Foundations of Medical Physics

Covering topics in Radiobiology, Modern Physics, Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, Foundations of Medical Physics serves as an introduction to the field of Medical Physics, or Radiation Oncology Physics.

An overview of the history of cancer and cancer treatment along with a brief introduction to the fundamental principles of Radiobiology constitute Part I of this book, which serves as the motivation for the principles of Radiation Therapy, or cancer treatment with radiation. Part II contains the fundamental ideas from Modern Physics that form the foundation for an understanding of the approaches to treatment used in Radiation Therapy. Finally, Part III shows the applications of Parts I and II to Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy.

This unusual introduction to Medical Physics is aimed at undergraduate physics majors along with other science majors who have taken at least one year of Physics and one year of calculus, although Medical Physics graduate students and radiation oncology residents may find this different approach to the subject illuminating. This text assumes that the instructor is a physicist who does not necessarily have a background in Medical Physics.

Victor J. Montemayor, Ph.D., teaches Physics and Advanced Mathematics at Germantown Academy (GA) in Fort Washington, PA. Dr. Montemayor has received numerous teaching awards, including the Ernest L. Boyer International Award for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology. Dr. Montemayor was chair of the Committee on Medical Physicists as Educators and a member of the Education Council of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine for 11 years.

George Starkschall, Ph.D., spent the majority of his medical physics career on the faculty at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), where he was instrumental in the development of one of the first three-dimensional radiation treatment planning systems in clinical use as well as a methodology for acquiring CT scans that captured respiratory motion. Since retiring from MDACC, he assumed the position of Executive Secretary on the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP). He is the recipient of the Edith H Quimby Lifetime Achievement Award of the AAPM and the Harold Johns Medal of the International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP) for contributions to international medical physics education.