Department of Radiology | Diagnostic and Nuclear Medical Physics Residency

Current Medical Physics Faculty

Affiliated Medical Faculty

  • Sarah Bixby, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Umar Mahmood, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Former faculty

  • Robert MacDougall, PhD
  • Ryan Toolin, MS
  • Georges El Fakhri, PhD, FAAPM
  • Kira Grogg, PhD

Program description

The Diagnostic and Nuclear Medical Physics Residency training program at Boston Children’s Hospital in conjunction with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School is designed to train medical physicists to work independently in the chosen specialized field of Diagnostic Medical Physics or Nuclear Medical Physics. The expectation is that graduates of the program will complete the process of board certification in the chosen specialty by a recognized certifying body such as the American Board of Radiology (ABR), American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM), or Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM). In addition, the training will prepare the resident to perform other aspects of an imaging physicist’s responsibilities including teaching, research, radiation safety and administration.

The first 16 months of the residency will consist of eight two-month rotations in the following areas:

  • General radiographic imaging and mammography
  • Fluoroscopy and interventional radiology
  • Radiation safety
  • Nuclear medicine
  • Computed tomography
  • MRI
  • Informatics
  • Ultrasound

These rotations will be at Boston Children’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, or Massachusetts General Hospital. The training also includes assigned teaching to radiology or nuclear medicine residents, technologists and/or other allied health professionals within the hospital. The last eight months of the residency will consist of advanced rotations, such as Advanced CT, Advanced MRI, Clinical Data Mining in Medical Imaging, Tomographic Image Reconstruction, Hybrid Imaging, etc. The resident will have the option to select two advanced rotations to complete during the eight-month period. These advanced rotations are designed to provide enhanced training and a deeper technical knowledge of a modality or specific area of diagnostic imaging or nuclear medicine. For those interested in the nuclear medicine option, the second year will concentrate on nuclear medicine including additional rotations in hybrid imaging and radionuclide therapy. During this time, the resident will also participate in clinical and medical physics research.

The program is currently accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP).

20202021202220232024
Number of Applicants 23 (PhD Only)39 (PhD Only)31 (PhD Only)40 (PhD, MS)50 (PhD, MS)
Number Offered Admission11111
Number Enrolled in Program1 1111
Completing Program11111
Destination of Graduates
Clinical 1N/A*N/A*N/A*1
Industry N/A*N/A*1N/A*N/A*
AcademicN/A*N/A*1N/A*
Government N/A*N/A*N/A*N/A*N/A*
Additional EducationN/A*1 (extra year of
NM training)
N/A*N/A*N/A*
Still Seeking Position N/A*N/A*N/A*N/A*N/A*
OtherN/A*N/A*N/A*N/A*N/A*
*N/A: Not available.

Applications submitted by candidates who have been nominated by our program’s faculty will be accepted for consideration for the next academic year. The submission deadline for these applications is July 1 of the current academic year.

Download this document to learn more about our program.

Interested individuals should contact:
Da Zhang, PhD, CIIP, DABR
Diagnostic Medical Physics Program
Director, Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
Director, Joint Diagnostic and Nuclear Medical Physics Residency Program at BCH,
LC-5607
360 Longwood Ave.
Boston, MA 02215
617-919-7366
Da.Zhang@childrens.harvard.edu