Physics and Biology in Medicine Graduate Program

Current Students

Artificial Intelligence /
Machine Learning (AI/ML) Interdisciplinary Certificate

Computational Skills and Courses

Written Qualifying Exam

Thesis Committee and Oral Qualifying Exam

Defense

Rules and Regulations

Student Awards

Student Resources

Course Requirements

The following specialties are offered:

Medical Imaging

Minimum course requirement of 60 hours. The courses for the medical imaging specialty include the six core courses and six required courses, as well as the medical imaging specialty courses selected by the student and the advisor.

Molecular Imaging and Theranostics

Minimum course requirement of 60 hours. The Molecular Imaging and Theranostics specialty includes the core and required courses with the department, graduate courses from physics, engineering, chemistry/biochemistry, pharmacology, and biomathematics, and research study and seminar courses.

Molecular and Cellular Oncology

Students must demonstrate competence in the subject matter covered in the core courses. Because of the breadth of radiation biology and experimental radiation oncology, it is not feasible to design a single curriculum for all students. Instead, additional coursework is recommended by faculty in accordance with specific needs.

Therapeutic Medical Physics

Students must demonstrate competence in the subject matter covered in the core courses. Additional coursework is recommended by faculty in accordance with the student's specific needs.

Required courses:

A total of six (6) core courses are required.

Common Core Course (Core 1) for all students. All students are required to pass the following four (4) Core Courses with a "B" grade or better.

PB MED 200A - Physics and Chemistry of Nuclear Medicine
200A Physics and Chemistry of Nuclear Medicine (4 units)
Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor
Nuclear structure, statistics of radioactive decay, nuclear radiations and their interaction with matter, nuclear decay processes, nuclear reactions, and compartmental models. The physical and chemical properties of radioactive preparations used in nuclear medicine. Basic principles of nuclear medicine imaging, SPECT, and PET. (winter)
Instructor: Magnus Dahlbom, Ph.D
PB MED 204 - Introductory Radiation Biology
204 Introductory Radiation Biology (4 units)
Prerequisite: none
Effect of ionizing radiation on chemical and biological systems. (Winter)
Instructor: Keisuke Iwamoto, Ph.D
PB MED 205 - Physics of Diagnostic Radiology
205 Physics of Diagnostic Radiology (4 units)
Prerequisite: none
Production of x-rays, basic interactions between x-rays and matter, x-ray system components, physics principles of medical radiography, radiographic image quality, fluoroscopy, image intensifiers, special procedures, and x-ray protection. Laboratory experiments will illustrate the basic theory. (Fall)
Instructor: Michael McNitt-Gray, Ph.D
PB MED 216 - Fundamentals of Dosimetry
216 Fundamentals of Dosimetry (4 units)

Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Review of fundamental interactions of radiation and matter and introduction to fundamentals of radiation dosimetry. Overview of dosimetry instrumentation as well as radiation sources. (Fall)
Instructor: James Lamb, Ph.D

Common Core Course (Core 2): Two (2) of the following courses may fulfill the six-course core requirement.

PB MED 203 - Physic of Radiation Therapy
203 Physics of Radiation Therapy (4 units)
Prerequisite: 216
Radiation quantities and units. Radiation dosimetry, clinical applications in treatment planning. Methods of measuring radiation quantities. The calibration of radiation therapy equipment. (Spring)
Instructor: Nzhde Agazaryan, Ph.D.
PB MED 219 - Physics of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
219 Principles and Applications of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (4 units)
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Basic principles of magnetic resonance (MR), imaging physics, and contrast mechanisms. Emphasis on hardware, Fourier transform imaging methods, structure of pulse sequences, various scanning parameters and reduction of artifacts. Introduction to MR spectroscopy, MR angiography, and fast imaging techniques. (winter)
Instructor: : Kyung Sung, Ph.D
PB MED M248 - Introduction to Molecular Imaging
M248 Introduction to Molecular Imaging (4 units)
(Same as Biomedical Engineering M248 and Pharmacology M248.)
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour; outside study, seven hours. Exploration of role of biological imaging in modern biology and medicine, including imaging physics, instrumentation, image processing, and applications of imaging for a range of modalities. Practical experience provided through a series of imaging laboratories. Letter grading. (Spring)
Instructors: Arion Hadjioannou, Ph.D
PB MED 223 - Radiation Biology Seminar
223 Seminars in Radiation Biology (4 units)
Prerequisite or co-requisite: course 204.
Topics of current interest in radiation biology presented by faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students from various departments and other universities. Discussion of ongoing research, as well as relevant journal articles. Topics vary from term to term. One student oral presentation required. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading. (Spring)
Instructor: Nicholas Cacalano, Ph.D

