Abstract: This presentation was given at the annual PTCOG conference in Miami this year. It summarizes some of the physics research currently being conducted at MGH radiation oncology. A specific focus is on envisioning where physics research in radiation oncology might be heading in the near future and putting this vision into a proton therapy context.

About the speaker: Harald Paganetti is a Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and Director of Physics Research for the Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He received his PhD in experimental nuclear physics in 1992 from the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn, Germany. He has been working in radiation therapy research since 1994 and has made many significant contributions to the field of radiation oncology physics and biology, specifically in proton therapy. He has published about 300 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters and edited 3 books on proton radiation therapy. His research interests include planning and delivery uncertainties in radiation therapy, biological effect modeling, Monte Carlo dose calculation, advanced optimization and imaging techniques as well as understanding radiation induced toxicities and systemic effects on the immune system. His work has been funded mostly by the National Institute of Health, including 7 R01 grant awards as Principal Investigator throughout his career. In 2022 he received the PTCOG Robert R. Wilson Award for significant contributions to the field of particle therapy. For his efforts in mentoring junior faculty he received the A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award by Harvard Medical School. In addition to his research, he has been involved in numerous task groups and committees for organizations such as PTCOG, IAEA, ICRU, ICRP, IOMP, AAPM and ASTRO and served, for instance, as the Physics Track Chair of ASTRO as well as Therapy Program Director for AAPM. He currently serves on ASTRO’s Research Grants Evaluation Subcommittee and Science Council and is an elected member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP).