Lei Dong, Ph.D.
Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Department: Radiation Oncology
Contact information
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
Department of Radiation Oncology
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Department of Radiation Oncology
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Publications
Education:
B.S. (Engineering Physics)
Tsinghua University, 1985.
M.S. (Modern Applied Physics)
Tsinghua University, 1987.
Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences/Medical Physics Program)
University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1995.
Permanent linkB.S. (Engineering Physics)
Tsinghua University, 1985.
M.S. (Modern Applied Physics)
Tsinghua University, 1987.
Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences/Medical Physics Program)
University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1995.
Description of Clinical Expertise
Dr.Dong is familiar with radiation dosimetry and the use of images in radiation oncology for setup (IGRT) and treatment planning. He has been involved in several auto-segmentation projects using deformable image registration or machine learning methods. In addition, Dr.Dong worked extensively in the technical commissioning in three proton therapy centers (Hitachi Synchrotron at MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2005-2008, Varian's first ProBeam pencil beam scanning at Scripps Health in 2012-2016, the new ProBeam360 model in 2023, and IBA's multi-room cyclotron-based system with upgraded dedicated pencil beam scanning technology since 2017).Description of Research Expertise
My research interests are always motivated by clinical needs. As a medical physicist, I find the use of advanced technologies to improve clinical outcomes or efficiencies interesting. Throughout the years, I have been interested in intensity-modulated radiation therapy, which includes proton therapy and automated treatment planning; I am interested in adaptive radiotherapy beyond anatomical changes of patient’s anatomy; I am interested in imaging, which provides rich information about the patient (spatially or biologically); I am interested in novel treatment techniques, which includes the recent hot topic on ultra-high dose-rate radiation therapy (FLASH). I have published over 260 peer-reviewed papers and 15 book chapters. My publication h-index is around 62. I plan to continue my innovative research through close collaboration with researchers both internally and internationally.Selected Publications
Oliaei Motlagh, S. A., Vander Stappen, F., Kim, M. M., Labarbe, R., Hotoiu, L., Pin, A., Nilsson, R., Traneus, E., Cengel, K. A., Zou, W., Teo, B. K., Dong, L., Diffenderfer, E. S.: Verification of dose and dose rate for quality assurance of spread-out-Bragg-peak proton FLASH radiotherapy using machine log files. Med Phys 52(6): 5005-5016, 2025.Agulles-Pedros, L., MacDonald, R. L., Cherpak, A. J., Dixit, N., Dong, L., Zhao, T., Thind, K., Doemer, A., Teo, B. K., Su, S., Moncion, A., Robar, J. L.: Multi-institutional study on image quality for a novel CBCT solution on O-ring linac. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics. 26(6): e70023, 2025.
Hubley, E., Koger, B., Li, T., Salerno, M., Scheuermann, R. M., Dong, L., Teo, B. K.: Automatic skin flash optimization in breast and chestwall VMAT with static angle modulated ports: Effect of HU and flash margin size on plan quality and robustness. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics. 26(5): e70036, 2025.
Haertter, A., Salerno, M., Koger, B., Kennedy, C., Alonso-Basanta, M., Dong, L., Teo, B. K., Li, T.: ACR benchmark testing of a novel high-speed ring-gantry linac kV-CBCT system. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics. Page: e14299, 2024.
Chen, D., Motlagh, S. A. O., Stappen, F. V., Labarbe, R., Bell, B., Kim, M., Teo, B. K., Dong, L., Zou, W., Diffenderfer, E. S.: Secondary neutron dosimetry for conformal FLASH proton therapy. Med Phys 51(7): 5081-5093, 2024.
Chowdhury, P., Velalopoulou, A., Verginadis,, II, Morcos, G., Loo, P. E., Kim, M. M., Motlagh, S. A. O., Shoniyozov, K., Diffenderfer, E. S., Ocampo, E. A., Putt, M., Assenmacher, C. A., Radaelli, E., Lu, J., Qin, L., Liu, H., Leli, N. M., Girdhani, S., Denef, N., Vander Stappen, F., Cengel, K. A., Busch, T. M., Metz, J. M., Dong, L., Lin, A., Koumenis, C.: Proton FLASH radiotherapy ameliorates radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction and oral mucositis and increases survival in a mouse model of head and neck cancer. Mol Cancer Ther 2024.
Zou, W., Zhang, R., Schueler, E., Taylor, P. A., Mascia, A. E., Diffenderfer, E. S., Zhao, T., Ayan, A. S., Sharma, M., Yu, S. J., Lu, W., Bosch, W. R., Tsien, C., Surucu, M., Pollard-Larkin, J. M., Schuemann, J., Moros, E. G., Bazalova-Carter, M., Gladstone, D. J., Li, H., Simone, C. B., 2nd, Petersson, K., Kry, S. F., Maity, A., Loo, B. W., Jr., Dong, L., Maxim, P. G., Xiao, Y., Buchsbaum, J. C.: Framework for Quality Assurance of Ultra-High Dose Rate Clinical Trials Investigating FLASH Effects and Current Technology Gaps. International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics 2023.
Schofield, D. L., Conroy, L., Harmsen, W. S., Johnson, J. L., Wells, M. C., Dong, L., Fong de Los Santos, L. E.: AAPM task group report 275.S: Survey strategy and results on plan review and chart check practices in US and Canada. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics. 24(4): e13952, 2023.
Tan, H. S., Teo, B. K., Dong, L., Friberg, A., Koumenis, C., Diffenderfer, E., Zou, J. W.: Modeling ultra-high dose rate electron and proton FLASH effect with the physicochemical approach. Phys Med Biol 2023.
Zou, W., Kim, H., Diffenderfer, E. S., Carlson, D. J., Koch, C. J., Xiao, Y., Teo, B. K., Kim, M. M., Metz, J. M., Fan, Y., Maity, A., Koumenis, C., Busch, T. M., Wiersma, R., Cengel, K. A., Dong, L.: A phenomenological model of proton FLASH oxygen depletion effects depending on tissue vasculature and oxygen supply. Front Oncol 12: 1004121, 2022.