The University of Kansas Medical Center has a CAMPEP Accredited Therapeutic Medical Physics Residency opening with a start date of July 1, 2023. This newly created position involves one year of NIH funded research followed by two years of clinical training in all aspects of radiation oncology physics. One of the goals is to provide the graduates a strong foundation for an academic medical physics career. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in physics, engineering, computer science, or in a related discipline and satisfy the CAMPEP coursework requirements for a residency.  For candidates that wish to receive additional research training in medical physics, the start date for research can be as early as July 1, 2022.

The potential research projects during the research year may include, but not limited to,

1. Proton FLASH: in partnership with IBA, the newly opened KU proton center is uniquely positioned for conducting proton FLASH research with the proton FLASH beams optimized for IBA ProteusOne and the associated FLASH treatment planning system. The scope may include (a) preclinical studies to characterize and model the FLASH effect in small and large animals, (b) instrumentation on ConformalFLASH for ProteusOne, (c) development of dosimetry/imaging methods for monitoring proton FLASH delivery in real-time, and (d) treatment planning optimization.
2. Emerging research topics in proton therapy, such as proton minibeam-RT or spatially fractionated-RT, proton arc therapy, combined IMRT/IMPT, and high-resolution dosimetry methods for simultaneous dose, dose rate and LET determination.
3. AI applications in radiation therapy, such as deformable registration, image segmentation, image reconstruction, dose prediction and accumulation, treatment planning, radiomics, outcome analysis, RT informatics, and quality assurance.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center is a Top 50 cancer center according to US News and World Report rankings in 2022. The Department of Radiation Oncology provides cancer care services throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area with over 3,500 treatment courses annually. The Division of Medical Physics consists of 18 medical physicists, 15 medical dosimetrists, and two medical physics residents who support a full range of clinical, research, and educational services, and will continue to grow. The Department has a newly renovated 1200 sq. ft. physics research space located right next to the clinical area on the Cancer Center campus, including both computational and instrumentation labs. The Medical Physics research is currently being funded by multiple NIH, KU Cancer Center, and industry grants including two R01's on IMPT and FLASH. Collaborations with physics and engineering departments on the KU Lawrence campus create ample opportunities for research and education. The Medical Physics group at KU strives for excellence in both clinical and research, and is growing a national reputation in many areas, including proton therapy, FLASH, optimization, dosimetry, instrumentation, Monte-Carlo simulations, and more.

A metropolitan area of 2.3 million people, Kansas City offers the diversity and excitement of a large city with the charm and convenience of Midwest living. Walkable, tree-lined neighborhoods surround the KU Medical Center campus, which is within easy reach of the city's top destinations, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Country Club Plaza, a shopping district celebrated for its architecture and pedestrian-oriented design. The campus is less than five miles from downtown Kansas City, Missouri, which has been enhanced in recent years by the additions of an 18,000-seat arena, an entertainment district, a streetcar and a $326 million performing arts center. Kansas City Metro is ranked #23 in most affordable places to live in the nation with top-notch public and private schools, Overland Park #4 in 50 best places to live in the US by Niche, and between Arrowhead Stadium and Allen Fieldhouse we are proud to have the loudest fans in the world.

Interested candidates should email a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and list of three references to: Harold Li, Ph.D., FAAPM, Vice Chair, Chief of Medical Physics, and Director of Medical Physics Residency at hli5@kumc.edu.

Details of the residency program can be found at https://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/academics/departments/radiation-oncology/academics/medical-physics-residency-program.html