Welcome...

Medical Dosimetry
The field of Medical Dosimetry involves the measurement and calculation of dose for the treatment of cancer patients. Dosimetrists use their knowledge of physics, anatomy, and radiobiology to develop an optimal arrangement of radiation portals to spare normal and radiosensitive tissues while applying a prescribed dose to the targeted disease volume.

Kahn defined treatment planning as "...a process that involves the determination of treatment parameters considered optimal in the management of a patient's disease. In Radiotherapy, these parameters include target volume, dose limiting structures, treatment volume, dose prescription, dose fractionation, dose distribution, positioning of the patient, treatment machine settings, and adjuvant therapies. The final part of this activity is a blueprint for the treatment, to be followed meticulously and precisely over several weeks."


Overview of Dosimetry Teaching Modules
Our goal in these etaching modules is to foster the acquisition of dosimetric methods and concepts as well as provide the treatment planning tools and treatment planning programs to complete an educational foundation.

We will guide the individual through concepts as well as actual patient treatment plans that allow individual to practice their new found knowledge in a clinic type environment.

Each Module will provide a lesson, sample dosimetric cases, and help develop critical thinking. The lessons will be followed be a testing section designed to help the individule in a self assessment and gauge how much information has been retained.




A Brief Introduction of Radiation Therapy



A Medical Dosimetrist is a member of the radiation oncology team who has knowledge of treatment machines/equipment, is aware of procedures common in the clinic, and has the education/expertise necessary to produce radiation dose distributions and calculations for the radiation oncologist.

The Medical Dosimetrist is responsible for the Treatment Planning step in this workflow.    

Development Team
The development team is a part of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UNC – the Southeast’s oldest, and the nation’s sixth oldest training program in radiation therapy technology, established in 1969. The dosimetry program was started in 2001, and the radiation oncology residency program began in the mid 1970s.

Dr. Robert Adams directs the team that is developing these modules. Dr. Adams has extensive prior experience in both higher education and computer based learning. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Medical Dosimetry Certification Board where he is chair of the board’s testing committee. His primary project has been changing the national medical dosimetry certification examination from a 20 year old written format to a computer based testing model. The project is currently is in its third year and will be fully implemented in June, 2011.

Other project staff include:

  • Mark Kostich: Dosimetry Content
  • Eric Schreiber: Medical Physics
  • Gregg Tracton: PLUNC Software Development
  • Wallace Hannum: Educational Evaluation and Web Design Advisor
  • Elaine Zeman: Documentation and Management
  • Jessica Church: Administrative Support
  • Edward Chaney: Content Advisor
  • Julian Rosenman: Content Advisor
  • Russ Dean: Web Editor




Funding Support
This project is supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute awarded September 2009.








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