Education and Training

The Department of Radiation Oncology is committed to providing comprehensive and advanced educational programs to train the next generation of medical professionals so they will be capable of providing exceptional care to cancer patients.

Our programs include multi-year, accredited training programs such as the Radiation Oncology Residency Program and the Medical Physics Residency Program, as well as nationally recognized training programs such as the Medical Physics Track in the BME Graduate Program (in the process of being accredited by CAMPEP) and the Postdoctorate Certificate Program.

We also offer shorter, two-day training workshops and CME programs to professionals, with the aim of expanding the knowledge of those already practicing in the field.

Radiation Oncology Residency

UT Southwestern’s Radiation Oncology Residency Program is an ACGME-accredited four-year training program (PGY 2-5). We participate in ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) and the NRMP (National Resident Matching Program). Accredited since 2005, it has grown to be one of the top programs in the country for radiation oncology training and research.

Medical Physics Residency

The Medical Physics Residency is a CAMPEP-accredited, three-year program that emphasizes clinical excellence and academic career development in Radiation Oncology Physics. The Residency Program integrates two years of full-time clinical training and one year of research in medical physics. Medical physics residents at UT Southwestern gain uniquely diverse clinical training with access to state-of-the-art technology from nearly every major vendor in the profession and hands-on experience with a full complement of special procedures.

SBRT Fellowship

Accredited by the Texas Medical Board, the Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)/Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SAbR) Fellowship Program is a one-year training program that focuses on the application of SBRT to treat malignant and benign tumors of the brain, base of skull, head and neck, lung, spine, pancreas, and pelvis with an evidence-based approach.

Biomedical Engineering (BME) Graduate Program - Medical Physics Track

Many of the faculty in our Department advise graduate students enrolled in UT Southwestern's Medical Physics Track. Our faculty are interested in the following research topics: Cloud and GPU-based high-performance computing in medical physics and imaging, automatic radiotherapy treatment planning, image-guided radiotherapy, 3-D/4-D and low-dose and dynamic cone beam computed tomography, Monte Carlo simulation, and tumor tracking and motion compensation in real time.

Molecular Radiation Biology Graduate Program

In our Department, the Division of Molecular Radiation Biology (MRB) advises students from UT Southwestern's Cancer Biology Graduate Program. MRB faculty research interests include: Biomarkers of radiotherapeutic response, carcinogenic risk from charged particle exposures in space, charged particle radiotherapy, combined modality radiotherapy via radioprotecting and radiosensitizing compounds, and intrinsic radiosensitivity.

Postdoctoral Medical Physics Certificate Program

The Division of Medical Physics and Engineering, in conjunction with the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, offers postdoctoral students the opportunity to earn a Certificate in Medical Physics.

Radiation Therapy Training (RTT) Program

UT Southwestern’s Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Radiation Therapy Program provides world-class training and didactic education to prepare trainees for a career in high-tech cancer treatment. Students gain experience in all major areas of radiation therapy practice, including treatment delivery, medical dosimetry, simulation, and patient care. The Radiation Therapy Program is managed by the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions.

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) Program

This highly sought-after program is prominent within the radiation oncology community. Professionals in this field looking to implement an efficient practice of stereotactic body radiation therapy at their facilities are encouraged to attend. During this two-day CME course, ample knowledge and guidelines are presented so that a sustainable and successful SBRT treatment practice can be developed.

Gamma Knife Training Program

The UT Southwestern Gamma Knife Training Program, geared toward physicians and physicists, provides a comprehensive understanding of the Gamma Knife for both new users and experienced individuals upgrading to the Gamma Knife Icon.

CyberKnife Physician Training Program

This program, geared toward radiation oncologists, provides an overview of clinical logistics using the CyberKnife for full-body radiosurgery.

VMAT-TBI Training Program

The Volumetric Modulated ARC Therapy-enabled Total Body Irradiation (VMAT-TBI) training program, geared toward physicists, dosimetrists, physicians, and therapists, provides a comprehensive review of the UT Southwestern VMAT-TBI technique.

Short-Term Training Courses

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

The Department of Radiation Oncology offers free online CME credit to participants who read a designated CME-credit article in our quarterly newsletter The Target and successfully complete a follow-up test online. Up to two AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ can be earned per year. Visit the CME page.

Learn about our past training courses.

Specialized Programs

PEIM and MAIA

PEIM (Program for Excellence in Intelligence Medicine) and MAIA (Medical Artificial Intelligence and Automation) were established by Steve Jiang, Ph.D. to solve clinical and biomedical research problems using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The MAIA Lab develops and applies innovative AI tools to improve aspects of cancer radiation therapy. PEIM serves as a collaborative education resource to promote AI research in precision medicine, diagnosis, medical error detection, quality assurance, as well as other related fields.