3cr) | MP 530, Medical Imaging Systems (3cr) |
| MP 571, Adv. External Beam Rad Oncology (3cr) | MP 559, Patient Safety and Error Reduction in Health Care (2cr) |
| MP 573 Medical Image Science: Mathematical and Conceptual Foundations (3 cr) | MP 566, *q Physics of Radiotherapy (4cr) |
| MP 577 Principles of X-Ray Computed Tomography | MP 568, +Magnetic Resonance Imaging (3cr) |
| MP 699, Independent Reading | MP 569, *q+ Health Physics (3-4cr) |
| MP 679, Radiation Physics Metrology | MP 570, Adv. Brachytherapy Physics (Odd yrs, 2003, 2005, etc) (3cr) |
| MP 710, Adv. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (2cr) | MP 574 Imaging in Medicine: Applications (3 cr) |
| MP 661,662,664,665,666, * Rad Labs | MP 575, +Diagnostic Ultrasound Physics (3cr) |
| MP 900, Journal Club/Seminar (Fall Series) | MP 619 Microscopy of Life (2cr) |
| MP 990, Graduate Research (Fall) | MP 662,663,664,665,666, * Rad Labs |
| MP 707, Digital X-Ray Imaging (2cr) | |
| MP 900, Journal Club/Seminar (Spring Series) | |
| MP 911, Radiological Facts for Physicians | |
| MP 990, Graduate Research (Spring) | |
*Required for MS Degree in General Medical Physics
+Required for MS Degree in the Imaging Track
q Course material required on the General MP Qualifier
i Course material required on the Image Track qualifier
** Offered each semester and during the summer
265 Introduction to Medical Physics.; 2 cr. (Cross listed with Physics 265) Primarily for premeds and other students in the medical and biological sciences. Applications of physics to medicine and medical instrumentation. Topics: biomechanics, sound and hearing, pressure and motion of fluids, heat and temperature, electricity and magnetism in the body, optics and the eye, biological effects of light, use of ionizing radiation in diagnosis and therapy, radiation safety, medical instrumentation. Two lectures with demonstrations per week P: Year of college-level introductory physics.
401 Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology. II; 3 cr. (Cross listed with Biomed. Eng. 401) Biomedical applications of physics including, e.g., solute exchange involving capillaries and glomeruli, differences in ionic concentrations and electric potentials across cell membranes, the electrodynamics of nerve impulse transmission (including the Hodgkin-Huxley model), and the atomic and molecular physics of radiative heat loss of the body, thermography and vision. P: Physics 201 and 202 or Physics 207 and 208.
410 Radiobiology. (Crosslisted with Human Oncology 410.) Every other Spring in even years, 2 cr. Effects of ionizing radiations on living cells and organisms, including physical, chemical, and physiological bases of radiation cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogensis. Two lectures per week. Ritter. P: One yr. each of biology, physics and organic chemistry, or con. of inst.
463 Radioisotopes in Medicine and Biology. (Crosslisted with Physics 463.) I; 2-3 cr. Physical principles of radioisotopes used in medicine and biology and operation of related equipment; lecture and lab. P: Introductory College Physics (2 semesters) and Modern Physics.
471 Selected Topics in Medical Physics. I or II; 1-3 cr. Various subjects of interest to medical physics faculty and students. P: Cons inst.
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471-Topic: Research in Medical Physics. Medical Physics faculty discuss important research questions in their speciality areas and provide an overview of their own research programs.
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471-Topic: Radiation treatment planning systems Fall 3 Cr. Overview of physics of clinical, computer-based RTPS. Topics include dose algorithms, measurement data and commissioning, imaging for radiotherapy, contouring and volume definition, beam placement and apertures, plan evaluation, IMRT planning and optimization, IGRT, Adaptive RT and QA. P: Cons. inst. Course Web Site
- 471-Topic: Product Development in the Medical Device Industry
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471-Topic Bio-Mathematical Modeling for Cancer Treatments. I; (Meets with Human Oncology 510; check course schedule very closely)1 cr. Purpose, biological background and developmental strategy of mathematical models of tissue response in cancer treatments and cancer research; linear quadratic, TCP and NTCP models, and examples of their use; incorporatation of tolerance doses to account for treatment volume; use of models for automated treatment planning. P: Basic radiotherapy physics or cons of inst.
