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Division of Physics and Engineering
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| The Division of Physics and Engineering is responsible for clinical activities, teaching, and research in diagnostic radiology, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear medicine. The Division is staffed by 5 faculty members, 2 medical physics fellows, and over 20 support staff, including radiologic service engineers, informatics support staff, and quality control technologists. | ||
| The clinical activities within the Division fall into six categories. First, the Physics Faculty play a very active role in equipment acquisition, participating in such tasks as evaluation of bids, site planning, shielding design and testing, and project management for new installations and equipment upgrades. Second, the Physics Faculty and Fellows perform acceptance testing of all new equipment, as well as periodic performance assessment of all imaging equipment to ensure continuous optimum operating characteristics and regulatory compliance. | Third, the Physics and Informatics Faculty engage in high-level problem-solving covering all aspects of imaging equipment performance at University Hospital and The Kirklin Clinic. Fourth, the Informatics Section of the Division is responsible for digital image management, archival duties, communication, and the radiology information system. Fifth, the individuals within the Quality Control Section perform routine quality control tasks on processing, hard copy image recording, and display equipment. Last but not least, the Service Engineering Section that consists of the in-house service organization is responsible for equipment maintenance and service. | |
| Academic duties include teaching of medical physics to the radiology and nuclear medicine resident physicians. Courses are taught in diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, digital imaging, informatics, and radiation biology. Also, comprehensive reviews of medical physics topics in preparation for the radiology board examinations are conducted yearly. | ||
| Another area of academic activities consists of a two-year training fellowship program that is offered to individuals considering a professional career in medical physics. Individuals enrolled in the training program participate in all the Division's activities within the Department, acquiring experience and skills needed to qualify for certification by The American Board of Radiology in Diagnostic Imaging Physics or Nuclear Medicine Physics. |
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| The Division's members are actively involved in research. Research topics cover a broad range of projects related to the understanding of fundamental aspects of imaging processes, including efforts to improve image quality and control radiation doses. Examples of projects completed over the years include studies of scatter reduction techniques, Monte Carlo simulations for calculation of patient absorbed dose, optimization of magnetic | resonance imaging pulse sequences, optimization of parameters determining mammographic image quality, modeling of the chemistry replenishment processes in automatic film processors, and CT dose estimates. Current projects involve CT dosimetry as a function of patient size, improving the measurement accuracy of CT dosimetry, improving scatter control in mammography and bedside radiography, and studies of factors impacting the quality of digital images displayed on soft copy devices. | |
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