Spring 2019 graduate of the Professional Science Master of Medical Physics (PSMMP) program, Sarah Price, will soon begin a clinical-focused residency as a medical physicist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The residency involves eight rotations, which includes Sarah getting hands-on and practical training, such as: providing patients radiation education, developing treatment plans, and providing quality assurance for patient treatments, among other duties.
At FAU, Sarah worked with thesis advisor Dr. Silvia Pella, DABR, and mentor Mr. Zoubir Ouhib, DABR, FAAPM, FABS, FACR. Dr. Pella and Mr. Zoubir are Chief Medical Physicists at cancer clinics - partners in education for PSMMP students. Sarah's thesis focused on a comparison between brachytherapy and external beam treatments for breast cancer.
When asked about her time at FAU, Sarah says, “I love FAU. I went to two other universities before coming to FAU and you feel like you’re not just a number here. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s at this university. You make connections and long-lasting relationships with the faculty, advisors, and your peers that I didn’t experience at other institutions.”
PSMMP Program Director, Dr. Theodora Leventouri, helped Sarah as an undergraduate student and throughout the master’s program. Sarah states, “I knew I wanted to pursue a medical physics degree, so I reached out to Dr. Leventouri for advice and support. She’s an excellent mentor for students, and the program would not be the same without her.”
Residency positions are highly competitive, and required to become board certified. There are only 90 CAMPEP accredited residency programs in the country where graduates can go to pursue a residency position. “FAU’s PSMMP program (one of the 58 nationwide CAMPEP accredited programs) graduates qualified and talented physicists – everyone who graduates here gets a job very quickly in this fast-growing field,” says Sarah. “The fact that I get to help people and do physics every day is incredible.”
