The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (Medical ...uthscsa.edu/vpaa/accreditation/docs\med_physics_self_study.pdf · The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (Medical

$Page 1: The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (Medical ...uthscsa.edu/vpaa/accreditation/docs\med_physics_self_study.pdf · The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (Medical$
The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (Medical Physics Track)

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

October 1, 2012

Program Director: Geoffrey D. Clarke, Ph.D. Professor & Chief for Graduate Education in Radiology Director, Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences

Program Co-Director: Beth Goins, Ph.D.

Professor of Radiology Chair, Committee for Graduate Studies, Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, Rm. 652E

San Antonio, TX 78229-3900 phone: 210-567-5550 FAX: 210-567-5541

Page 2/42 03-Oct-12

CONTENTS I. Program Goal and Objectives 3

II. Program Evolution and History 4

III. Program Structure and Governance 5

IV. Curriculum 7

A Degree Requirements 7 B Design and Content 8 C Sample Academic Plans 8 D Evaluation of Curriculum 17

V. Students: 22

A Admissions 22 B Recruitment Efforts 28 C Enrollment 28 D Evaluation of Student Progress 28 E New Student Orientation 30 F Safety 32

VI. Resources: 32

A Faculty 32 B Finances 35 C Facilities - Clinical and Research 36

VII. Future Plans 40

A Summary of Strength and Needs 40 B Further Developments and Improvement 41

Appendices

A Letters of Invitation and Institutional Commitment B Documentation of Institutional Accreditation C Course Summaries D Program Graduates E Faculty Biographical Sketches and Program Roles

Page 3/42 03-Oct-12

I. Program Goal and Objectives The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (hereinafter referred to as the GPRS) is a multi-disciplinary program that prepares students to participate in the development and transmission of scientific knowledge concerning the uses of radiant energy forms in the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. The degrees offered are; (1) PhD or MS degree specializing in Radiation Therapy or Diagnostic Imaging Physics, (2) an MS degree specializing in Medical Health Physics, or (3) a PhD specializing in Radiation Biology (Radiation Biophysics, Neuroimaging Science or Human Imaging). This application is for CAMPEP accreditation for Tracks (1) and (2) only. The curricula provide opportunities for students to acquire a core of fundamental knowledge through a synergistic program of formal courses, seminars, teaching opportunities and hands-on research experiences. After completing a qualifying exam, each student under supervision of a research advisor and research advisory committee, designs an individual course of study and research consistent with his/her career goals.

The research programs in the GPRS bridge the biomedical sciences and medical applications. Exceptional facilities are available in the areas of advanced radiation treatment delivery technologies, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission computed tomography, computer image analysis, nuclear medicine imaging, x-ray imaging, radiation dosimetry methodologies, and imaging pharmaceutical development. Ongoing research programs cover a wide range of modern imaging, irradiation effects, and radiation applications. These programs are supported by grants and contracts from federal and private agencies. Extensive facilities and equipment are available to aid in the study of a wide range of translational research programs involving the use of ionizing and non-ionizing radiations.

Although clinical medical physics training has been an important component of the graduate program, time for this component is limited by general academic requirements and the desire to prepare PhD-level students to be competitive for establishing research careers. Due to recent increases in the credentials required for entry-level positions in medical physics, graduates of the medical physics tracks of the GPRS, at both the MS and PhD levels, are no longer qualified to be competitive for junior medical physicist positions in therapeutic medical physics, diagnostic medical physics, and nuclear medical physics. Thus the program currently plans to replace the MS tracks, except for the Medical Health Physics MS track, with a new professional Doctorate in Medical Physics education program, starting in July 2013.

The focus of the GPRS is to prepare students for academic careers, both in learning pedagogical methods for teaching physical science and in research. This consists of a course on teaching that includes creation of a teaching plan, lecture preparation, lecture presentation and student testing. Students are also required to participate in seminars during which they make research-oriented presentations while their peers listen to and critique them. Presentation of papers at national scientific meetings may be substituted for up to two seminar classes. The Radiology Department also administers a competitive research grant program for students under an endowment established by Julio Palmaz, inventor of the coronary stent. In addition, students are trained in procedures and processes of obtaining research funding by preparing research proposals in NIH format as part of their qualifying examination prior to admission to candidacy for the PhD degree. This process gives the student experience to be competitive for other grants administered within the University for the state and federal governments and by national research organizations. Student competition programs at national radiology and scientific meetings are also used to encourage frequent oral presentation of research results at the national level. Publication of results in peer reviewed journals is also encouraged by offering the opportunity of a dissertation format combining at least three or more published papers as chapters, with a small amount of additional background and a final section drawing the papers together into a recognizable dissertation topic.

Page 4/42 03-Oct-12

II. Program Evolution and History The GPRS was approved by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), Regents of the University of Texas, and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education of the State of Texas in 1989. This program revived a tradition begun by an older Medical Physics component offered through the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The original program, directed by Robert G. Waggener PhD, produced 11 medical physics graduates at the PhD or MS level but was terminated in 1978.

Gary D. Fullerton PhD directed the GPRS, as currently constituted, through its conception, development and for its first 17 years. In 1989 the GPRS focused on Diagnostic Physics as the Radiology Department had agreed to sponsor the program financially. This emphasis changed in 1995 when the new Chief of Physics at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC), James Hevezi Ph.D., decided to expand the therapeutic medical physics track. The new resources for studying therapeutic medical physics allowed the program to grow, eventually receiving State formula funding in 1999. In 2003, Dr. Fullerton obtained an NIH/NIBIB training grant to support students in imaging research, both in medical physics and in the new Human Imaging curriculum that allowed medical residents and MD/PhD students to learn how to use imaging and radiotherapy technologies for clinical research projects. During this time a new radiological biology track in Neuroscience Imaging was also added to the quiescent Radiation Biophysics track. In 2006 the Radiology Department was reorganized and Geoffrey D. Clarke PhD was appointed Director of the GPRS in a new Division of Education, although Dr. Fullerton remained involved in the GPRS through 2008. In 2009 UTHSCSA took full control of the CTRC, which was previously a foundation-supported entity staffed by UTHSCSA faculty. As a result, the medical physicists in the Dept. of Radiation Oncology, now led by Nikos Papanikolaou Ph.D. became full, rather than adjunct, UTHSCSA faculty. As of October 1, 2012 there are 40 students enrolled in the GPRS, with 27 in the Medical Physics Tracks (15 in Radiation Therapy Physics, 11 in Diagnostic Imaging Physics and 1 in Medical Health Physics). The chart in Figure 1 depicts the program’s enrollment year-by-year. Since its inception in 1989 until October 1, 2012, the GPRS has had a total of 128 graduates, 89 from the PhD program (82 of whom were in medical physics tracks) and 39 from the MS program in medical physics (5 of whom continued on into the PhD program).

The major research facilities include the laboratories of the Radiology Department’s Division of Research, the UTHSCSA Research Imaging Institute (RII) and the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. Students can also perform research on laser medical applications within the Department of Ophthalmology. Other facilities available to students to gain both research and clinical experience are found at the Department of Defense’s San Antonio Military Medical Center and the South Texas Oncology & Hematology clinics.

The faculty has grown from the original 16 to the present total of 38 members of which 26 are full-time faculty at UTHSCSA (Table 3, page 33). Twenty nine faculty members are active participants in the Medical Physics tracks of the GPRS (see listing in Appendix E) and 17 of the faculty members are Board Certified medical physicists, most of whom are also licensed professional medical physicists in the State of Texas.

The Medical Physics portion of the GPRS received CAMPEP accreditation for the first time in 1997. Letters of commitment for this reapplication for accreditation are given in Appendix A. Documentation of University of Texas Health Science Center accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is given in Appendix B.

Page 5/42 03-Oct-12

Figure1. The GPRS has recently undergone a systemic downsizing, designed to turn the PhD program into a more trans-disciplinary research training program while concurrently transforming the MS program into a professional Doctorate in Medical Physics program, to begin in 2013 (See Section VII.B for details).

III. Program Structure and Governance

The current administrative structure that THE GPRS operates under is illustrated schematically in Figure 2. The first key position is the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS) of the GPRS who reports to the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS). The Chief of Graduate Education in Radiology, appointed by the Chair of the Department of Radiology in the School of Medicine, is the Graduate Program’s Director and administers the program through the Radiology Department. Faculty and funding come largely through the clinical departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology from the Medical School, although faculty in Ophthalmology, Neurology, Pharmacology and in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety also contribute. Primary funding for the GPRS is awarded by the State of Texas through specially “earmarked” funding to the Radiology Department. Some elective coursework is provided by the Integrated Multidisciplinary Graduate Program of the GSBS, the MS Program in Clinical Investigation and the graduate program in Biomedical Engineering. The Research Imaging Institute (RII) also supports graduate students working in their laboratories (the Director of the RII, Peter Fox MD, also serves as the Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Radiology). Private and government clinical and research facilities, outside the University, may also contract with the GPRS to support its students. Currently, notable adjunct faculty members include Drs. Jonathan Tucker and James Prete from the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC, formerly Brooke Army Medical Center) and Drs. Melissa Blough and Elena Nes of South Texas Oncology and Hematology (STOH). Lowell Glassburn (Col. USAF ret.) serves as the Department Administrator for both the Radiology and Radiation Oncology Departments. Several administrative functions such as grant administration, patient billing and education administration are shared amongst the Radiology Dept., Radiation Oncology Dept. and the RII. These offices, departments, institutes and institutions provide their research and clinical facilities for students in the GPRS.

The Radiological Sciences COGS sets all of the policy and procedures within the GPRS. The Chair of the Radiological Sciences COGS sits on the Graduate Faculty Council, chaired by the Dean of the GSBS, with the COGS Chairs from the other graduate programs in the GSBS. The membership of the Radiological Sciences COGS consists of the track chairs and standing

Page 6/42 03-Oct-12

committee chairs in the GPRS. The Radiological Sciences COGS meets monthly, typically on the first Thursday. At the COGS meetings the following reports are given: • The Student Representative to the Radiological Sciences COGS (currently Pamela Myers),

is elected by the student body and reports on student concerns, • The Chair of the Radiological Sciences COGS (currently Beth Goins) is elected by the COGS

members. The COGS Chair reports on the activities of the Graduate Faculty Committee and on any issues raised by the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School,

• The Chief of Graduate Education in Radiology (currently Geoffrey Clarke) is appointed by the Chair of the Department of Radiology. The Chief serves as the Graduate Program’s director and reports to the Vice-Chair for Research and Research Education in Radiology. The Chief coordinates with Radiology and Medical School administration on policy and budgetary issues, reports on student administrative issues and funding issues to the COGS and works closely with the COGS Chair on student issues and implementing policies with the GPRS.

