From Particle Physics to Medical Physics

I completed a PhD in experimental particle physics in 2007 as a member of the Collider Detector at Fermilab Collaboration. I continued as a postdoc at CDF for three years, but eventually decided I wanted a career with more hands-on, real-world impact. I chose medical physics, and after completing a clinical residency and certificate course, I’m a board-certified clinical medical physicist in Radiation Oncology. I have a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School, which gives me the opportunity for research and development work and teaching in addition to my clinical work at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In this talk, I’ll discuss my pathway to medical physics, my day-to-day life now, and what skills carried over from my doctoral training in basic physics.