Program-at-a-Glance


We are a CAMPEP-accredited program designed to educate and train physicists in all aspects of modern radiation oncology physics. The residency program provides didactic instruction in medical physics, anatomy, and radiation biology, and clinical experience in a wide spectrum of clinical physics problems. The objective is to educate and train the resident to a level of competency which will allow the trainee to complete the American Board of Radiology Certification in the specialty of Therapeutic Medical Physics.

Program Highlights

  • Close mentorship from faculty and staff for the duration of the program, ensuring that residents acquire fundamental knowledge and meet the practical objectives of each rotation.
  • Regular collaboration with medical residents.  Medical physics residents share work space with medical residents and participate in joint activities which foster teamwork and facilitate optimal functioning within a clinical setting. 
  • Experience working with our innovative treatment technologies, such as: 
    • IBA Five Room Proton Center (Pencil-Beam Scanning)
    • Three (3) Varian TrueBeam® linacs
    • Two (2) Varian Halcyon™ linacs
    • Gamma Knife and CyberKnife
    • GammaMedplus™ iX HDR Afterloader
    • Siemens Dual-Energy CT, PET/CT and MR simulators
    • Small Animal Irradiator Research Room (Proton & Photon)

Compensation and Benefits

  • Health benefits (including vision and dental) and paid vacation time
  • Each resident is provided with a generous budget for travel to conferences.
  • Residents are reimbursed for American Board of Radiology (ABR) Certification Exams
  • Each resident is provided with textbooks, an iPhone for clinical use and reimbursement for after-hours transportation home and to affiliate sites

Program Size

  • Four new residents are accepted into Penn’s highly-competitive Medical Physics Residency Program annually for a total of eight residents at a time. This makes it one of the largest medical physics residency program offered today. Applicants interested in this position can find the application process here.
  • Beginning July 1, 2019, we are adding one (1) three-year residency position specifically targeted for applicants with a Ph.D. who wish to pursue an academic career in medical physics after the completion of training. The first year will focus only in research (post-doctoral candidates only).  Then, for the second and third years, the resident will do our traditional, two-year CAMPEP-approved Radiation Oncology Physics Residency program. Applicants interested in this position can find the application process here.

Curriculum

Our program, which can be tailored to the resident's personal interests or career goals, features a robust curriculum that prepares alumni to compete for top positions in the field.

  • The first year of the program (the second year for the three-year position) is spent largely in didactic instruction and clinical rotations. Residents train at Penn Medicine’s Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and its many radiation oncology network sites throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and Central New Jersey.
  • The second year (the third year for the three-year position) is comprised of clinical training in all aspects of medical physics procedures. These include clinical and technical subjects pertinent to radiation oncology physics including: megavoltage photon, electron and proton beam therapy, brachytherapy, CT-simulation, treatment planning, calibration and periodic QA of therapy equipment, radiation safety, and special procedures (TBI, TSE, SBRT, radiosurgery, etc.).

Didactics, Conferences, and Presentations

  • Weekly departmental lectures and seminars that offer residents the opportunity to present to peers and faculty
  • A monthly journal club and research meeting at which residents present AAPM task group reviews
  • Quarterly multidiscliplinary conferences where medical physics residents and medical residents jointly present a comprehensive overview of a major cancer site
  • Quarterly oral exams and annually in mock oral exams to simulate the ABR Part III exam
  • Opportunities to participate in clinical research and present at scientific meetings
  • An annual, multi-day Proton Therapy course that attracts an international audience