Figure 2. Administrative structure of the Graduate Program in Radiological Science. Although the

program is administered through the Department of Radiology in the School of Medicine, the graduate program’s academic policy functions and degree awarding authority fall under the purview of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS).

There are 6 track committees and three standing subcommittees of the COGS, which take care of the business of the GPRS between COGS meetings. Membership of these committees is reviewed on an annual basis with the COGS giving its approval. The following reports are given at each COGS meeting:

• The Application Review Committee (currently chaired by Beth Goins) receives and performs a preliminary review of applications for admission to the GPRS and forwards them to the appropriate track chair for review.

Page 7/42 03-Oct-12

• The Recruiting Committee (currently chaired by Geoffrey Clarke) responds to inquiries by prospective students and coordinates recruiting events carried out by faculty members and students at a variety of schools.

• The Alumni Committee (currently chaired by Carlos Esquivel) tracks the whereabouts of former students and faculty members of the GPRS and organizes events for the alumni at national and regional professional and scientific meetings.

Standing committee Chairs are elected annually by the COGS.

• The six Track Committees of the GPRS (see Figure 2) are responsible for reviewing curricula and developing courses, reviewing student applications and producing qualifying exam tests for each of the six tracks. If a Track Chair cannot attend the monthly COGS meeting, another designated track committee member may represent the track.

The membership of the track committees consists of Directors of the Courses associated with the track and the faculty who mentor students in the track. The positions of Track Chair, Qualifying Exam Coordinator and Application Coordinator for each track are elected by track members at the beginning of each school year.

Applications for new faculty members to the GPRS can be considered at any COGS meeting throughout the year. Any active member of the COGS may sponsor a new faculty member by writing a letter to the COGS Chair, explaining the role that the new faculty member would play, providing a CV and other documentation of the candidate’s qualifications to fulfill the proposed role. Membership is determined by majority vote of the COGS. The Program Director then submits paperwork to the GSBS for appointment to the GSBS faculty and to the Medical School for appointment to the Radiology Department faculty in the Medical School. For those who are not already UTHSCSA faculty, the GSBS initiates a background check and an official transcript is requested from the institution that granted the new faculty member her/his most advanced degree.

GSBS requirements and special requirements of the GPRS are summarized in the “Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Applicant Viewbook”, which is provided to potential students. This guide is updated every two years and includes sections on admissions, application procedures, tuition and fees, program offerings, financial aid, facilities, and support services. All documents and descriptions of the graduate program are available at the GPRS website: http://radiology.uthscsa.edu/grad/index.html . The office of the Dean of the GSBS also provides documents to assist students in preparing submissions of dissertations and theses. The Registrar of the University maintains official matriculation records for students. In addition, the GPRS maintains a database on the progress of graduate students through requirements of the program. Databases will be available to reviewers within the legal restrictions of the requirements for privacy.

IV. Curriculum -

A Degree Requirements The Master of Science degree requires a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of graduate work. For the Ph.D. degree, no specific number of additional semester hours is required for admission to candidacy. Ph.D. students are expected, however, to successfully complete the required courses in addition to a selection of advanced courses. Required courses and electives are determined for each student, in consultation with his/her graduate advisor and dissertation committee.

MS degree candidates must complete required courses, pass the qualifying examination, formulate an original research proposal, and carry out the research and defense of a thesis.

http://radiology.uthscsa.edu/grad/index.html

Page 8/42 03-Oct-12

The Ph.D. student is eligible for admission to candidacy after completing the required course work and passing the qualifying examination, which includes demonstrating proficiency as an independent researcher by preparing a research proposal and plan. Following admission to candidacy, the student must complete an original research project and orally defend a dissertation. The Ph.D. degree is awarded when the candidate has demonstrated competence in conducting original and independent research in the general field of Radiological Sciences.

All students must be in good standing in order to graduate, which requires a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in a 0 to 4.0 system.

B Design and Content The Medical Physics curriculum of the GPRS has been designed to be consistent with the intent of AAPM Report No. 2, “Training Programs in Medical Physics” and AAPM Report No. 79, “Academic Program Recommendations for Graduate Degrees in Medical Physics”, as well as the requirements for certification and licensure in medical physics. Material is accessible in more detail for each student entering the GPRS website, which is updated regularly. The updated information for the year that the student enters the program lays out the requirements for graduation. Subsequent changes to the program do not affect the curriculum of students going forward unless the students find it to their advantage to adopt the changes. The Graduate Program offers an extensive list of courses to allow students to design a personalized study program. Appendix C includes summaries of all the courses currently available.

C Sample Academic Plans Sample academic plans for students in the PhD Radiation Therapy Physics, PhD Diagnostic Medical Physics and MS Medical Health Physics tracks are shown below in the following Tables. Plans for other tracks/degrees are available upon request.

Page 9/42 03-Oct-12

Radiation Therapy Physics Curriculum Ph.D. Plan

Radiation oncology involves the use of ionizing radiation in the treatment of patients with cancer and occasionally non-malignant conditions. Therapeutic doses of ionizing radiation may only be prescribed by a physician who possesses the appropriate training and experience in the application of this modality. The delivery of radiation as a therapeutic modality demands strict attention to the training and experience of all personnel associated with this process, the equipment used in this process and the patient and personnel safety in the delivery of a process.

Radiation Therapy Physics is that branch of medical physics which deals with (1) the therapeutic application of roentgen rays, of gamma rays, of electron and charged particle rays, of neutrons, and of radiation from sealed sources, and (2) the equipment associated with their production and use.

-YEAR 1-

* Required for all students < Radiation Therapy Physics Track {} Prerequisite Courses

CUFall Semester CU Spring Semester CU Summer Semester CU

RADI 5011 <Radiation and Nuclear Physics

3

RADI 6024 *Radiological Anatomy & Physiology

3 RADI 6097 Research 5

RADI 5005 <Fundamentals of Radiation Dosimetry

3

RADI 6030 <Physics of Radiotherapy {RADI 5005}

3

RADI 5007 *Statistics in Radiological Sciences

1

RADI 5015 *Physics of Diagnostic Imaging I

3

RADI 5020 <Principles of Health Physics I {RADI 5011}

3

INTD 6002 *Ethics in Research

0.5

TOTAL 9 TOTAL 9.5 TOTAL 6

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Image:TherapyPhysicsBanner.png

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Radiation_and_Nuclear_Physics


http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Radiological_Anatomy_%26_Physiology



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Fundamentals_of_Radiation_Dosimetry



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_of_Radiotherapy


http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Statistics_in_Radiological_Sciences



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_of_Diagnostic_Imaging_I



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Principles_of_Health_Physics_I


http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Ethics_in_Research


Page 10/42 03-Oct-12

-YEAR 2-

Fall Semester CU Spring Semester CU Summer Semester

CU

RADI 6031 <Physics Measurements in Radiotherapy I

3

RADI 6035 <Physics Measurements in Radiotherapy II {RADI 6030,6031}

3 RADI 6097 Research

6

RADI 7005 <Treatment Planning Techniques in Radiotherapy {RADI 6030, RADI 5005}

3

RADI 6033 < Advanced Radiotherapy Physics {RADI 6030}

3

RADI 5025 *Basic Radiation Biology 3

RADI 6012 <Physics of Nuclear Medicine {RADI 5011}

3

TOTAL 9 TOTAL 9 TOTAL 6

-YEAR 3-


CU

RADI 5090 *Seminars in Radiological Sciences

1



ELECTIVE 3 ELECTIVE 3 RADI 6097 Research 5 RADI 6097 Research 5 TOTAL 9 TOTAL 9 TOTAL 6

-YEAR 4-

Fall Semester CU Spring Semester CU Summer Semester CU

RADI 7099 *Dissertation 8 RADI 7099

*Dissertation 9 RADI 7099 *Dissertation 6

RADI 6071 Supervised Teaching

1


http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_Measurements_in_Radiotherapy_I



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_Measurements_in_Radiotherapy_II



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Treatment_Planning_Techniques_in_Radiotherapy



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Advanced_Radiotherapy_Physics



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Basic_Radiation_Biology


http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_of_Nuclear_Medicine


http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Seminars_in_Radiological_Sciences






Page 11/42 03-Oct-12

-YEAR 5-





• Student must be admitted to PhD candidacy to enroll in RADI 7099 - Dissertation

NOTE: Up to two hours of RADI 5090 can be waived by if the student presents research to local and national AAPM meeting or equivalent, as approved by COGS. Radiological Sciences Electives: ORTO 6002 Biology for Bioengineers RADI 5018 Physics Measurements in Imaging{RADI 5015} RADI 5030 Neuroscience Imaging Lab RADI 6016 Physics of Diagnostic Imaging II {RADI 5015} RADI 6042 Non Ionizing Radiation Biology & Biophysics RADI 6050 Magnetic Resonance Imaging {RADI 6049} RADI 6060 Biophotonics and Optical Imaging RADI 6017 Neuroimaging Methods RADI 5010 Medical Biophysics RADI 6019 Medical Image Processing RADI 6091 Current Topics in the Radiological Sciences

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_Measurements_in_Imaging

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_of_Diagnostic_Imaging_II

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Magnetic_Resonance_Imaging

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Neuroimaging_Methods

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Medical_Biophysics

Page 12/42 03-Oct-12

Medical Diagnostic Physics Curriculum Ph.D. Plan

ALL STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DEVELOP THIER DEGREE PLAN IN CONSULTATION WITH THEIR MENTOR

-YEAR 1-

Medical Diagnostic Physics Curriculum Ph.D. Plan * Required for all students

< Medical Diagnostic Physics Track

{} Prerequisite Courses



3 RADI 6030 <Physics of Radiotherapy


RADI 5005 <Fundamentals of Radiation Dosimetry

3


3

RADI 5007 *Statistics in Radiological Sciences

1


3

RADI 5020 <Principles of Health Physics I {RADI 5011}

3


1 INTD 6002 *Ethics in Research

0.5


http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Image:Imaging_banner.png
























Page 13/42 03-Oct-12

-YEAR 2-

Fall Semester CU Spring Semester CU Summer

Semester CU

RADI 6049 Introduction to MRI 2 ELECTIVE 3 RADI 6097

Research 6 RADI 6051 Statistical Parametric Mapping 3 ELECTIVE 3 RADI 5090 *Seminars in Radiological Sciences 1 ELECTIVE 3

RADI 5025 *Basic Radiation Biology 3


-YEAR 3-


CU


1



ELECTIVE 3 ELECTIVE 3 RADI 6097 Research 5 RADI 6097 Research 5 TOTAL 9 TOTAL 9 TOTAL 6