Other required courses:

PB MED 217 - Statistics & Data Analysis in Biomedical Physics
217 Physics and Biology in Medicine Statistics & Data Analysis (2 units)

Recommended requisites: Mathematics 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B. Introduction to computer-based statistical concepts, data analysis, and experimental design within biomedical physics research. Standard statistical packages and various statistical computing algorithms on relevant data sets within the radiological sciences. (Fall)
Instructor: Grace Kim, Ph.D
PB MED 218 - Radiological Functional Anatomy
218 Radiologic Functional Anatomy (4 units)

Introduction to human anatomy as visualized through radiological and nuclear medicine imaging modalities such as X ray, CT, MRI, sonogram, PET, and SPECT. (Fall)
Instructor: Allan MacKenzie-Graham, Ph.D.
PB MED 227 - Current and Future Role of Biomedical Physics in Human Disease
227 Human Disease - Current and Future Role of Biomedical Physics (4 units)

This course will describe the present and future roles of Biomedical Physics in the diagnosis and treatment of human disease, focusing on the interdisciplinary nature of this field. This will include exploration of two diseases in depth with detailed description of the roles of physics-based diagnostic imaging and therapeutic options for each disease. Description of current and future technologies, as well as techniques that exploit interaction between diagnosis and therapy. (Spring)
Co-Instructors: TBA
PB MED 260A - Seminar: Physics and Biology in Medicine - Fall (required of all 1st year students)
260A Physics and Biology in Medicine Seminar (1 unit)

Joint critical study by students and instructors in fields of knowledge pertaining to biomedical physics. Periodic contributions by visiting scientists. Discussion of research in progress. Student presentations required in spring term. May be repeated. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading. (Fall)
Instructor: Michael McNitt-Gray, Ph.D
PB MED 260B - Seminar: Physics and Biology in Medicine - Winter (required of all 1st year students)
260B Physics and Biology in Medicine Seminar (1 unit)

Joint critical study by students and instructors in fields of knowledge pertaining to biomedical physics. Periodic contributions by visiting scientists. Discussion of research in progress. Student presentations required in spring term. May be repeated. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading. (Winter)
Instructor: Michael McNitt-Gray, Ph.D
PB MED 260C - Seminar: Physics and Biology in Medicine - Spring (required of all 1st year students)
260C Physics and Biology in Medicine Seminar (1 unit)

Joint critical study by students and instructors in fields of knowledge pertaining to biomedical physics. Periodic contributions by visiting scientists. Discussion of research in progress. Student presentations required in spring term. May be repeated. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading. (Spring)
Instructor: Michael McNitt-Gray, Ph.D

Elective Courses:

