Nuclear Medicine Medical Physicist

Job Description

The Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine is seeking an established medical physicist. This position will primarily provide Nuclear Medicine physics support and services to the Radiology Department. The candidate should demonstrate experience in equipment certification (acceptance testing, annual testing), shielding calculations, site planning, and technologist QA/QC in Nuclear Medicine. Additional experience in diagnostic medical physics duties is preferred. The candidate should demonstrate experience in dosimetry calculations for our theragnostic center and be able to work closely with the radiation safety office with respect to regulatory compliance.

This position will also participate in all facets of the radiology department, including teaching of medical students, residents and fellows.

• Physics support for clinical image interpretation to residents and attending physicians.
• Support and advise physicians and technologists on studies with anomalous technical issues.
• Troubleshooting of image acquisition, processing and interpretation workstation issues.
• Assist technologists with protocol optimization (e.g. acquisition and image reconstruction parameter settings).
• Create, maintain and modify custom data analysis software for non‑imaging studies (e.g. glomerular, filtration rate, red blood cell and plasma mass, blood dosimetry for I‑131); instruct physicians and technologists on spreadsheet analysis and developed improvements; special case analysis and processing of anomalous studies.
• Collaborative problem solving with technologists and Radiology IT staff on operational computer issues.
• Guidance to physicists on clinical x‑ray and x‑ray CT physics support to University of Maryland Medical Center.

• Technical lead for all PET and Nuclear Medicine equipment performance and quality control tests.
• Increased effort to ensure technical compliance with changing Joint Commission and ACR quality control and image quality standards with respect to nuclear medicine physics (PET, SPECT, gamma camera, non‑imaging instrumentation).
• Supervise and assist technologists with equipment tests required by Joint Commission and ACR.
• Prepare annual physics report as required by Joint Commission and ACR.
• Assist nuclear medicine technologists with preparation of ACR accreditation renewal documents.

• Didactic lectures on all areas of nuclear medicine physics and instrumentation, including dosimetry, radiochemistry, and kinetic modeling of radiotracer biodistribution (e.g. for absolute cardiac blood flow).
• ~ 40 lectures/year to NM residents – different source materials for each of the 3 years of residency to provide a broader perspective.
• Concentrated NM physics lectures for DR residents (1‑5/year).
• Instrumentation and laboratory tours for NM and DR residents.
• Interview and evaluate NM residency applicants.
• Nuclear Medicine Residency Program Committee member.

• Lectures to Radiation Oncology residents on nuclear medicine physics and molecular imaging.
• Instrumentation and laboratory tours for Cardiology residents during NM rotations.

• Expert evaluation of new imaging instrumentation options (e.g. PET scanners, SPECT cameras) including comparison with existing systems.
• Direct contact with vendors regarding new products.
• Provide recommendations on new equipment to department leadership and clinical hospital management.

• Special reports as needed on clinical, fetal and misadministration dosimetry.
• Dosimetry reports for risk management.
• Analysis of personal dosimetry monitors, e.g. conventional Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) badges vs. direct ion storage (DIS) dosimeters from Mirion (Instadose).
• Recommendations on deployment of different types of personal dosimeters to University of Maryland Medical Center and the University’s Environmental Health and Safety group that provide radiation safety services to the University of…