-YEAR 4-




RADI 6071 Supervised Teaching

1


-YEAR 5-





• Student must be admitted to PhD candidacy to enroll in RADI 7099 - Dissertation

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Introduction_to_MRI

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Introduction_to_MRI

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Statistical_Parametric_Mapping

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Statistical_Parametric_Mapping











Page 14/42 03-Oct-12

NOTE: Up to two hours of RADI 5090 can be waived if the student presents research to local and national AAPM meeting or equivalent, as approved by COGS. Medical Diagnostic Physics Electives: ORTO 6002 Biology for Bioengineers RADI 5018 Physics Measurements in Imaging{RADI 5015} RADI 5030 Neuroscience Imaging Lab RADI 6002 Object-Oriented MRI Pulse Programming RADI 6012 Physics of Nuclear Medicine {RADI 5011} RADI 6016 Physics of Diagnostic Imaging II {RADI 5015} RADI 6042 Non Ionizing Radiation Biology & Biophysics RADI 6050 Magnetic Resonance Imaging {RADI 6049} RADI 6060 Biophotonics and Optical Imaging RADI 6017 Neuroimaging Methods RADI 6014 Physics of Dental Imaging RADI 5010 Medical Biophysics RADI 6019 Medical Image Processing RADI 6091 Current Topics in the Radiological Sciences STUDENTS: Please consult with your mentor to determine if there are other courses that may be appropriate for your area of study.



http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_of_Diagnostic_Imaging_II

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Magnetic_Resonance_Imaging

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Neuroimaging_Methods

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Physics_of_Dental_Imaging

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Medical_Biophysics

Page 15/42 03-Oct-12

Medical Health Physics - MS Degree Plan

* Required for all students

< Medical Health Physics Track

{} Prerequisite Courses

Medical Health Physics pertains to (1) the safe use of x rays, gamma rays, electron and other charged particle beams of neutrons or radionuclides and of radiation from sealed radionuclide sources for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, except with regard to the application of radiation to patients for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes and (2) the instrumentation required to perform appropriate radiation surveys.

-YEAR 1-



3 RADI 6030 <Physics of Radiotherapy 3 RADI 6097

Research 6

PATH 5021 *Biostatistics 3

RADI 5020 <Principles of Health Physics I {Radiation and Nuclear Physics}

3


3

RADI 6012 <Physics of Nuclear Medicine {Radiation and Nuclear Physics}

3

INTD 6002 *Ethics in Research 0.5


http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/index.php/Image:HealthPhysicsBanner.png












Page 16/42 03-Oct-12

-YEAR 2-


RADI 5005 <Fundamentals of Radiation Dosimetry {Physics of Radiotherapy or Radiation and Nuclear Physics}

3 RADI 5025 *Basic Radiation Biology 3

RADI 6097 Research

6

RADI 6021 <Principles of Health Physics II {RADI 6030}

3


3

RADI 6071 *Supervised Teaching 2

RADI 5018 <Physics Measurements in Imaging {Diagnostic Imaging}

2

RADI 5090 *Seminars in Radiological Sciences 1 RADI 6097

Research 1


-YEAR 3-

Fall Semester CU Spring Semester CU Summer

Semester CU

RADI 6098 <Thesis# 8 RADI 5090 *Seminars in Radiological Sciences 1 TOTAL 9 TOTAL TOTAL

#MS candidates are required to take two semesters of "Thesis" but may request waiver of second semester of "Thesis" from COGS.

Medical Health Physics Electives:

RADI 6042 Non Ionizing Radiation Biology & Biophysics RADI 6049 Introduction to MRI RADI 5010 Medical Biophysics

RADI 6091 Current Topics in the Radiological Sciences















Page 17/42 03-Oct-12

D Evaluation of Curriculum On a biannual basis the faculty and students of the GPRS go on retreat to identify and solve global problems associated with the structure of the curriculum and/or the matriculation process (See the executive summaries of the 2009 and 2011 retreats on the next pages). The retreat typically takes up between one-half day to an entire day meeting in odd years to review 1) curriculum, 2) textbooks, 3) teaching methods, 4) laboratories, 5) clinical experience, 6) examinations, 7) matriculation procedures, and 8) research opportunities. The students have separate meeting, which occurs a few days before the faculty retreat. The student meeting is run by the student representative to the COGS, who raises and discusses the issues that concern the students at the retreat. All faculty, full-time and adjunct, are invited to attend the retreat. An introductory plenary session summarizes the goals of the retreat, which is followed by one or more presentations and discussions with the participants by members of the Health Science Center administration. Faculty and the student representative are then asked to identify which topics are of greatest importance to the graduate program. After the critical topics are identified, the retreat participants are assigned to break-out groups in which they develop strategies for dealing with each of the issues identified previously. The entire group then reconvenes to discuss all of the above topics and vote on changes in the policies and/or curriculum in a session that follows Roberts Rules of Order. Proposals from the breakout groups are evaluated in the afternoon in plenary session and recommendations made for implementation in the subsequent biennium. The minutes of the retreat provides a plan for program structure and curriculum development over the next two years. The strategies adopted at the retreat and official implementation of all curriculum decisions are charged to the COGS.

Most of the recommendations approved by the combined student and faculty retreat from the last three retreats have been implemented unless there were limitations of funding available to support the desired changes.

Page 18/42 03-Oct-12

Graduate Program in Radiological Science 2009 Retreat Executive Summary

The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (GPRS) at UTHSCSA is considering a major restructuring in response to both internal and external pressures that is aimed at improving research training the Radiological Sciences and improving the professional training of Clinical Medical Physicists. A retreat of the program’s graduate faculty was held at the Children’s Cancer Research Institute at 8AM on Friday, February 27, 2009 to discuss a variety of issues involving this transition.

Since its inception the GPRS has attempted to fulfill the dual functions of preparing students for careers in both Radiological Sciences Research and in Clinical Medical Physics. This approach has led to some confusion about the academic quality of the program and the roles of both students and faculty within the dual missions of the program. In recent years research training has improved with the establishment of new education tracks, a resident MD/PhD program in Human Imaging and a program focused on Neuroscience Imaging, which complement the established training in medical physics and radiation biophysics. In 2004 the GPRS was also awarded a T32 training grant from NIH/NIBIB. Clinical Medical Physics training has also been recognized by continuing certification of the GPRS by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs, the award of a P20 NIH exploratory grant to develop a program for increasing Hispanic representation in medical physics and the fact that almost 60% of students graduating the program in the past ten years have gone on to become certified medical physicists.

However, it has become clear in recent years that the 4-5 year period allotted for PhD training is not sufficient to adequately train students in both the clinical and research areas of the field. Whereas completion of an MS degree has traditionally been accepted as adequate training for a clinical medical physicist, the profession is moving toward a new standard in which the didactic training received during MS training will have to be supplemented with two years of standardized clinical medical physics training. This additional criterion will be required of PhD students who wish to work in the clinic as well. Thus to become fully competent for a career that includes both research and clinical duties, students of the Radiological Sciences will soon need to take at least six years of training, which can be loosely categorized as two years of didactic class work, two years of focused scientific training and two years of structured clinical training.

In order to clarify the focus of a student’s career aspirations and allow for a more coherent mission for the GPRS, it is desirable to plainly define and separate the clinical and research training pathways for students of the Radiological Sciences. Various approaches have been considered and consensus was not reached on all issues, however a few principles were broadly accepted as the planning moves forward.

Regarding research training, it was generally accepted that research education can improved in several ways. Research mentorship can be improved by allowing only the more experienced faculty members with the greatest resources to act as mentors. Also, the number of students per mentor should be limited and procedures should be instituted to evaluate the effectiveness of faculty members both in their roles as course directors and in mentor-student relationships.

Page 19/42 03-Oct-12

Also, research projects for students should be established in a manner which not only ensures effective completion of the dissertation but also familiarizes the student with the NIH’s expectations (and those of other funding agencies) for research training programs so that students can begin planning their research career path while still in graduate school. Students should be given greater exposure, through rotations or some other mechanism, to the full array of laboratory training opportunities available to them. Before starting work in a laboratory, the students should be provided with a clear set of expectations regarding the quantity and quality of their research work and how it fits in with their course work and other responsibilities. Students working under a Teaching Assistantship should be made fully aware of what work will be required and how many hours they should expect to put in per week.

It is in the organization of a standardized track for clinical training that the greatest structural changes to the program will occur. A clinical medical physics training track might be established in one of several ways. For instance, the Department of Radiation oncology is in the early stages of establishing a traditional medical physics residency program. However, this is difficult to fund. The total cost of a resident includes salary and benefits totaling ~$60,000/year plus 10%-15% of a faculty mentor’s time. One approach to reduce these costs would be to establish a professional doctorate in medical physics which would, in general combine the didactic teaching of the MS with the clinical training of a residency program. The professional doctorate program would have the benefits of students paying their own tuition and living costs and, if approved, state funding being provided to the institution that would roughly for the professional doctorate and the GPRS, the same amount that is currently provided to UTHSCSA for the current program. However this is new concept in the medical physics community. Only one other school, Vanderbilt University, has such a program and it is not yet clear whether this approach to clinical education of medical physicists will be broadly accepted. Nevertheless, the establishment of a professional doctorate program is the most straightforward approach to providing a clear pathway for students entering school to clinical careers in medical physics. Thus, a formal proposal for a professional doctorate in medical physics is being developed and planning is underway for establishing standardized clinical training for students in both radiation therapy physics and diagnostic imaging physics.

Page 20/42 03-Oct-12

Graduate Program in Radiological Science 2011 Retreat Executive Summary

The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (GPRS) at UTHSCSA is in the process of a major restructuring. A new educational program, a professional Doctorate in Medical Physics has been proposed to start for the 2012 school year. The COGS and the Radiation Biology tracks have been restructured and ways to improve students’ training and experience in skills required to successful professional scientists are being pursued. A retreat of the program’s graduate faculty was held at the Children’s Cancer Research Institute at 1PM on Friday, April 29, 2011 to update the general GPRS faculty and discuss future issues involving this transition.

Dr. David Weiss, Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Science (GSBS) gave short presentation on his plans for the GSBS. He said that his major goal is enhance and improve the Integrated Multidisciplinary Graduate Program (IGMP). Other issues that he is tackling include improving the GSBS web site, creating a graduate student lounge and setting up an office to coordinate UTHSCSA post-doctoral fellows. In the subsequent discussion a number of potential ways that the coursework in the PhD track of the GPRS could be more effectively aligned with the IGMP curriculum were discussed. Dr. Weiss also expressed an interest in meeting with students from the GPRS at some time in the future.

