| I’m writing to tell you about an exciting specialty in physics, the growing field of medical physics. Some of your students may be strong candidates for pursuing this clinical specialty—and for the Master of Medical Physics Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Medical physics, the branch of physics associated with the practice of medicine, is facing a significant shortage of well-trained and qualified specialists in therapeutic radiological physics, diagnostic imaging physics, nuclear medicine physics, and medical health physics. The shortage of medical physicists has a direct impact on patient care; without the expertise of medical physicists, radiation oncologists are limited in the sophistication of treatments they can prescribe for cancer patients.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Medical Physics (MMP) Program meets the academic and career needs of technically prepared college graduates interested in combining their interest in graduate physics with careers in medical research and clinical environments. Penn’s MMP Program offers the best, most well-rounded medical physics education possible, balancing classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences.
How does Penn’s Master of Medical Physics Program differ from others?
- Housed within Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies, the MMP Program is a partnership between Penn’s Department of Physics and Astronomy in the School of Arts and Sciences and the Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology in Penn’s School of Medicine.
- MMP Program courses are taught by expert faculty, from traditional physics faculty to clinical medical physics faculty to physicians who also teach at Penn’s School of Medicine.
- MMP students gain valuable clinical experience in world-class facilities at the University of Pennsylvania Health System’s new Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, including the Roberts Proton Therapy Center.
- Outstanding MMP students may be selected to stay on for a two-year medical physics residency in the University of Pennsylvania Health System—preparing them for certification by the American Board of Radiology.
Penn’s Master of Medical Physics Program may be of particular interest to some of your students who may still be finalizing their graduate school plans. I am sending your department chair a poster that briefly describes the MMP Program. I would be grateful if you would direct it to your students’ attention, or even share this letter with them or direct them to our website, www.sas.upenn.edu/mmp.
Students majoring in physics—or majoring in biology, chemistry, or engineering with significant physics coursework—are eligible for consideration. The program is highly selective; we typically accept only 12 to 14 students each year. The application deadline is March 1; priority is given to applications received before January 15.
Please contact me directly at 215.898.5574 or via email if you have any questions about the program. You can also complete a brief survey to tell me how you prefer that I follow up with you to provide specific information that would prove appropriate and useful for your students. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Stephen Avery, PhD, DABR
Director, Master of Medical Physics Program
Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology,
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania |
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