PB MED 200B - Nuclear Medicine Instrumentation
200B Nuclear Medicine Instrumentation (4 units)
Prerequisite: 200A or equivalent
Introduction to nuclear medicine instrumentation including well ionization chambers, probe and well scintillation detectors, scintillation cameras, and single photon and positron emission computed tomography. (spring)
Instructor: Magnus Dahlbom, Ph.D
PB MED 207 - Monte Carlo Methods with Application for the Radiological Sciences
207 Monte Carlo Methods with Applications for the Radiological Sciences (4 units)
Prerequiaites: 216, 205, 200A, or consent of instructor
Introduction to the Monte Carlo method with application to radiation transport of charged and uncharged particles. Specific applications in the radiological sciences. (Spring)
Instructor: James Lamb, Ph.D | Youming Yang, Ph.D
PB MED M209 - Signal and Image Processing for Biomedicine
M209 Signal and Image Processing for Biomedicine
(Same as Bioengineering M209)
Preparation: basic calculus or linear algebra and undergraduate probability.
Lecture, three hours. Mathematics and statistical fundamentals prevalent in biomedical physics studies. Notion and basic descriptions of linear shift-invariance and point spread functions in continuous and discrete time. Discussion of signal subspace methods, correlation and independence, principal component analysis, and independent component analysis. Basic ideas in inverse problems and optimization. Application in medical and signal processing. Development of geometric and informatics intuitions behind mathematics and statistics. Light derivations and MATLAB programming. S/U or letter grading.
PB MED 210 - Computer Vision in Medical Imaging
210 Computer Vision in Medical Imaging (4 units)
Prerequisite: The lectures cover AI basics and build to novel emerging methods, prior experience is not required. Familiarity with Python is useful for lab work but can be learned during the course. PBMED 209 provides a useful foundation in image processing and AI techniques
The AI of the future will be capable of human-like thinking. New approaches in Cognitive AI combine data-driven machine learning with human knowledge and reasoning to increase real-world reliability and trustworthiness. In this course you will learn the building blocks of machine learning, deep learning, and image processing. You will gain insights into their limitations and explore Cognitive AI solutions that improve performance in critical real-world decision making. You will have the opportunity to build a working system for computer vision in medical imaging and gain practical experience using AI packages and open software platforms. This course satisfies a component of the requirements for the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning in Medical Physics. (Winter)
Instructor: Matt Brown, Ph.D
PB MED 215 - Breast Imaging Physics and Instrumentation
215 Breast Imaging Physics and Instrumentation (1 unit)
Prerequisite: course 205. Lecture, 1 hour
Special requirements of mammography, design of dedicated mammography X-ray units from generators and tubes. Stereotactic biopsy units, cost/benefit controversy of screening mammography, digital mammography, tomosynthesis and MQSA regulations. S/U grading only. (spring)
Instructor: Thomas Oshiro, Ph.D
PB MED 219 - Principles and Applications of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
219 Principles and Applications of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (4 units)
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Basic principles of magnetic resonance (MR), imaging physics, and contrast mechanisms. Emphasis on hardware, Fourier transform imaging methods, structure of pulse sequences, various scanning parameters and reduction of artifacts. Introduction to MR spectroscopy, MR angiography, and fast imaging techniques. (winter)
Instructor: Kyung Sung, Ph.D
PB MED 222 - Advances in Medical Magnetic Resonance: Clinical MR Spectroscopy & Fast MRI Techniques
222 Advances in Medical Magnetic Resonance: Clinical MR Spectroscopy & Fast MRI Techniques (4 units)
Prerequisites: course 219, Physics 8E.
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Basic principles of NMR spectroscopy, localized spectroscopic sequences on a whole body environment, single/multishot localization, water/fat suppression, chemical shift imaging sequences, processing with multidimensional Fourier transforms, gradient/spin-echo based echo-planar imaging, diffusion/perfusion imaging techniques. (Fall)
Instructor: Albert Thomas, Ph.D
PB MED 229 - Advanced Topics in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
229 Advanced Topics in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (4 units)
Enforced Requisite: course M219.
Lecture, four hours. Designed for students interested in pursuing research related to development or translation of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. Basic tools and understanding of recent MRI developments that have had high impact on field, involve novel pulse sequence design or image reconstructions, and enable imaging of anatomy or function in way that surpasses what is currently possible with any modality. Topics include in-depth sequence simulation, RF pulse design, rapid image acquisition, parallel imaging, compressed sensing, image reconstruction and processing, motion encoding and compensation, chemical-shift imaging and understanding, and understanding/avoiding artifacts. Programming exercises in Matlab to provide hands-on experience. Letter grading.
Instructors: Holden Wu, Ph.D
PB MED M230 - Computed Tomography: Theory and Applications
M230 Computed Tomography: Theory and Applications (4 units)

