Imaging Physics Residency

From Our Program Leadership:

Dear prospective applicants,

Thank you for your interest in the University of Washington’s imaging physics residency program. The imaging physics residency program is a CAMPEP-accredited two-year clinical training program within the Department of Radiology. Our department is a top-10 academic radiology department in North America. Imaging sciences are an essential and integral part of the department, which provides imaging services that include state-of-the-art MR, PET/CT, CT, Mammography, x-ray, fluoroscopy, interventional, and ultrasound imaging studies. The UW Department of Radiology is internationally recognized as dynamic, progressive, and high impact in the field of Diagnostic Imaging. In support of this success are over 120 faculty that support 10 academic/clinical sections and multiple research groups. It has highly-ranked medical resident and fellowship teaching programs.

The Diagnostic Physics Section (DPS) resides within the Department of Radiology and consists of 5 ABR certified medical physicists, 1 currently in-process of attaining certification, 1 medical physics assistant, and 2 imaging physics residents. We provide coverage for most of the facilities within the UW Medicine system. The Imaging Physics residency training will occur at all facilities which are covered by DPS, offering a variety of clinical settings and experiences. Current and cutting-edge digital imaging modalities, including digital radiography/fluoroscopy, mammography, 64/128/256-slice volume CT, 1.5T & 3T MR, US, and PACS are in place throughout.

The mission of the imaging physics residency is aligned with the mission of our section: 1) to ensure optimized image quality and radiation dose throughout the hospital system; 2) to maintain regulatory and accreditation compliance; 3) to assist in supporting informed clinical decision making; and 4) to provide education related to medical physics principles. Specific to the residency, we will provide high quality training to imaging physics residents under the supervision of board-certified medical physicists. Training will encompass all aspects of clinical imaging physics, radiation protection, and patient safety so that each individual can practice independently in a successful diagnostic medical physics career. An additional mission of the program is to prepare the residents to take the ABR certification exams to become board certified diagnostic medical physicists.

The residency program will cover all aspects of medical imaging to include training in radiography, fluoroscopy, CT, MR, ultrasound, mammography, and interventional radiology. Training objectives in different content areas are designed to meet the CAMPEP standards. Even though this residency program will focus on diagnostic imaging, residents will also complete rotations in nuclear medicine and radiation oncology. Clinical training topics will include hands on acceptance and annual QC testing of equipment, radiation safety, MR safety, protocol optimization, and responding to physician requests. Our goal is to train the resident to understand the underlying physics, understand the regulations governing the department of radiology and imaging physics service, and have the confidence and competence to serve as an independent imaging physicist after the residency is complete. Training in ethics and professionalism, professional liability, professional activities and societies, leadership, collaboration, administration, accreditation and regulatory agencies, continuous quality improvement etc. will also be conducted.

Seattle, a vibrant city in the Pacific Northwest, is renowned for its outdoor recreation and large tech industry. From Mount Rainier to Olympic National Park to The Enchantments – there are endless possibilities for outdoor exploration. Other popular outdoor activities include boating, wake-boarding, kayaking, canoeing, biking, and even surfing! People more accustomed to city living will also feel at home. Seattle has a vibrant cultural, culinary, and music scene.

Thank you for your interest in our program. We look forward to training the next generation of talented imaging medical physicists.

Sincerely,

Kalpana Kanal, PhD, DABR, FAAPM, FACR, FSABI

Program Director

David Zamora, MS, DABR, FAAPM

Associate Program Director