501 Radiological Physics and Dosimetry. (Crosslisted with H Oncol, Physics 501.) I; 3 cr. Interactions and energy deposition by ionizing radiation in matter; concepts, quantities and units in radiological physics; principles and methods of radiation dosimetry. Three lectures and a discussion period each week. P: Calculus and modern physics.
530 Medical Imaging Systems. (Biomedical Engineering / Medical Physics 530), 3 cr, Spring Semester. The fundamentals of several engineering disciplines will be combined and applied to analyze the fascinating capabilities found in medical imaging. The course will demonstrate how "black box" analysis can describe the design and performance tradeoffs for diagnostic medical imaging equipment such as projection radiography, computerized tomography (CT), nuclear medicine, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Prerequisites: Some familiarity with one dimensional Fourier analysis, linear system theory, and probability is suggested. BME/MP 530, Course Web Page
547 Biomedical Optics. (Meets with Biomedical Engineering 547) This course is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of the theoretical and experimental principles underlying the application of optical spectroscopy in medical physics biomedical engineering. It has both a lecture and laboratory component, with roughly 50% of the lectures devoted to theory and 50% to experimental technique and optical data interpretation. BME/MP 547 Course Web Page
559 Patient Safety and Error Reduction in Health Care .(Cross listed with Population Health 559 and Industrial Engineering 559) II; 2 cr. TTechniques for evaluating and reducing risks in medical procedures, including probabilistic risk assessment methods, failure mode and effects analysis, human factors analysis, and quality management. Discussions of patient safety standards, recommendations from agencies, and continual quality improvement. P: Jr. standing or cons. world.
566 Physics of Radiotherapy. II; 4 cr. Ionizing radiation use in radiation therapy to cause controlled biological effects in cancer patients. Physics of the interaction of the various radiation modalities with body-equivalent materials, and physical aspects of clinical applications; lecture and lab. P: Med Phys 501 or consent of the instructor. MP566 Course Web Page
567 The Physics of Diagnostic Radiology. I; 4 cr. Physics of x-ray diagnostic procedures and equipment, radiation safety, general imaging considerations; lecture and lab. P: Modern physics, calculus, and Fourier analysis, or cons inst. MP 567 Course Web Page
568 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). II; 3 cr. Physics and technology of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), emphasizing techniques employed in medical diagnostic imaging. Major topics: physics of MR, pulse sequences, hardware, imaging techniques, artifacts, and spectroscopic localization. P: Crses in mod physics & calc, incl Fourier Anal, req. Crses in other med imaging tech e.g., Med Phys 567, & crses in signal processing, or Med Phys 473 recommended.
569 Health Physics. (Crosslisted with NEEP 569.) II; 4 cr. Physical and biological aspects of the use of ionizing radiation in industrial and academic institutions; physical principles underlying shielding instrumentation, waste disposal; biological effects of low levels of ionizing radiation; lecture and lab. P: Cons inst..Course Web Site
570 Advanced Brachytherapy Physics. Every other spring in odd years; 2 cr. The use of radioactive sources for radiotherapy including: materials used, source construction dosimetry theory and practical application, dosimetric systems, localization and reconstruction. The course covers low dose rate, high dose rate and permanently placed applications. P: Med Phys 501, 401 & 566 or equiv.
571 Advanced External Radiation Oncology Physics. I; 3 cr. Physics of ionizing radiation therapy with emphasis on external beam dosimetry and treatment planning. P: Med Phys 501 & 566.
