Thank you for your interest in the Medical Physics Clinical Residency Program in the Moncrief Radiation Oncology Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. The Residency is overseen by the Medical Physics and Engineering faculty at UT Southwestern, which includes 11 physicists (9 PhD, 2 MS), 6 dosimetrists, 2 service and research engineers, and 2 IT specialists. In 2008, the Residency Program was awarded a grant for the development of Medical Physics Residencies from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).  The Medical Physics Residency Program at UTSW is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP).

About the Program

The Residency is a two-year program that emphasizes clinical excellence and professional development in Radiation Oncology Physics.  The expected activities, objectives and assessments to be completed during the Residency are well-defined and are presented to incoming residents on their arrival.  The Residency includes didactic courses but the majority of time is spent in “hands-on” clinical rotations.  Residents are expected to become an integral part of the Department of Radiation Oncology performing clinical duties while interacting closely with the entire faculty and staff in a collegial manner.  The Physics faculty works closely with 9 radiation oncologists and 6 medical residents who provide services to over 100 patients per day treated on the main campus.  Medical physics faculty also collaborate closely with colleagues in the division of molecular radiation biology, other UT Southwestern departments, and other UT campuses.

The benefits of the Residency include professional career training, a competitive salary and benefits package, and a professional allowance to support travel and other professional needs.  Graduating residents are expected to be well-prepared for a career in clinical medical physics and for the American Board of Radiology examination in therapeutic radiological physics.  Graduates are encouraged to become contributing members of the medical physics community at large. 

Eligibility

Applicants are expected to have a PhD or MS degree in Medical Physics, Physics or related field.  Preference is given to graduates of CAMPEP-approved medical physics graduate programs, but all qualifications are considered in the review process.  A complete application includes: 

A.) A cover letter that contains a personal statement 

B.) A curriculum vitae 

C.) Three letters of reference 

D.) Official transcripts covering the applicant’s graduate education 

Electronic submission of application material in PDF format is preferred, but hard copies of official transcripts will be accepted if electronic copies are not offered through the applicant’s university.  Emailed letters of reference must be sent directly from the author.  The deadline to submit all application material is December 15 for the position starting the following July.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.  The application review process is typically completed by January 31 and the highest ranking candidates are invited for a personal interview to take place by February 28. An offer will be made the first week of March for admittance on July 1.  Please send application materials to the attention of Paul Medin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Residency Director or Ryan Foster, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Associate Residency Director, 5801 Forest Park Road, NE3.200, Dallas, TX 75390-9183; or email: Sheila.Palos@UTSouthwestern.edu.  UT Southwestern is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Potential applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with informational literature regarding the medical physics profession, such as (1) AAPM’s “The Medical Physicist,”  (2) AAPM’s “The Roles, Responsibilities, and Status of the Clinical Medical Physicist,” and (3) AAPM Report No.90, “Education and Training of Medical Physics Committee Subcommittee on Residency Training and Promotion.”  All three documents can be obtained from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (see http://www.aapm.org). 

About Us

The Moncrief Radiation Oncology Center is a vibrant department equipped with two Varian linear accelerators with dynamic MLC, one Varian Trilogy linear accelerator with OBI, an Elekta Synergy-S, an Elekta Gamma Knife Model 4C, Accuray Cyberknife, a Philips 16-slice Brilliance large-bore 4-D CT simulator, a GE CT simulator, two Calypso electromagnetic tracking systems, Varisource HDR, and ADAC Pinnacle, Varian Eclipse and BrainLAB iPlan treatment planning systems. UT Southwestern offers a broad range of radiation oncology procedures including: IMRT, SRS, SBRT, TBI, TSET and LDR brachytherapy. The Moncrief Radiation Oncology Center embraces education and supports a formal Medical Residency, Medical Physics Residency, BSRT Program and a Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences.

With three Nobel Laureates and 18 members of the National Academy of Sciences currently on faculty, the UT Southwestern Medical Center ranks among the top academic medical centers in the world. Its faculty members, who are responsible for a broad array of groundbreaking biomedical research advances, are respected for their dedication to teaching, training and patient care. UT Southwestern, with nearly 9,300 faculty and staff, provides training to nearly 4,200 medical, graduate and allied health students and residents and postdoctoral scholars each year. Ongoing support from federal agencies, private foundations, individuals and corporations provides more than $360 million per year to fund over 3,500 research projects. Faculty members and residents provide care to 97,000 inpatients and oversee 1.7 million outpatient visits per year at our ambulatory clinics.  The Department of Radiation Oncology is part of the Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center which provides exceptional opportunities for translation of laboratory science into clinical trials and provides an integrated program of medical, radiation and surgical oncology.

The City of Dallas 

The Dallas/ Fort Worth metroplex boasts a sophisticated big city style of living. DFW is a cultural center, rich in the arts, as well as a sports center for major league teams in football, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer. The area has many recreational parks and opportunities to participate in outdoor sports all year round due to the mild winter weather. Dallas is a major fashion market center and has many exciting shopping malls, shops and boutiques. The affordable cost of living offers area residents a high quality of living for a relatively modest cost.  Many trainees and students buy homes, cars and start families in the metroplex, aided by the absence of state income tax in Texas.