Medical Physics Residency

MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper was created in 2013 through a partnership between Cooper University Health Care and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas – one of the nation’s leading cancer hospitals. Through this partnership, MD Anderson at Cooper physicians and staff adhere to the philosophy, processes, and guidelines set by MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, and patients receive the same proven treatment plans provided at MD Anderson.

The Medical Physics Residency is modeled after The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center's program and has four main components:

1. Rotations by disease site (e.g., breast, thoracic, head and neck, etc.) in which residents follow patients through the entire radiation therapy process. This structure allows important skills (e.g., treatment planning, chart checks) to be practiced throughout residency instead of in a specific rotation. 

2. Didactics, including journal club, presentations, and readings. Every week, residents receive one-on-one time with multiple faculty members for topical discussions.

3. Machine-based training, in which residents will receive long-term, in-depth experience with the whole range of equipment in our department.

4. Projects, in which residents are continually involved in actual opportunities to improve the clinic and expand its capabilities.

The Department of Radiation Oncology operates at facilities in Camden, Voorhees, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, and Cape May Court House. Residents work at all five locations. There are ten medical physicists on staff. Camden, Voorhees, and Moorestown are equipped with Varian TrueBeam linear accelerators and the AlignRT surface imaging technology. Camden also houses an Elekta Infinity linear accelerator (replacement with a Varian TrueBeam planned), as well as the department’s HDR brachytherapy program. Mount Laurel is home to an Elekta Unity MR-linac. Linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery treatments are performed in Camden and Moorestown, with treatments planned using Brainlab Elements and monitored with Brainlab’s ExacTrac Dynamic system. Conventional treatment planning is currently performed with Philip’s Pinnacle treatment planning system, with the intent to transition to Varian’s Eclipse TPS. Elekta’s MOSAIQ is the department’s oncology information system.

The Medical Physics Residency at Cooper is a two year program with a July 1 start date. The program is CAMPEP-accredited. We plan to admit one new resident each year.

Residents will have the opportunity to attend one meeting a year (typically AAPM Summer School in year 1 and AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting in year 2). Residents will also have the opportunity to visit other centers in their second year including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Applicant Statistics

Program Statistics