(Same as Biomathematics M230.) Computed tomography is a three-dimensional imaging technique being widely used in radiology and is becoming an active research area in biomedicine. Basic principles of computed tomography (CT), various reconstruction algorithms, special characteristics of CT, physics in CT, and various biomedical applications. (Winter)
Instructor: Henry Huang, Ph.D
PB MED 231 - Advanced Treatment Planning in Radiation Therapy
231 Advanced Treatment Planning in Radiation Therapy (4 Units)
Lecture, four hours. Enforced requisites: courses PB MED 203, 216.
Designed to provide theoretical and practical understanding of treatment planning techniques utilized in radiation therapy. Topics include clinical treatment planning work flow, general planning principles and strategies, and specific considerations for various treatment delivery modalities and advanced treatment techniques. Detailed discussion on dose calculation algorithms and inversed planning and optimization. Clinical treatment planning demonstration using commercial treatment planning systems used to provide practical understanding of clinical applications and implementation. S/U or letter grading.
Instructors: Minsong Cao, Ph.D | Dylan O'Connell, Ph.D
PB MED 232 - Image Guided Radiation Therapy
232 Image Guided Radiation Therapy (4 Units)
Lecture, four hours. Enforced requisites: courses PB MED 203, 216.
This course is designed to provide students a theoretical and practical understanding of the processes and equipment used for image guided radiation therapy. The course will emphasize in-room imaging systems, including their operating principles, manufacturing, workflows, and quality assurance. Detailed discussions of the hardware, image acquisition, and image processing will provide the student with an understanding of the theoretical and practical benefits and challenges of each technology. Discussions about clinical workflow and quality assurance will provide more practical information that the student will be able to use to understand the clinical value and implementation challenges for each technology. S/U or letter grading.
Instructors: Daniel Low, Ph.D | Jack Neylon, Ph.D
MIMG C234 - Ethics and Accountability in Biomedical Research
C234 Ethics and Accountability in Biomedical Research (2 units)
Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG)
Seminar, two hours. Designed for graduate students and undergraduates who have credit for a life sciences or biomedical individual studies 199 course. Responsibilities and ethical conduct of investigators in research, data management, mentorship, grant applications, and publications. Responsibility to peers, sponsoring institutions and society. Conflicts of interest, disclosure, animal subject welfare, human subject protection, and areas in which investigational goals and certain societal values may conflict. Concurrently scheduled with course C134. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading.
Instructor: Lynn T. Yamamoto, Ph.D
PB MED M236 - Contrast Mechanisms and Quantification in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
M236 Contrast Mechanisms and Quantification in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (4 units; formerly PB Med 225)
Prerequisite: course M219. Lecture, four hours.
Introduction to magnetic resonance contrast mechanisms and quantification techniques in magnetic resonance imaging. Topics include exogenous and endogenous contrast mechanisms, measuring tissue perfusion and permeability, advanced diffusion and q-space analysis, chemical exchange and magnetization transfer imaging, and relaxometry. Letter Grading only. (Spring)
Instructors: Benjamin Ellingson, Ph.D and Jingwen Yao, Ph.D.
PB MED M248 - Introduction to Molecular Imaging
M248 Introduction to Molecular Imaging (4 units)
(Same as Biomedical Engineering M248 and Pharmacology M248.)
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour; outside study, seven hours. Exploration of role of biological imaging in modern biology and medicine, including imaging physics, instrumentation, image processing, and applications of imaging for a range of modalities. Practical experience provided through a series of imaging laboratories. Letter grading. (Winter)
Instructors: Arion Hadjioannou, Ph.D
PB MED 268 - Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry
268 Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry (4 units)
Lecture, four hours. Prerequisites: course PB MED M248
Current concepts in radioactive pharmaceutical agents in clinical use, including promising investigational agents. Utilization of short-lived, cyclotron-produced isotopes in radiopharmaceuticals. Rational design of radiodiagnostic agents. (Fall)
Instructor: Michael van Dam, Ph.D
PB MED 286 - Image Registration Techniques
286 Image Registration Techniques (4 unites)
Preparation: strong mathematical background.
(Formerly numbered Biomedical Physics 286.) Lecture, four hours. Examination of state-of-art image registration methods that exist today. Mathematical descriptions of each different class of registration methods and two-dimensional/three-dimensional/four-dimensional implementation details. Programming of registration methods in Matlab/C/C++/CUDA/JAVA interfaces so students learn all registration methods currently investigated. Letter grading.
Instructors: TBA

