Physics Colloquium: "An Introduction to Medical Physics"

Please join the Department of Physics in welcoming Alphonso Magri, Director of UMP Residency Program at Upstate Medical Physics, for his talk titled, "An Introduction to Medical Physics."

Bio: Alphonso was born and raised in Rochester, NY and completed his B.A. in Physics at the State University of New York at Geneseo. He then went to Syracuse University to pursue a Ph.D. After participating for a short time in a research group involved with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatory (LIGO), he switched his field of study to medical imaging. He became involved in the Syracuse Medical Imaging Research Group (SMIRG) where his research involved nonrigid registration and kinetic modeling of dynamic breast PET and MR images to develop a non-invasive method to detect breast cancer.

His desire to work with applied Medical physics brought him to Upstate Medical Physics in July 2009. In December of 2011, he graduated from the Upstate Medical Physics CAMPEP accredited residency program and became a staff medical physicist at UMP. After passing Part III of the ABR Diagnostic Radiologic Physics exam in 2012, Alphonso became a Diplomate in Diagnostic Medical Physics of the American Board of Radiology. Then, in 2017, he became the Director of the Upstate Medical Physics residency program. 

Abstract: Medical Physics is the application of the principles of radiation physics to medicine. Within the field there are three subspecialties, referred to as: diagnostic, therapeutic, and nuclear medicine. Each of these areas of expertise corresponds to a unique career path with its own body of knowledge and set of skills, though it is possible and not uncommon to become a qualified expert in more than one area. A career in medical physics is highly dynamic, whereby you may focus on research or hands-on clinical work; you may be employed by a health system or by a private consulting firm. The variability allows for a broad spectrum of career opportunities. I will discuss some of the fundamental principles and applied application of these in each of the three medical physics subspecialties as well as the pathways to becoming a medical physicist. If you are interested in a practical application of your physics knowledge, in an environment dedicated to patient care, then a career in Medical Physics may be of interest to you.