The GPRS faculty expressed a general interest in working more closely with the Graduate School and becoming developing coursework that will become more aligned with the IMGP. Several specific points of discussion were pursued, but three overreaching factors emerged.

1. The current prerequisites for biology and the current biology curriculum in the GPRS are probably inadequate for modern biomedical researchers; and this is particularly true for the medical physics tracks. Although anatomy and physiology has been taught since the program started, there is now also a need to enhance instruction in cell biology and molecular biology, particularly as it relates to neuroscience and cancer biology and cancer treatment strategies. However, the GPRS faculty recognizes that a major strength of the GPRS is the strong emphasis on physics both didactically and in the research education program. Strategies such as requiring more undergraduate biology, adding introductory courses to the curriculum and incorporating IMGP biology instruction, without diluting physics instruction, were all discussed.

2. Radiological Sciences graduate students need to become more generally proficient in information science technology and develop the skills required, not only to complete image processing, but also statistical analysis, bioinformatics, data mining, modeling and other tasks important to modern science. Suggestions included developing coursework, integrating more information technology instruction within existing coursework and making available workshop-type programs, such as those offered by The Computational Biology Initiative, as joint program of UTSA and UTHSCSA (http://www.cbi.utsa.edu/workshops ).

3. Funding for PhD students, especially for the first two years of the program has been inadequate and unstable. The GPRS has only three state-funded graduate student slots. Another six are funded through Radiology MSRDP funds, but these will soon be

http://www.cbi.utsa.edu/workshops

Page 21/42 03-Oct-12

disappearing. NIH-funded investigators are reluctant to support students in these years because they are in class and studying for the qualifying examination during this time so they are not available to work much on research. Various suggestions were made including finding additional external funding, reducing the required course-load and modifying the qualifying exam.

As noted above, there has been a strong emphasis on enhancing and standardizing the clinical training of medical physicists. This has resulted in the development of two medical physics residency programs. The radiation oncology physics residency program at the CTRC was recently accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP). The diagnostic imaging medial physics residency program is a joint program, established with the Air Force, which will be seeking CAMPEP accreditation later this year.

Another major effort has been the development of the proposal for the Doctor of Medical Physics degree. This shall be a professional doctorate, offered by the School of Medicine, which will effectively replace the MS degree for all but the Medical Health Physics tracks of the GPRS.

Dr. Nan Clare, Vice Dean for Education at the School of Medicine (SoM) discussed the progress and organization of the Doctor of Medical Physics (DMP) program. The program was approved by the UTHSCSA Executive Committee on March 15, 2011 and is on the agenda for consideration at the May 12 meeting of the UT Board of Regents. Dr. Clare explained how the SoM is setting up an oversight committee that will consider administrative details, such as the admission process, application process, arranging presently listed courses to be presented in the SoM portion of the university catalog and other issues. She also plans to consider how the DMP students will be integrated into the medical school culture. She expressed the SoM’s strong support for the DMP program and said that she was excited to start implementing it.

At the end of the meeting it was suggested that the retreat be made in to annual rather than a bi-annual event, in order to keep the general faculty fully updated on the progress of the various projects, currently being undertaken. This issue, as well as the three areas of concern, listed above, will be taken to the CPRS Committee on Graduate Studies, where appropriate action can be considered and undertaken.

Page 22/42 03-Oct-12

V. Students

A Admissions Upon receiving inquires from prospective students, the Chair of the Recruitment Committee sends a reply, typically by e-mail that informs the prospective student of application deadlines, admission requirements, academic backgrounds expected and the competitive nature of the admission process. The message also directs the potential applicant to visit the GPRS website ( http://radsci.uthscsa.edu ) for more detailed information. The text of such a recent generic e-mail is printed on the folowing pages. Students may apply for admission to the GPRS to begin the Fall or, in special cases the Spring semester, of each academic year. Applications for the Fall semester must be received no later than February 1st, and all application materials must be in the GPRS office no later than March 1st. Applications for the Spring must be received no later than September 1st, and all application material must be in the GPRS office no later than October 1st. Due to course progression constraints, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for the Fall semester. If all application materials are not received by the specified deadlines, an Admission Recommendation form is sent to the Associate Dean indicating rejection because of an incomplete application file, noting those items that are lacking. An applicant can reapply for the following semester once all pending materials have been received. Students accepted into the UTHSCSA Medical Physics education programs shall have acquired a strong foundation in basic Physics. This should be documented by either an undergraduate degree in physics or a degree in a related engineering or physical science with coursework that is equivalent to a minor in Physics (includes at least three upper level undergraduate courses such as modern physics, classical mechanics, introductory quantum mechanics or thermodynamics.). If applicants with deficiencies in their Physics background are conditionally admitted to the program, they will have to correct their deficiency by completing the required advanced undergraduate Physics courses at an accredited university. In addition students are expected to have basic college-level Chemistry and Biology training (one year or two semesters each) and one semester of computer science. The GSBS admission requires a Bachelor’s Degree and a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of at least a 3.0. Although applicants are required to submit GRE scores from exams taken within the past five years, there is no specific GRE score required for admission. Foreign students who have not completed previous collegiate studies in an English-speaking country are required to have one of the following minimum TOEFL scores (computerized test: 220; paper test: 560; iNet: 68. The GPRS prerequisites are listed below. A bachelor’s degree in a natural science or engineering is highly recommended. Degrees in other disciplines are considered providing that the applicant has received sufficient science and mathematics course credits to give the applicant the equivalent of a minor in a natural science or engineering discipline. Waivers may be requested by the COGS from the Graduate Faculty Council of the GSBS if an applicant does not meet one of the above requirements.

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/

Page 23/42 03-Oct-12

Dear Prospective Student,

We appreciate your interest in our graduate program.

UTHSCSA now offers a greater choice than ever for medical physics students, providing training for multiple career paths.

The CAMPEP-certified program in medical physics allows students to pursue either a PhD degree with curricula covering Therapeutic Radiological Physics and Diagnostic Radiological Physics or an MS in Medical Health Physics. The PhD degree program is designed to give students working towards research careers a focused laboratory training that emphasizes how to plan and execute research programs, disseminate results, and obtain scientific funding. Medical physics residency programs are also available, but with limited enrollment.

Students accepted into the UTHSCSA Medical Physics education programs shall have acquired a strong foundation in basic Physics. This should be documented by either an undergraduate degree in physics or a degree in a related engineering or physical science with coursework that is equivalent to a minor in Physics (includes at least three upper level undergraduate courses). If applicants with deficiencies in their Physics background are conditionally admitted to the program, they will have to correct their deficiency by completing the required advanced undergraduate Physics courses at an accredited university. In addition students are expected to have basic college-level Chemistry and Biology training (one year or two semesters each) and one semester of computer science.

DOCTORATE IN MEDICAL PHYSICS:

UTHSCSA is planning to offer a four-year Professional Doctorate in Medical Physics (DMP) for those students aiming for clinical careers. This new program is scheduled to start in July, 2013 and MS students matriculating at that time will have the opportunity to transfer into it. This shall be 4-year degree without any research component. It shall be a professional degree offered by the Medical School and called a Doctorate of Medical Physics (DMP; the PhD degree is conferred by the Graduate School. UTHSCSA intends to get the DMP program CAMPEP-accredited as soon as possible so that graduates would be eligible to sit for ABR exams under the policies that will go into place in 2014.

(see http://www.theabr.org/ic/ic_rp/ic_rp_newcampep.html .

No stipends will be available for this program and the tuition will be the regular Medical School tuition. This program will be very similar to one that started this year at Vanderbilt Univ. (see: http://www.campep.org/dmpprograms.asp ). If you want to find out more about this program, please contact me with your specific questions.

In the DMP degree program students shall receive structured, hands-on clinical medical physics training. The DMP degree program will include two years of classroom training in the theory and technology of medical physics. These courses are all taught by faculty in the School of Medicine. The two classroom years will be followed by clinical rotations, also of two years duration, during which students will gain clinical medical physics competencies that move amongst the modalities found the Radiology and Radiation Oncology departments.

We cannot publish an application for the DMP program until finally approval is received, but you will still be able to apply for the MS in Imaging Physics or Radiation Therapy Physics this fall and then in the application state clearly that you are interested in the DMP program.

http://www.theabr.org/ic/ic_rp/ic_rp_newcampep.html

http://www.campep.org/dmpprograms.asp

Page 24/42 03-Oct-12

GRADUATE PROGRAM IN RADIOLOGICAL SCIENCES:

Detailed information about our graduate program can be found at our web site: http://radsci.uthscsa.edu

There are a variety of research environments available to students in the graduate program. The Radiology Department's research spans the spectrum from basic research related to molecular imaging, nanotechnology, radio-therapeutics and targeted drug delivery to clinical research dedicated to minimally invasive image guided therapeutics, cardiac MRI imaging and diabetes research. The UTHSCSA Research Imaging Institute develops non-invasive imaging and measurement methods, including positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy, electrophysiological imaging and the biomedical image analysis, all applied to studying brain function and other basic and clinical research areas. At the Cancer Therapy and Research Center, research on the development and application of new technologies to improve radiation oncology and combination therapies is carried out. There are also several other off-campus clinics and laboratories in which some of our students work.

A full appreciation of the educational and research opportunities available at UTHSCSA may require an in-person visit, which can be arranged with you. This could be after you submit your application, but if it is more convenient, feel free to call or e-mail me to make an appointment for an interview at any time.

There is very strong competition to get into graduate programs in medical physics. The UTHSCSA Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences last year received 70 applications for only 6 available slots. Also, we note that the average GRE score was 1224 and the mean undergraduate GPA was 3.34 for students enrolling in our program over the past five years. (The UTHSCSA code for both GRE and TEOFL is #6908). If you have a degree from a University in an English-speaking country the TOEFL requirement may be waived. APPLICATION INFORMATION:

The application process for the 2013-2014 school year that opened in September, 2012 with a deadline of February 1, 2013.

Application to the MS and PhD graduate programs at UTHSCSA must be made through the on-line process. The on-line application can be found by clicking the application link in the bottom, left-hand corner of the Graduate School website: http://gsbs.uthscsa.edu/. The application process for the DMP program has not yet been established.

In both the application form and your personal statement, please tell us about what area of radiological sciences (medical health physics, diagnostic imaging physics or radiation therapy physics) that you wish to study so that we can determine if an appropriate mentor is available. Also when applying for the PhD program, please be sure to include information of your research interests and list any of your prior research grants, presentations and publications.