573, Imaging in Medicine.I, Deterministic Processes; 3 cr. The conceptual, mathematical and statistical aspects of imaging science, and a survey from this formal viewpoint of various medical imaging modalities, including filmscreen radiography, positron and x-ray computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. P: 1 year each of Undergrad physics and calculus. 573 Course Web Page
574 Continuation of 573, with application of concepts to practical medical imaging problems and emerging quantitative imaging techniques. The focus is on applying the concepts learned in MP573 to multi-dimensional imaging problems, including image processing, measurement and modeling. P: MP573. MP 574 Course Web Page
575 Diagnostic Ultrasound Physics. I; 3 cr. Plane wave propagation; reflection and transmission at interfaces; acoustical properties of biological media; transducer operation and beam patterns; gray scale, Doppler and color-flow instruments; acoustical power and intensity levels for clinical equipment; biological effects. 2 lectures, 1 lab/week, Spring semester. P: modern physics, calculus and Fourier analysis or cons inst. MP 575, Course Web Page
577 Principles of X-Ray Computed Tomography Fall, 3 Cr. This course aims to provide a basic and solid working knowledge of X-ray computed tomography (CT) for graduate students who are interested in principle and application of CT in Medical Physics. The course focuses on the physics of CT, system design, image artifacts, and recent advances in CT technology. P: M.P. 567 MP 577 Course Web Page
619 Microscopy of Life. (Cross listed with Physics 619) II, 3 cr Survey of state of the art microscopic, cellular and molecular imaging techniques, beginning with subcellular microscopy and finishing with whole animal imaging. One lecture and lab per week. P: Second semester introductory physics including light and optics (e.g. 104, 202, 208) or cons. inst. Crosslisted with Physics, Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, Medical Physics, Anatomy, Chemistry and Pharmacology. Physics/MP 619 Course Web Page
661 Rad Lab-Radiotherapy Physics. Fall Only, 2 cr. P: Med Phys 566
662 Rad Lab-Diagnostic Radiological Physics. I, II, SS; 1 cr. P: Med Phys 567.
663 Rad Lab-Nuclear Medicine Physics. Spring Only, 1 cr. P: Med Phys 463.
664 Rad Lab-Health Physics. I, II, SS; 1 cr. P: Grad st.
665 Rad Lab: CT, NMR, and DSA Physics. I, II, SS; 1 cr. P: Med Phys 567 or cons inst.
666 Rad Lab-Medical Ultrasound Physics. I, II, 1 cr. P: Grad st. MP 666 Course Web Page
679 Radiation Physics Metrology. Fall, 3 Cr. Principles and operation of ionizing radiation measuring equipment Basis of measurements and uncertainty analysis involved from primary standards to the clinic. The basis of traceable quantities for uniform measurements across the country and their implications are demonstrated including the reasons for their development. About 3 lectures per week with some lectures being replaced by laboratories. P: M.P. 501, preferred M.P.567.
699 Independent Reading or Research. I, II, SS; 1-3 cr.
707 Digital X-Ray Imaging. II, 2 cr. This course covers diagnostic imaging modalities based upon transmission x-ray imaging: computed tomography (CT), active-matrix flat panel imagers (AMFPI), and digital fluoroscopy (including DSA). The AMFPI discussions develop detection noise analysis in cascaded detector systems. Two lectures per week. P: M.P. 473, 567, or cons. inst.
710 Advances in Medical Magnetic Resonance. I, 3 cr. This course studies in some depth the theory and applications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in medicine. The course aims to provide the student with the necessary theoretical background to understand advanced MRI techniques. P: MP 568.
812 Radiation Medicine Physics Clerkship. I, II, SS, 2 cr. This course is currently not offered, but will be kept on the books. The course is intended to allow students to observe and participate in the application of medical physics principles in the clinical setting. Under supervision, students perform the functions of a clinical medical physicist. Students observe interactions with patients, interact with physicians during treatment planning, attend conferences, calibrate equipment, and apply methods learned in other medical physics classes. P: Med Phys 566, or cons of instructor.
900 Journal Club and Seminar. I, II; 1 cr. P: Cons inst.
911 Radiological Facts for Physicians Designed to fit into the optional course series of 3rd and 4th year medical students, this course describes the major medical imaging modalities, including conventional and digital x-ray imaging, PET and SPECT nuclear scanners, MRI machines, and ultrasound scanners. Additional sessions describe how radiation interacts with tissue, how radiation is detected, and how radiation is used to treat cancer. This is an excellent companion course for the Clerkship in Diagnostic Radiology.
990 Research. I, II, SS; 1-12 cr. P: Cons inst.