Introductory Lab Rotation - Physics and Biology in Medicine:

PB MED 202A* - Applications of Medical Physics to Clinical Problems: Nuclear Medicine
202A Application of Medical Physics to Clinical Problems: Nuclear Medicine (4 units)
Prerequisite: 200B
Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 202B* - Applications of Medical Physics to Clinical Problems: Mammography
202B Applications of Medical Physics to Clinical Problems: Mammography (1 unit)
Requisites: courses 200A, 205
Clinic, one hour. Focuses on the technical aspects of producing quality mammographic images and discusses strategies for reducing artifacts and lowering patient dose. Specialty systems and regulatory aspects related to mammography systems will also be reviewed. S/U grading.
PB MED 202C* - Applications of Medical Physics to Clinical Problems: Radiation Therapy
202C Applications of Medical Physics to Clinical Problems: Radiation Therapy (4 units)
Prerequisites: 203, 204, 208B, 221
Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 220A* - Physics and Biology in Medicine Introductory Lab Rotation: Biophysics
220A Physics and Biology in Medicine Introductory Lab Rotation: Molecular Imaging (2 units)

Laboratory projects to provide students with introduction to the field. One oral and one written presentation required. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading.

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 220B* - Physics and Biology in Medicine Introductory Lab Rotation: Medical Imaging
220B Physics and Biology in Medicine Introductory Lab Rotation: Medical Imaging (2 units)

Laboratory projects to provide students with introduction to the field. One oral and one written presentation required. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading.

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 220C* - Physics and Biology in Medicine Introductory Lab Rotation: Therapeutic Medical Physics
220C Physics and Biology in Medicine Introductory Lab Rotation: Therapeutic Medical Physics (2 units)

Laboratory projects to provide students with introduction to the field. One oral and one written presentation required. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading.

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 220D* - Physics and Biology in Medicine Introductory Lab Rotation: Radiation Biology & Experimental Radiation
220D Physics and Biology in Medicine Introductory Lab Rotation: Radiation Biology & Experimental Radiation Therapy (2 units)

Laboratory projects to provide students with introduction to the field. One oral and one written presentation required. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading.

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.

Independent Research Courses - Physics and Biology in Medicine:

PB MED 495* - Physics and Biology in Medicine Special Studies
495 Physics and Biology in Medicine Special Studies (4 units)

Seminar, two hours; laboratory, four hours. Teaching assistance in graduate laboratory courses under supervision of a faculty member. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading .

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 596* - Physics and Biology in Medicine Research
596 Physics and Biology in Medicine Research (4 to 12 units)

Directed individual study or research. Only one 596 course may be applied toward M.S. degree requirements. May be repeated for credit.

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 597* - Preparation for Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations
597 Preparation for Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations. (4 units)
May not be applied toward M.S. degree requirements. May not be repeated. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading .

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 598* - Research for and Preparation of M.S. Thesis
598 Research for and Preparation of M.S. Thesis (4 to 12 units)

Two 598 courses (or 598 and 596 combined) may be applied toward M.S. degree requirements. May be repeated. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading .

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.
PB MED 599* - Research for Ph.D. Dissertation
599 Research for Ph.D. Dissertation (4 to 12 units)
Preparation: successful completion of screening examinations. Research for and preparation of Ph.D. dissertation. May be repeated. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading.

Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.

* Requires completion of a Contract for Independent Study, Clinics, and Lab Rotations. Please see Ms. Im for course contract.