The PhD program in Radiological Sciences has the primary goal of teaching students how to conceive, plan and carry out original research projects. Typically, completion of the PhD program takes 4 ½ to 5 ½ years. The PhD program incorporates no structured clinical training within the formal coursework. Comprehensive clinical training IS provided by the DMP program and medical physics residency programs.

Medical physics residency programs, for which students apply typically near the end of their graduate training, are available for structured clinical medical physics training. This training is becoming more important for medical physics students as the standards with regard to professional credentialing are

http://radsci.uthscsa.edu/

http://gsbs.uthscsa.edu/

Page 25/42 03-Oct-12

currently being raised in the US and Canada. (See: http://www.theabr.org/ic/ic_rp/ic_rp_newcampep.html ) GRADUATE STUDENT FUNDING:

As well as granting admission to eligible students, the PhD program may offer applicants stipends in the form of Teaching Assistantships (TA’s). Teaching Assistants qualify for in-state tuition regardless of their residency status. Due to budgeting fluctuations, the PhD program cannot predict or guarantee future student support in this manner for more than one year at a time.

In addition, students are eligible and encouraged to apply for funding through various agencies during the course of their graduate training. Previous UTHSCSA students have received fellowships through Fulbright Scholar Program, the AAPM Graduate Study Fellowship Program, the American Heart Association’s pre-doctoral fellowship program and various fellowship and training programs of the National Institutes of Health. An internal endowment, established by the renowned radiologist and inventor, Julio C. Palmaz MD, has also been used to assist UTHSCSA students engaging in research in radiology.

Although you can apply for entry for acceptance into the Medical Health Physics MS, Medical Physics PhD or Doctor or Medical Physics professional degree program, please be aware that the Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences does not provide TA’s, or any other form of financial support, to Masters or DMP students. We hope you find this information helpful. If you require any other information, please contact our Academic Administrator, Loretta Edwards ([email protected] ). Again, thank you for your interest in our graduate program. Sincerely, Geoffrey D. Clarke, Ph.D., FAAPM Director, Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, Rm. 652E San Antonio, TX 78229-3900 (210) 567-5550 FAX: (210) 567-5541

http://www.theabr.org/ic/ic_rp/ic_rp_newcampep.html

mailto:[email protected]

Page 26/42 03-Oct-12

The Application Review Committee has established three criteria to allow acceptance of an Applicant. First, the Application Review Committee determines that the applicant has an adequate academic background, based on the above criteria.

1. The Application Review Committee uses the following criteria to determine academic acceptability of an application: cumulative undergraduate GPA, GRE scores, TOEFL scores (if applicable), GPA for any graduate studies completed, three letters of recommendation and appropriateness of undergraduate courses taken. Typically 50-80 applications are received each year, of which at least ~30 are deemed academically acceptable.

2. The second condition is that the Application Review Committee must identify a mentor for the applicant in the appropriate track of THE GPRS.

3. The third task of the Application Review Committee is to establish that there is funding available, either through THE GPRS, through an outside program or that the student can be self-funded. Funding within THE GPRS for entering students is subject to availability, but typically three to five new students can be funded each year.

After establishing these three criteria the Application Review Committee presents its recommendations to the COGS for acceptance or rejection of each applicant reviewed. The COGS makes final decisions via a simple majority vote. The record of admissions to THE GPRS over the past five years is presented in Table 1.

THE GPRS has adopted, as part of its admission goals, a geographical student distribution comprising 50% from Texas, 25% from within the US but outside of Texas, and 25% from foreign countries. For those students active in THE GPRS for the 2012-2013 school year, the geographical distribution is 48% from Texas, 30% from within the US but outside of Texas, and 22% from foreign countries. The ethnic composition for US citizen or US resident alien graduate students enrolling in THE GRADUATE PRORGAM for 2012-2013 is: 65% White, 16% Hispanic, 13% Asian and 6% African-American. Females currently account for 30% of students in THE GPRS.

The Chairman of COGS forwards recommendations approval or rejection to the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Applicants are informed by the Dean in writing of the action taken on their application and any contingencies imposed upon their acceptance. Table 1: Chronological list of medical physics students enrolled into the program (past 5 yr.)

Ref #

Degree program, start year

Previous Degrees GPA, GRE and TOEFL scores

1 MS, 2008 BE – Biomedical Engineering BA - Biology

UG-GPA = 2.50 GRE:V=580,Q=460, A=4.0

2 PhD, 2008 BS – Radiological Science UG-GPA = 3.39 GRE:V=340,Q=740, A=2.5 TOEFL = 61

3 PhD, 2008 BS – Physics MS - Physics

UG-GPA = 3.25 GRE:V=400,Q=720, A=2.5

4 PhD, 2008 BS – Computer Science MS – Computer Science

UG-GPA = 3.55 GRE:V=590,Q=800, A=NA

5 MS, 2008 BS – Radiological Health Engineering (Nuclear Engineering) MS – Health Physics

UG-GPA = 2.64 GRE:V=410,Q=590, A=4.0


UG-GPA = 3.32 GRE:V=340,Q=780, A=3.0

Page 27/42 03-Oct-12

7 MS, 2009 BS – Physics UG-GPA = 3.71 GRE:V=470,Q=700, A=3.5

8 MS, 2009 BS – Physics MS - Physics

UG-GPA = 3.90 GRE:V=650,Q=800, A=3.0

9 PhD, 2009 BS – Physics UG-GPA = 3.97 GRE:V=580,Q=740, A=4.5

10 PhD, 2009 BS – Radiological Health Engineering (Nuclear Engineering)

UG-GPA = 3.71 GRE:V=510,Q=710, A=5.0

11 MS, 2009 BSc –Physics, MS – Medical Physics MS – Medical Health Physics

UG-GPA = 2.70 GRE:V=420,Q=590, A=NS

12 MS, 2009 BS – Radiological Science UG-GPA = 3.00 GRE:V=450,Q=700, A=4.5

13 PhD, 2009 BA - Physics UG-GPA = 3.55 GRE:V=490,Q=790, A=4.5

14 MS, 2009 BS, Physics & Biomedical Engineering

UG-GPA = 3.52 GRE:V=430,Q=700, A=3.5

15 PhD, 2009 BS – Electrical Engineering MS - Physics

UG-GPA = 3.22 GRE:V=530,Q=700, A=4.0

16 MS, 2009 BS - Physics UG-GPA = 3.20 GRE:V=400,Q=760, A=3.5

17 MS, 2010 BS – Physics UG-GPA = 3.76 GRE:V=550,Q=790, A=NS

18 MS, 2010 BA - Physics UG-GPA = 3.54 GRE:V=570,Q=710, A=3.5

19 MS, 2010 BS – Computer Science, 1987 (passed undergraduate Mechanics, E&M, Theoretical Physics, Modern Physics I & II @ UT Dallas, 2008)

UG-GPA = 2.86 GRE:V=480,Q=740, A=4.0



UG-GPA = 3.30 GRE:V=400,Q=680, A=2.0


1 PhD, 2012 BE – Biomedical Engineering BA – Biology, MS – Medical Physics

UG-GPA = 2.50 GRE:V=580,Q=460, A=4.0

23 MS, 2012 BS - Physics UG-GPA = 3.30. GRE(new): V=146, Q=149, A= 3.0


17 PhD, 2012 BA – Physics MS – Medical Physics

UG-GPA = 3.54 GRE:V=570,Q=710, A=3.5

25 PhD, 2012 BS – Physics MS – Medical Physics

UG-GPA = 3.30 GRE:V=420,Q=710, A=4.0

8 PhD, 2012 BS – Physics, MS – Physics MS – Medical Physics

UG-GPA = 3.90 GRE:V=650,Q=800, A=3.0

18 MS, 2012 BA - Physics UG-GPA = 3.54 GRE:V=570,Q=710, A=3.5

26 MS, 2012 BS – Mathematics, BA - Physics UG-GPA = 3.20 GRE(new):V=159, Q=155, A=4

27 MS, 2012 BS - Physics UG-GPA = 2.60; GRE(new): V=150,Q=159, A=4.0

28 PhD, 2012 BS - Physics UG-GPA = 3.47 GRE:V=460,Q=800, A=3.0 TOEFL = 106

Page 28/42 03-Oct-12

B Recruitment Efforts The GPRS maintains an annual listing in the AIP’s publication, Graduate Programs in Physics, Astronomy, and Related Fields. Colleges and Universities visited by faculty of the GPRS in the past five years include the University of Texas at Arlington, Trinity University, University of Texas El Paso, Texas A&M Commerce and Texas A&M College Station. Faculty from the GPRS also has hosted a Nuclear Science Merit badge workshop at the CTRC for a group of Boy Scout troops. The Faculty have also mentored several undergraduate physics students as summer research fellows. As noted above, the Chair of the Recruitment Committee responds to 150-200 e-mails per year from prospective students.

C Enrollment

The students enrolled in THE GPRS for the current school year are listed in Table 2. THE GPRS started in the Fall, 1989 with four students. The annual enrollment at the beginning of the Fall term of each year is shown in Figure 1. Enrollment in THE GPRS rose rapidly until 2008 when a systemic downsizing was initiated, which is designed to turn the PhD program into a more trans-disciplinary research training program while concurrently transforming the MS program into a professional Doctorate in Medical Physics program. There are 40 students enrolled for the Fall term in 2012, which includes 29 PhD students and 11 MS students. There are 27 students currently enrolled in the Medical Physics tracks. There has also been an increase in enrollment in Radiological Biology tracks. The number of PhD students enrolling in the Medical Physics tracks has been decreased in anticipation of more students enrolled in the Doctorate in Medical Physics program as it becomes available. As currently configured, the maximum student capacity of the MS and PhD program is in the range of 40-45.

D Evaluation of Student Progress The MS degree candidates must complete required courses; pass a Qualifying Examination and demonstrate ability as an independent worker by completing a Master’s thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy degree candidates must complete required courses; pass a Qualifying Examination that tests their knowledge in medical physics and demonstrate ability as an independent researcher by completing of the oral Qualifying Examination, which consists of preparing a written research proposal in NIH or similar grant format. The student presents this proposal to his/her research advisory committee and defends it following an oral presentation before the committee and a public audience. The students are encouraged to take the Qualifying Exam within one year following successful completion of required coursework. The PhD degree is awarded following successful completion of an original, independent research project, preparation of a written dissertation and oral defense of the dissertation in front of an audience including faculty and students from the entire University community.

Of the 173 students who have who have enrolled in the program since its inception and are not currently matriculating, 85% of the MS students and 70% of the PhD students have graduated. Students enrolled in the MS program have taken an average of 29.9 months (SD=8.1 months) to graduate. Students enrolled in the Medical Physics PhD program tracks have required an average of 55.4 months (SD=13.4 months) to graduate. A listing of last decade’s graduates from the medical physics tracks of the GPRS can be found in Appendix D.

