Greetings from the Interim Chair

Greetings From the Interim Chair

To our Alumni & Former & Current Faculty, Students, Residents, & Staff:

On behalf of the entire department, I am pleased to announce the most recent edition of the Department of Medical Physics Newsletter. As highlighted in this edition, the past year has been a busy one, with continued transitions in personnel, numerous research and education initiatives, and unexpected changes such as the sudden shift to remote instruction during the spring semester due to the coronavirus pandemic. A comprehensive graduate program “Curriculum Transformation” project that began in 2017 under Dr. Jackson has neared completion of a major milestone, with the creation of five new graduate courses and major modifications to several others. These changes bring novel content into the curriculum and increase the rigor and integration of concepts. I am convinced these efforts will have a major impact on graduate medical physics education well beyond the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My thanks to all faculty, staff, and students involved in this initiative. The department’s research programs continue to thrive and expand, thanks to the dedicated and inno- vative efforts of medical physics and collaborative faculty and very strong contributions from academic and administrative staff, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and residents. These efforts have led to research revenues and expenditures that continue to increase in spite of low federal funding levels and intense competition for such funds. Congratulations to all those involved in this wide range of research contributions! I commend our researchers for their continued success during these unprece- dented times and for continuing research while we have been working remotely. Your efforts continue to ensure the department remains at the forefront of medical physics research as well as graduate edu- cation and training.

With regard to philanthropy, I want to sincerely thank all alumni and present and former faculty and staff who contributed donations during the past year. I encourage each of you to review Page 24 of the newsletter to find opportunities for you to contribute to the continued successes of the department. Philanthropic support of each of the department’s mission areas is critical to departmental success, and this means of financial support continues to become increasingly important. Please consider contributing.

As always, we are eager to hear from our alumni and former faculty and staff. Please send any informational updates, such as changes of address, to Kristina Weaver, MBA (kweaver@wisc.edu). If your travels bring you to or near Madison, please let us know, as we would be very pleased to see you and schedule a department visit.

Finally, I want to again express my sincere appreciation to all active and past faculty, staff, students and residents, post-doctoral fellows, and scientists who establish, and maintain, the reputation of the Department of Medical Physics as a leader in innovative research, education, and service.

As a department, we are committed to fostering and cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment. We strive to provide universally remarkable care to each of our patients, staff and students. And, we aim to ensure accessible medical services to the citizens of our state.

It is a deep honor and privilege to serve as Interim Chair of such a phenomenal department. While I and all involved are immensely proud of past and current achievements, I firmly believe the future of this department is even brighter. On Wisconsin!

Stay healthy and be well,