Physics Division

Physical dose conformation

We explore and develop radiation treatment techniques for optimum physical dose conformation to the tumor target volume. Our efforts are focused on proton radiotherapy and advanced photon treatments, as well as on their comparison.

Biological modeling

As a basis for treatment optimization we work on a variety of modeling projects including relative biological effectiveness in proton therapy, outcome models for the relationship between the dose distribution and clinical outcome, and spatial modeling of microscopic disease for gliomas.

IMXT/IMPT

Intensity modulation is crucial both in photonradiotherapy (IMXT) and in proton radiotherapy (IMPT). In particular, we develop robust optimization methods for handling uncertainty in IMPT, direct aperture optimization algorithms, VMAT plan optimization, and multi-criteria planning methods.

4D

We develop concepts and methods to consider the time component in the whole radiotherapy chain, from imaging over planning and optimization to treatment delivery.

Precision

To increase the precision of the dose application we develop new targeting techniques. To increase the accuracy of the dose prediction we perform Monte Carlo simulations. We develop in vivo range verification to enhance the precision of proton treatment delivery.

Therapy Imaging Program (TIP)

Supported by Federal Share of program income earned by MGH on C06 CA059267

(T. Bortfeld, G. El Fakhri, R. Jeraj)

TIP Mission

To achieve the best proton therapy treatment through advanced imaging.

To support NCI proton therapy clinical trials at MGH and elsewhere using imaging as a biomarker.

Opportunities

Several opportunities are available for students and postdocs.

Physics News in 2018

July 30: David Gierga, Ph.D. was elected as a Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM).

May 30: Jay Flanz, Ph.D. was re-elected as the Chairman of the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG) for the second term.

April 2: Jan Schuemann, Ph.D. is the 2018 recipient of the Michael Fry Research Award of the Radiation Research Society. Congratulations, Jan, on this well deserved honor for your significant accomplishments.

March 16: Stefan ten Eikelder will receive the Jan Hemelrijk Award for his Master’s thesis "Optimal fractionation for combined photon-proton treatments" from The Netherlands Society for Statistics and Operations Research. He also received the Tilburg University Master’s Thesis Prize 2017 and the Philips prize for Data Science in Healthcare, one of the Young Talent Awards of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities. Congratulations Stefan!

February 24: Susu Yan, Ph.D. received an early career scholarship award at the Winter Institute of Medical Physics

February 6: The HST 531 course "Medical Physics of Proton Radiation Therapy" will start on February 6