Page 29/42 03-Oct-12

Table 2: Alphabetical list of current UTHSCSA medical physics graduate students Student Program Supervisor Year Entered Funding Source

Boone, Goldie PhD Clarke 2012 US Air Force Bresnen, Kenneth PhD Duong/Clarke 2008 Duong NIH grant* Briceno, John PhD Esquivel 2011 Found. Medical Physics Research Brito-Delgado, Amy MS Wiatrowski 2012 Environ. Health & Safety Chung, Yi-Hsiu PhD Goins 2008 CPRIT Fellowship Cruz, Wilbert MS Esquivel 2011 Self-funded Defoor, Dewayne MS Papanikolaou 2012 Self-funded Fox, Lindsey PhD Papanikolaou 2012 Self-funded Huerta, Claudia PhD Duong 2008 Radiology Dept.* Jurkovic, Ines-Ana PhD Papanikolaou 2004 Self-funded Kauweloa, Kevin PhD Papanikolaou 2012 Radiol. Sciences State Funding* Kim, Seongheon PhD Gutierrez 2009 Self-funded Li, Guang PhD Duong 2008 Duong NIH grant* Markovic, Miljenko PhD Papanikolaou 2008 Self-funded Myers, Pamela PhD Stathakis 2009 Radiology Dept.* Olorunnisomo,

Ibiyinka MS Gutierrez 2009 Self-funded

Regan, Morgan MS Stathakis 2009 Self-funded Riedel, Michael PhD Laird 2009 Laird NIH grant* Ripley, Erika PhD Clarke 2012 Radiology Dept.* Rodriguez, Salvador MS Papanikolaou 2007 Self-funded San Emeterio

Nateras, Oscar MS Duong 2009 Self-funded

Settles, Floyd MS Clarke 2010 Self-funded Stanley, Dennis MS Gutierrez 2012 Self-funded Tabassi, Richard PhD Goins 2006 Self-funded Thomas, Karianne MS Nes 2010 US Air Force Tuazon, Blake MS Stathakis 2012 Self-funded Valaparla, Sunil PhD Clarke 2009 Radiol. Sciences State Funding* Zhou, Wei PhD Duong 2008 Radiol. Sciences State Funding* * denotes teaching assistant

The progress of all students enrolled in the program is evaluated annually to ensure timely and consistent progress through the study plan prepared by the student and his/her research advisor. This evaluation is based on course grades, timely and successful completion of components of the Qualifying Examination and acceptable demonstration of the student’s progress in undertaking independent research. Failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA results in a notation of “Academic Probation” on the student’s transcript until the GPA is satisfactory. Students on academic probation are not allowed to sit for the Qualifying Examination. Faculty members give their judgments concerning the research potential of their students but with specific examples of performance to substantiate their evaluation. This research evaluation of PhD candidates also uses preparation of a research proposal and presentation to the faculty as an objective criterion of research performance.

The annual student evaluation process is undertaken at the track committee meetings early in the calendar year. The advisor and student meet to review the student’s progress, filling out and signing a standard evaluation form. An example of this form is shown below (page 31). The advisor then submits the form with a recommendation for acceptable or unacceptable performance to the Chair of the student’s Track Committee. The Track Committee Chair reports on all students in the track to the COGS, which votes on approval of the recommendations. The information on this form is maintained

Page 30/42 03-Oct-12

in a database in THE GPRS office. If progress is unacceptable for any reason, corrective action is proposed and the student is informed concerning the COG’S decision. The first negative evaluation is cautionary while two such annual evaluations in sequence may be taken as grounds for dismissal from the program. The following list of factors have caused decisions of unacceptable progress in recent years: (1) inadequate GPA, (2) failure to pass written portions of the Qualifying Examination, (3) failure to take the Qualifying Examination in a timely manner, (4) failure to make progress in pursuing a research topic, and (5) failure to take sufficient course work to qualify for progress in part-time status (minimum of 3 credits per semester). Inadequate research performance is reviewed with great care to avoid the possibility of faculty bias or personality conflict, involving contributions of multiple faculty members who have worked with the student in question. A majority of the COGS must agree before an inadequate progress decision is made.

E New Student Orientation

New student orientation is integrated with the orientation program conducted by the Office of Student Life. This program takes three half-days in the week before classes start. The program consists of lectures and presentations on the policies, facilities and services at the University.

Topics covered include: • How to obtain student IDs and parking permit • Counseling Services: Stress, Gender Relations, and Substance Misuse • AA/EEO Overview • Student Financial Aid Information • Safety Awareness & Hazard Communication Training • Community Policing Information • Web for Students • Insurance Overview • Student Health Services

o International students may make appointments to complete their immunization process and get their TB shot

o All students must schedule a meningitis vaccination

One day in this program is devoted to a specific introduction of new students to THE GPRS with a luncheon sponsored by the Radiology Department’s Education Division at which all faculty and students in the program may meet for the first time. All new students tour the various research and clinical facilities used by THE GPRS. At the end of this week the GSBS holds convocation, at which a guest speaker gives them some words of encouragement as the students begin their adventures in graduate school. After the convocation, the Graduate Student Association sponsors a graduate school picnic at which the new students can continue to develop relationships with faculty and student peers.

The Director of Radiological Sciences schedules an appointment with each new student within the first two weeks to go over their specific study plans and arrange research rotations. A faculty advisor is selected from the list of Faculty Advisors. The student is advised of policies regarding ID badges, e-mail usage, mailboxes, keys to labs and offices, required forms, computer usage and lockers.

A GPRS party is also held on a weekend in the fall, open to students, faculty members and their families so that all can get to know each other better and to continue to build a sense of community.

Page 31/42 03-Oct-12

Page 32/42 03-Oct-12

F Safety

In addition to the safety topics covered in orientation sessions, students may also be required to complete training in a number of safety topics, as appropriate to the research laboratory or clinical setting in which they are working. Training offered by the Department of Environmental Health and Safety includes: basic radiation safety orientation, radioisotope user’s safety course, laser safety course, x-ray safety, weekly wipe test refresher course, laboratory safety and hazardous waste generators, chemical waste: monitoring and disposal, basic biological safety and basic training on blood-borne pathogens.

VI. Resources -

A Faculty

Faculty Assignments There are currently 29 members of the Radiological Sciences Graduate Program faculty who are active participants in the Medical Physics Tracks, including 10 adjunct faculty. The Program assigns faculty into two categories: student advisors and faculty-at-large. Student advisors are defined as faculty who are authorized to advise graduate students and chair thesis committees. Those members listed as Faculty-at-Large have at least two contact lecture hours per year and participate on thesis and dissertation committees. The faculty assignments are reviewed each August by the Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS).

Advisors*

Faculty members are assigned as “advisors” each semester to mentor students who have been accepted into the program. The faculty members with an asterisk next to their names in Table 3 are authorized to advise the research theses and/or dissertations of students in radiological sciences. Students are notified of their advisor and are asked to schedule to meet with them. The student is asked to discuss study plans with their advisor at least once a year but preferably twice a year. Each student has the option at any time of changing faculty advisor simply by requesting the action by submitting a Change of Advisor form to the COGS.

Advisors report on their students at the beginning of each calendar year to the Track Chair, who then reports to COGS at its monthly meeting. If a student's progress is not acceptable, the advisor documents this and develops an action plan with the student. The student is given a year to improve and is then re-evaluated. In courses, student-to-teacher ratios have ranged from 1:3 to 20:1 over the past five years.

Page 33/42 03-Oct-12

TABLE 3. Current faculty members in THE GRADUATE PROGRAM.

Name Title Degree Institution Degree Year

1. *Reto Asmis Professor Ph.D. University of Fribourg, Switzerland

1989

2. Joel Baseman Professor Ph.D. Univ. of Massachusetts,

Amherst, MA

1968

3. ×Melissa Blough Adjunct Assistant Professor

Ph.D. UT Health Science Center at San Antonio

1999

4. James M. Bower Professor Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 1981

5. *Michael Charlton Adjunct Assistant Professor Ph.D. Texas A&M 2001

6. Kedar Chintipalli Professor M.B.B.S Guntur Medical College, Guntur, A.P. India 1974

7. *Geoffrey Clarke Professor Ph.D. UT Health Science

Center at Dallas 1984

8. Richard L. Crownover

Professor M.D.

Ph.D.

Duke University, Durham , NC

Duke University Durham , NC

1991

1988

9. Michael Duff Davis Associate Professor Ph.D. University of Zurich, Switzerland

1985

10. *Timothy Q. Duong Professor Ph.D. Washington Univ., St. Louis MO

1998

11. *Carlos Esquivel Adjunct Assistant Professor


2005

12. ×Ching-Mei Janet Feng

Adjunct Assistant Professor


2003

13. *Peter T. Fox Professor M.D. Georgetown University 1979

14. *Randolph D. Glickman

Associate Professor

Ph.D. University of Toronto 1978

15. ×David Lloyd Goff Adjunct Assistant Professor

Ph.D. University of California, L.A.

1995

16. *Beth A. Goins Professor Ph.D. University of Tennessee (Knoxville)

1988

17. *Alonso N. Gutiérrez Assistant Professor

Ph.D. University of Wisconsin,

Madison, WI

2007

18. Paul A. Jerabek Associate Professor

Ph.D. University of California Irvine

1982

Page 34/42 03-Oct-12

19. ×Steve B. Jiang Adjunct Assistant Professor

Ph.D. Medical College of Ohio, Toledo

1998

20. ×Carl Keener Adjunct Assistant Professor


1996

21. *Jack L. Lancaster Professor Ph.D. UT Health Science Center at Dallas

1978

22. ×Nina Lee Adjunct Assistant Professor


1998

23. ×Edwin Leidholdt Adjunct Associate Professor

Ph.D. University of Virginia 1983

24. Panayiotis Mavroidis

Associate Professor

Ph.D. Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

2001

25. *Mohan Natarajan Associate Professor Ph.D. University of Madras, India

1986

26. *×Elena Nes Adjunct Assistant Professor


2006

27. ×Bahadir Ozus Adjunct Assistant Professor


2004

28. *Niko Papanikolaou Professor PhD University of Wisconsin- Madison

1994

29. *William T. Phillips Professor Ph.D. UT Medical Branch at Galveston

1980

30. *×James Prete Adjunct Assistant Professor


1998

31.

Andres Rahal

Assistant Professor

M.D.

