Medical Physics
Courses

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265 Introduction to Medical Physics.; 2 cr. (Cross listed with Physics 265) Primarily for premeds and other students in the medical and biological sciences. 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. 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.) II; 2 cr. Effects of ionizing radiations of living cells and organisms, including physical, chemical, and physiological bases of radiation cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogensis; lecture and lab. 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: Intro 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.

• 471-001 Research in Medical Physics. Medical Physics faculty discuss important research questions in their speciality areas and provide an overview of their own research programs.

• 471-006 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. 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. This course discusses the nature and magnitude of hazards to patients in various health-care settings, and presents the student with techniques to analyze the risks and to address the problems, in order to reduce errors and create a safe patient-care environment. Particular tools discussed include probabilistic risk assessment methods, failure mode and effects analysis, human factors analysis and error classification systems, and quality management. Discussions of patient safety standards, recommendations from agencies, and continual quality improvement, along with many examples of applications in various settings, anchor the studies in the clinical world.

566 Physics of Radiotherapy. II; 3 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.

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.

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 Imaging in Medicine.II,  Stochastic Processes;  3 cr. Continuation of 573, with emphasis on stochastic processes as they apply to medical images. 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

619 Microscopy of Life. (Cross listed with Physics 619) II, 2 cr Imaging living biomedical samples; Imaging the chemical composition of fixed cells and tissue; Small animal microscopy, cellular and molecular imaging; Students  will receive hands-on experience on several state-of-the-art microscope and imaging machines across campus. At the end of the course, given a real-research imaging or micro-analytical problem in biology or medicine, a student will be able to identify which technique is best suited to answer a variety of biological or physiological questions. 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

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, 2 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 offered each semester and during the summer. It allows 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.

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.    

900 Journal Club and Seminar. I, II; 1 cr. P: Cons inst.

990 Research. I, II, SS; 1-12 cr. P: Cons inst..

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, 2 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 offered each semester and during the summer. It allows 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.

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.    

900 Journal Club and Seminar. I, II; 1 cr. P: Cons inst.

990 Research. I, II, SS; 1-12 cr. P: Cons inst.

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