FRS 002 — Sec. 019 — (2
unit) — CRN 53607 — F 2:10 – 4:00pm — 25 Wellman
Introduction to Hospital and Medical Physics
Co-Instructors: Dr Julian Perks and Dr Srinivasan Vijayakumar, Department
of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine
Description: This course (now in its third year) continues as
a 2 unit freshman seminar, giving students an introduction to the aspects of patient
care not directly related to the biological or chemical sciences. Feedback from
previous courses showed a strong preference towards radiation oncology and cancer
care in general, thus these aspects are emphasized. Physics plays a number of
roles in medical practice both in diagnosis and treatment. The course is aimed
at any student interested in a career in medicine or any allied field and will
highlight job opportunities in hospitals for those who do not go onto complete
medical degrees as well as those who choose a more traditional medical education.
There are no prerequisite study areas for the course but knowledge / interest
in the sciences would be preferable. The course will cover areas of diagnostic
radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and radiation protection. The
course opens with background information on physics and human anatomy and physiology.
The diagnostic radiology section will cover a wide variety of imaging techniques,
from simple X-rays to magnetic resonance. This leads through to nuclear medicine
where radioactive tracers are imaged to give physiological as well as anatomical
information. The use of radiation in patient treatment is then introduced and
the vast area of radiation oncology will be covered. The lecture portion of the
course will end with a discussion of radiation safety, with particular emphasis
on radiation in the environment. Environmental radiation is an area of particular
concern these days due to heightened awareness of national security; this will
be covered as well as historical radiation incidents and the role of natural background
radiation.
Format: Weekly seminars will be given, with an emphasis on group
discussion. Some background reading will be required to aid discussion of certain
topics, this reading will be specified at the previous weeks class. Guest lecturers
with specialty knowledge of radiation oncology and radiobiology will present seminars
throughout the course. Online quizzes will also be set as homework to give background
information and stimulate discussion points. Grading:
Grading is based on participation in class discussions (30%) an oral report (30%)
and an essay (40%).
About the Instructors:
Dr Perks is a member of the faculty of the Radiation Oncology group within the
School of Medicine. He graduated with a B.Sc. (hons) in physics from the University
of Birmingham, England in 1993 and went onto do his PhD in gamma ray holography
at the same institution. He took a postdoctoral research post at the Royal Marsden
Hospital, London, England for three years where he implemented a number of specialized
brain radiotherapy protocols and researched optimal treatment imaging and delivery
methods. Before joining UC Davis, Dr Perks also took a clinical post at St Bartholomew's
Hospital in London, England and managed physics aspects of the Gamma Knife treatment
delivery service. He joined UC Davis Medical School in March 2003 where his current
research goals are to further refine the treatment protocols for stereotactic
brain treatments and to quantify the low dose portion of routine radiotherapy
fields. His previous teaching experience is with resident radiation oncology physicians,
postdoctoral physicists as well as undergraduates.
Srinivasan Vijayakumar, M.D., D.M.R.T., F.A.C.R. (“Dr. Vijay”) is
Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at the University of California, Davis
Cancer Center. Prior to coming to UC Davis in 2002, he was Professor of Radiation
and Cellular Oncology at the University of Chicago. He was also the Head and Director,
Radiation Oncology, and Medical Director and Chief of Service for the Department
of Radiation Oncology at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center.
His broad research interests include clinical trials design and translation of
bench ideas to clinical trials. His focused research interests are in 3D conformal
radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and chemoprevention.
Dr. Vijay has authored some 130 publications, including book chapters, articles
and editorials, and spoken at nearly 200 radiation oncology symposiums, seminars
and workshops around the world. He serves on the editorial advisory committee
for the Journal of Oncology Management and has been a reviewer for many publications,
including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research, International Journal
of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, Radiotherapy and Oncology Investigations,
and Cancer Journal from Scientific American.
Dr. Vijay specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer, lung cancer, lymphomas
and soft tissue sarcomas.