Ph.D

Instituto de Ciencias de

la Salud, Columbia UT Health Science

Center at San Antonio

1995

2007

32. Eugene Sprague Professor Ph.D. UT Health Science Center at San Antonio

1979

33. *Sotirios Stathakis Assistant Professor

Ph.D. University of Patras, Hellas, Greece

2003

34. Rajeev Suri Associate Professor M.D. Postgraduate Inst. of Medical Education &

Research, India

1996

35. *×Jonathan Tucker Adjunct Assistant Professor


2000

36. ×Vijayalaxmi Adjunct Associate Professor

Ph.D. S.V. University, India

1966

37. *Wayne Wiatrowski Associate Professor


1979

38. Nicole Yvonne Wicha Assistant Professor Ph.D. Univ. of California at San Diego

2002

Medical Physics Tracks faculty in BOLD * Denotes Advisor ×Denotes Adjunct Faculty

Page 35/42 03-Oct-12

B Finances

Students in the PhD program who are provided stipends as Teaching Assistants (TA’s) are listed as UTHSCSA employees (50% time). The stipend provided is $24,783 plus up to $2,478 in employee benefits (for which students need to opt in). There are three state-funded TA positions in the GPRS, for which benefits are automatically included. Three additional TA stipends are provided by the Dept. of Radiology out of clinical revenue. The Research Imaging Institute provides three assistantships, largely out of NIH research grants. A private foundation provides TA funds for another student. Out-of-state and international students appointed as TA’s qualify to pay in-state tuition and fees due to waiver granted by the Texas Legislature. Various other sources of funding include a State funded training grant and the office of Environmental Health and Safety, which supports one student working in the Radiation Safety Office.

The cost of living in San Antonio is 14.3% lower than the national average. Studio and one-bedroom apartments in the Medical Center area range from $425 to $750 per month in non-luxury type apartment complexes, many of which are within walking distance of the campus. The current estimated cost is $25,044 for the current academic year for students enrolled full-time (9 credit hours per term) in GSBS graduate programs (http://studentservices.uthscsa.edu/fa_cost.aspx ). This total includes $3,316 for in-state tuition and fees, $694 for books, $14,996 for room and board, $3,882 for transportation and $2,156 for miscellaneous expenses. Radiological Science graduate students typically take a 6 credit hour load during the summer term as well.

Table 3: Financial Aid for Medical Physics Graduate Students

Funding Source Student Stipend + benefits Source Subtotal State Funds made

available to Graduate Program in Radiological

Sciences

3 students × ( $24,783)

$74,349

Dept. of Radiology, Div. of Research, UTHSCSA

3 students × ($24,783 + $2,478) $81,783

Research Imaging Institute, UTHSCSA

3 students × ($24,783 + $2,478) $81,783

Cancer Research & Prevention Institute of TX

Training Grant

1 student × ($24,783 + $2,478) $27,261

Environmental Health and Safety Department,

UTHSCSA

1 student × ($24,783 + $2,478) $27,261

Foundation for Medical Physics Research

1 student × ($24,783 + $2,478) $27,261

AFID Scholarship/ USAF-DoD

2 students × ($24,783 + $2,478) $54,522

TOTAL $374,220

In addition, students are strongly encouraged to apply for funding through various agencies during the course of their graduate training. Previous UTHSCSA students have received fellowships through Fulbright Scholar Program, the AAPM Graduate Study Fellowship Program, the American Heart Association’s pre-doctoral fellowship

http://studentservices.uthscsa.edu/fa_cost.aspx

Page 36/42 03-Oct-12

program, the RSNA, and various fellowship and training programs of the National Institutes of Health. An internal endowment, established by the renowned radiologist and inventor, Julio C. Palmaz MD, is used to assist UTHSCSA students engaging in research in radiology. Through a competitive process students apply for pilot grants and academic awards, which are often used to fund travel to national and international meetings where students present the results of their research work.

C Facilities

Many important UTHSCSA institutional components contribute the research training carried out in the GPRS. These include:

Department of Radiology:: The Department of Radiology at UTHSCSA has been the home of the Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences. The Division of Education of the Radiology Department is housed in an office suite having 2200 sq ft and includes 3.5 FTE educational administrative staff along with offices for the directors of the Radiology Department’s medical education, graduate education and radiology residency programs. The Department houses a classroom where students will attend classes and clinical conferences. The department houses a molecular imaging laboratory in which faculty are engaged in using lipsome-based compounds for theranostic applications. This effort is support by a mulit-modality small animal imaging system (PET, SPECT & cone beam CT) as well as a high-frequency (60 MHz) ultrasound imaging system. The Radiology Department also has an image processing laboratory (450 sq ft) and a phantom laboratory (425 sq ft) where students can learn how to manage digital medical images and design and build test objects for evaluating clinical imaging equipment.

Cancer Therapy and Research Center:: CTRC is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center (one of three in Texas) that conducts programs for research, prevention, and treatment of cancer. CTRC provides cutting edge research, state-of-the-art technology, and multidisciplinary clinical care teams to translate research findings to patient care. The Department of Radiation Oncology resides on the CTRC campus and within it students will have access to diverse range of cancer patients and cutting-edge treatment facilities is which they will be trained in the most advanced clinical methods. Educational programs in the Department of Radiation Oncology include Radiation Oncology residency, clinical dosimetrist certificate program, post-doctoral research training and medical physics residency programs. The Department of Radiation Oncology has five medical physicists who are certified by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Radiologic Physics. Radiation therapy equipment at the CTRC include high energy Varian linear accelerators with multi-leaf collimators, low energy Varian linear accelerators, Hi-ART Tomotherapy unit with integrated imaging and IMRT treatment planning, Phillips and GE Medical Systems CT simulators with 4D imaging capabilities, 3D treatment planning networked workstations, advanced intensity-modulated radiation therapy and image-guided radiation therapy treatment planning, remote afterloading brachytherapy unit (Nucletron Microselection High Dose Rate), Peacock system for intensity modulated conformal radiation therapy, an imaging center with CT, digital x-ray, mammography, and CT/PET scanner on-site, a low dose rate brachytherapy unit for prostate implants, a Kodak digital radiography (filmless department) and an array of dosimetric and quality assurance equipment.

Research Imaging Institute (RII): The RII uses noninvasive biomedical imaging methods for measuring the structure and function of living organisms, in support of neuroscience research. The RII maintains its own research portfolio, in addition to providing imaging services for a number of research projects inside and outside UTHSCSA. RII Divisions include: Positron Emission Tomography; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Human

Page 37/42 03-Oct-12

Electrophysiology; Biomedical Image Analysis; Translational Imaging; and Human Performance. Services include: NeuroCognitive Assessment and Technical Support. Programs include: Computational Biology, Speech and Language, Genomic Imaging, and Human Neuroscience. Students in the DMP program will participate in medical health physics, equipment quality assurance and radiation safety tasks related to the state-of-the-art nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging equipment at the RII. Student Services: Information Management and Services: This department provides support services to UTHSCSA faculty, staff, and students in all areas related to educational development and instructional technology. Services include communications (videoconferencing, Teleconference Network of Texas), instructional technology (audiovisual, Blackboard, instructional design), multimedia, networking, print media, research and clinical support (instrumentation, statistical consulting), computer, server, and software support, technology support, website support, and training and continuing education.

Partnerships and Collaborations: UTHSCSA has strong, stable and highly effective partnerships with a number of health-related organizations, demonstrating a solid foundation for collaboration and innovation. The most important of these is the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), which is the largest military healthcare and biomedical research program in the U.S. Since it is located in San Antonio, SAMMC provides unique collaborative opportunities not available in other locations. In 2010 a $1.5 billion project was completed, which integrated and expanded Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center (Air Force) into the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC). The SAMMC is destined to be the primary medical training facility of the DOD in the 21st century. The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences has had long-standing collaborations with physicians and medical physicists employed by the DOD, who serve as adjunct faculty and provide both clinical and research training to UTHSCSA students. Brooke Army Medical Center (SAMMC–North) is a modern state-of-the-art, 450-bed health care facility that provides level-one trauma and graduate medical education. It is located on Fort Sam Houston, which is within the city limits of San Antonio, 15 miles from the UTHSCSA main campus. Dr. Jonathan Tucker (Radiology) and Dr. Jim Prete (Radiation Oncology) are medical physicists working at BAMC who have are active participants in the current graduate program as adjunct faculty engaged in didactic and clinical training of medical physics students.

LLiibbrraarryy RReessoouurrcceess ––

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSC) Library is the central information and knowledge resource for all five schools of the university – medical, dental, nursing, health professions, and biomedical graduate school. The library also provides services to the extension programs of the School of Public Health-University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and the College of Pharmacy-University of Texas at Austin.

The mission of the UT Health Science Center Library is to advance the educational, research, clinical care, and community service programs of the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio by critically appraising, selecting, and organizing health sciences information and by facilitating and maintaining access to these resources for the faculty, staff and students of the UT Health Science Center and for the South Texas community.

Facilities and Services

The Briscoe Library is the main library, located on the Long Campus of the UTHSC in San Antonio. The Briscoe Library building was completed in 1983 and recently underwent several renovation projects that are transforming the library into a 21st century

Page 38/42 03-Oct-12

facility. Among the recent renovations were electrical and data upgrades, a new multipurpose classroom facility with 24/7 access and state of the art instructional technology, and new study rooms located in an Information Commons central to the library’s reference area.

The library has several branch facilities in San Antonio and elsewhere in South Texas. The Mario E. Ramirez, MD, Medical Library is located at the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen and also provides services to the Regional Academic Health Center Research Campus in Edinburg. Other library branches are located in an ambulatory care facility in downtown San Antonio, at the Texas Research Park, and at the Laredo Regional Campus in Laredo.

The library employs 19 master degree level librarians and 39 support staff. Librarians and support staff provide a full range of services including reference, literature searching, consultation, instructional services, circulation, interlibrary loan, selection, acquisition, and organization of library materials. Librarians are active in professional organizations and the library is well known for its active outreach services.

Print and Electronic Collections

The collection of the UTHSC Library is primarily focused on the specialized literature of the biomedical and health sciences. Access to the collections is provided through a Web-based catalog based on the Innovative Interfaces, Inc. integrated library system. The library's Web address is http://www.library.uthscsa.edu.

At the end of fiscal year 2009, the library’s collection contained over 112,000 print journal volumes and 105,427 print books. Since 1998, the library has consciously sought to convert its journal collection from print to electronic format. The library subscribes to 5,667 titles in electronic format and 107 journals are received in print only format. In addition through various consortium arrangements, the library has access to 19,855 electronic journals in a wide array of disciplines. Access to electronic journals is provided through the library catalog, through an A-Z electronic journals list, and through a link resolver that allows direct linking from journal citations to the full-text of an article. The library subscribes to journals from the major scientific, technical and medical publishers such as Elsevier, Wiley, Springer, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, AAAS, Nature Publishing, as well as journals published directly by scientific societies. Collection Resource librarians continually monitor trends in journal and book publishing and meet with librarians from other institutions to seek the best arrangements for journal subscriptions.

