For more information about these concentrations, please contact the program director, Dr. Kate Spillane, at kate.spillane@sas.upenn.edu. You can also access the AAPM (American Association of Physicists in Medicine) website to find general information on the field of medical physics. This can be found at http://www.aapm.org/.

Following are descriptions of the sub-categories within medical physics from the AAPM website:

I. Therapeutic Radiological Physics

This particular field pertains to:

• the therapeutic applications of x-rays, gamma rays, electron and charged particle beams, neutrons and radiations from sealed radionuclide sources
• the equipment associated with their production, use, measurement and evaluation
• the quality of images resulting from their production and use
• medical health physics associated with this subfield

II. Diagnostic Radiological Physics

This particular field pertains to:

• the diagnostic applications of x rays, gamma rays from sealed sources, ultrasonic radiation, radio frequency radiation and magnetic fields
• the equipment associated with their production, use, measurement and evaluation
• the quality of images resulting from their production and use
• medical health physics associated with this subfield

III. Medical Nuclear Physics

This particular field pertains to:

• the therapeutic and diagnostic applications of radionuclides (except those used in sealed sources for therapeutic purposes)
• the equipment associated with their production, use, measurement and evaluation
• the quality of images resulting form their production and use
• medical health physics associated with this subfield

IV. Medical Health Physics

This particular field pertains to:

• 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
• the instrumentation required to perform appropriate radiation surveys