In addition to books and journals, the library maintains subscriptions to essential databases that facilitate access to the scientific literature. These databases include but are not limited to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SciFinder Scholar, Current Protocols, Collexis Research Profiles, and Digital Dissertations and Theses. Databases are accessed through the library’s Web site. The library maintains a proxy server that allows anywhere, anytime access to the library’s wide array of electronic journals, books, and databases.

The library’s print reference collection is located in the Briscoe Library Information Commons and contains approximately 3,600 items in the form of general and specialized dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, handbooks, bibliographies and guides to the literature of the health sciences, including dentistry, nursing and allied health sciences, medicine, public health, pharmacy and the biomedical sciences. The library also subscribes to the online version of a number of reference resources. The reserve collection consists of faculty-selected books and articles, and other textbooks, reference sources, software and teaching tools that have limited circulation. A large

http://www.library.uthscsa.edu/

Page 39/42 03-Oct-12

number of reserve items are available electronically through the library’s electronic reserve system and course readings assignments are also available through the university’s online course management system.

Cooperative Arrangements

The library seeks cooperative arrangements among libraries that will enhance collections and services to its users. The library belongs to TexShare, the statewide consortium that provides databases and circulation services to the state of Texas. Faculty and students can obtain a TexShare card which allows check-out of library materials from a wide range of university, community college, and public libraries around the state. In the spirit of cooperation, the UTHSC Library accepts the TexShare card from other universities as well. The library also belongs to the University of Texas System Digital Library, a consortium of University of Texas System libraries formed for cooperative licensing of electronic products. By belonging to this consortium, the library is able to extend its collection to include not only those electronic subscriptions held by the UTHSC Library but also the subscriptions of all other UT libraries. The consortium works to obtain the best prices from publishers for the combined UT libraries. The library is also an active participant in SCAMeL, a consortium of medical school libraries in the five state region of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. SCAMeL seeks to obtain favorable pricing for electronic subscriptions for its members from publishers.

The UTHSC Library is a resource library within the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, meaning that it is active in the interlibrary loan network of medical libraries around the country. The library provided over 14,000 documents from its collection to other libraries in FY 2009 and processed over 1,700 interlibrary borrowing requests from UTHSC faculty and students. If the library does not own a book or journal needed by faculty or students, interlibrary loan service is provided at no charge to faculty or students.

Medical Physics Assessment

Because of the library’s active involvement with several buying consortia mentioned above, the library’s collection is stronger than it has ever been and should be more than adequate to support the GPRS. In addition to the existing collection, librarians will work with key faculty to identify any gaps in the collection and to develop recommendations for new subscriptions and books needed to support the curriculum and for research.

The library has a wide array of leading journals and books in the fields of physics, radiology, radiation physics, radiation oncology, computed tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance and other subjects relevant to the study of medical physics, including access to seven electronic journals devoted to medical physics - Medical Physics, Medical Engineering and Physics, BMC Medical Physics, Physics in Medicine and Biology, Journal of Radiation Research, Health Physics and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics . The library currently supports the Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences with these leading journals and has historically been receptive to expanding its collection with appropriate justifications.

Page 40/42 03-Oct-12

VII. Future Plans The past five years have seen a major shift in direction for the GPRS. In the previous five year period the GPRS’s focus was on growth and enhancing the multidisciplinary nature of the educational process. Now the emphasis is on retrenchment and refocusing the pre-doctoral clinical training and research education of medical physics students to ensure that they will have every opportunity for success in their chosen careers.

By 2005, numerous alliances within the clinical community in San Antonio were allowing medical physics students in the GPRS to gain unprecedented amounts of support and exposure to clinical resources. However, several of these private entities did not survive the financial downturn of 2008. Nevertheless, during the past five years, growth within the UTSHCSA has advanced as highlighted by the CTRC being absorbed into the Health Science Center and the development of new University-owned clinical facilities, including a multi-disciplinary outpatient clinic, a dental research clinic and a children’s hospital; all of which have been built or are being constructed. As a result, the emphasis of the entire institution has changed towards developing the clinical enterprise and, necessarily, the focus in the Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology have also been realigned in this direction. The urgency for this process has been accelerated as the State of Texas’ Legislature cut the budget for higher education by 10% in the previous biennium and will likely take a similar action next year. With the closure of Willford Hall Air Force Medical Center, as it integrates with Brooke Army Medical Center into the San Antonio Military Medical Center, further new opportunities have been presented. For instance, the South Texas VA System has taken over the old Willford Hall radiation oncology facility and the medical physics group at UTHSCSA now has the contract to supply clinical support there. Thus the local environment is fluid, and will likely provide new opportunities for those who are flexible and perceptive of evolving needs in health care over the next several years.

A Summary of Strength and Needs The major strength of the GPRS is the academically strong, dedicated faculty who support the educational enterprise, often with little recognition from the institution’s administration. In addition, the GPRS is fortunate to have department chairs in both the Radiology and Radiation Oncology Departments, who not only lend significant support to the goals of graduate education, but also work closely together to ensure the success of the program. Over the past two decades the GPRS has developed an excellent reputation within the profession and amongst prospective students. With over 120 graduates, a large base of professionally successful alumni has been established, and these individuals have developed a distinct community with the use of social media and by supporting the tradition of attending the annual luncheon held at the national AAPM meeting each summer.

Programmatically, the PhD program is pursuing the goal of increasing the emphasis on research training and preparedness with the aim of making our graduates not only competitive but successful in gaining independent research funding. The establishment of several competitive intra-institutional research granting mechanisms has allowed the students to gain experience and confidence in writing successful grants before obtaining their own research support from extramural agencies, such as RSNA and the American Heart Association. The multi-disciplinary nature of the GPRS allows our medical physics students to collaborate with a variety of investigators at an early stage in their careers, working side by side with medical residents and medical students as well as faculty from numerous non-radiological departments. During this process our students develop a strong background in integrative approaches to bio-medical investigations, which enhance their classroom training in anatomy and physiology.

Page 41/42 03-Oct-12

The major needs that must be addressed include addressing the difficulties that our MS students have in finding adequate employment upon graduation. The establishment of the resident/PhD Human Imaging Track had the benefit of bringing greater prominence to the GPRS within the medical school’s academic administration and we are aiming for even greater explicit adoption by the School of Medicine (SoM) for its responsibility in the training of medical physicists. We also need to develop stable funding for graduate students and at a somewhat higher level, not only by encouraging the clinical departments to hire more funded investigators who can serve as mentors to our students, but also by exploiting the multidisciplinary nature of our profession to expand collaborations with departments and laboratories that have not traditionally used radiation methods and noninvasive imaging technologies in their research. As we do this, we hope to instill in our students a better understanding of research funding process. The GPRS faculty also recognizes the need to develop an improved IT infrastructure, especially with regard to image processing, imaging informatics and statistical analysis. One of the major challenges is continuing to integrate into the curriculum more training in the concepts and methods used in modern genetics, cellular biology and biochemistry.

B Further Developments and Improvement

The lynchpin of the development of pre-doctoral education of medical physicists is the establishment of a profession doctorate in medical physics (DMP), which the Radiology and Radiation Oncology Departments look at as an upgrade of the MS program in medical physics. When the DMP proposal was originally submitted, the plan was to start the program in 2012. Various delays have made this goal unrealistic, however the DMP program will likely start in July 2013. After being approved by the UTHSCSA Executive Committee and the UT System Board of Regents, the DMP proposal was submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) on January 4, 2011. On September 19, 2012 the Committee on Academic and Workforce Success of the THECB unanimously approved the DMP proposal. Given this event, there is a high level of confidence that the full THECB will approve the proposal at their next meeting on October 25th.

The DMP shall be an interdisciplinary clinically-oriented degree program with training in both academic medical physics theory and the clinical practice of medical physics, which will meet CAMPEP’s requirements for accreditation. Such a degree program does not yet exist in Texas, although one has been approved at Texas Tech University / Texas Tech Health Science Center. The goals of the DMP program are to train medical physics students who are clinically-oriented and aspire to have careers dedicated to the treatment of cancer with radiation and the utilization of imaging technologies in medicine. The proposal envisions offering a degree that meets the needs of the profession of Medical Physics in both academic and clinical training. This degree program would continue the tradition of UTHSCSA being at the leading edge of medical physics education. The proposed DMP degree will include two years of classroom training in the theory and technology, very similar to the current MS program in Radiological Sciences. The two classroom years will be followed by clinical residency programs, also of two years duration, which will include examinations that will allow students to demonstrate their clinical competencies. Unlike the GPRS, which is administered within the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the DMP program shall be administrative responsibility of the School of Medicine (SoM).

A DMP organization planning committee, composed of GPRS faculty and SoM administrators is gearing up to have an application and approval process in place for

Page 42/42 03-Oct-12

students interested in the DMP program within days of the expected approval. Development of a specific scale for tuition and fees is also being undertaken. It is expected that the DMP program tuition costs will be similar to the medical school’s physician training program, which are projected to be ~$17,000/yr. for in-state and ~32,000/yr. for out-of-state in 2012-13. The plan is to have an administrative structure fully developed and submit a self-study for the DMP program to CAMPEP by the end of this calendar year. As the DMP program begins, the GPRS will stop accepting MS students, except those who plan to specialize in Medical Health Physics. Initially, the PhD and DMP programs shall share administrative and teaching resources. Core medical physics courses will be offered jointly between the two programs, cross-listed in both the Medical School and Graduate School catalogs. However the more clinically-oriented courses will move fully into the DMP program while the more research-oriented courses will be retained only for graduate students. The DMP program shall follow the medical school model by emphasizing professionalism and clinical responsibility. To this end the program shall adopt the dress code of the School of Medicine and shall incorporate educational approaches common in clinical studies including rounds and case studies. DMP students shall also have greater exposure to the presentation of various diseases and more in-depth training in human anatomy and physiology.

As for the PhD program, we expect it to benefit from the increasing research enterprises in the Radiology and Radiation Oncology departments. We aim to continue developing multi-disciplinary collaborations so that our medical physics graduate students will be able to bring their problem solving skills and abilities to bear on a greater range of clinical problems.

Documents

The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (Medical ...uthscsa.edu/vpaa/accreditation/docs\med_physics_self_study.pdf · The Graduate Program in Radiological Sciences (Medical