At the University of Florida’s Department of Radiation Oncology, medical physics residents will gain hands-on experience across a broad spectrum of advanced radiation therapy technologies and modalities.
The program is structured to provide competence in treatment planning, machine commissioning and QA, workflow integration, adaptive techniques, and novel modalities. The equipment base is modern and diverse, enabling trainees to acquire technical depth and clinical versatility.
Rotations cover advanced clinical technologies, research opportunities, and structured didactic sessions to ensure comprehensive preparation for independent practice.
Residents also benefit from exposure to UF’s affiliated proton therapy facility in Jacksonville (the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute), expanding their training in particle therapy techniques.
Structured Rotations Totaling 24 Months
Medical Physics curriculum
Our training curriculum comprises eight clinical rotations. Our residents are assigned various responsibilities throughout the program in accordance with the progress of the resident in the practice of clinical medical physics. You will rotate through the areas of clinical dosimetry and treatment planning, machine calibration and quality assurance, brachytherapy and radiation safety, stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy, and other special procedures. You will also have the option to spend two weeks at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute for valuable proton therapy experience..
Training facilities
Clinical training takes place on the Gainesville campuses, where the Physics Section in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Florida provides comprehensive medical physics services to the Radiation Oncology programs at UF Health Cancer Institute Hospitals. The department currently includes eight PhD-level medical physicists and seven radiation oncologists, along with eight radiation oncology residents in training. The physics faculty share teaching responsibilities in the CAMPEP-accredited medical physics graduate program and supervise graduate students engaged in clinical and research training.
Equipment
The Department of Radiation Oncology on the Gainesville campus utilizes a comprehensive suite of radiotherapy equipment, including both Varian and Elekta linear accelerators. All the linacs are equipped with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and all the Elekta linacs have surface-guided imaging systems (C-Rad). One of the department’s signature technologies is the Elekta Unity MR-Linac, which enables real-time MR imaging and adaptive radiotherapy and represents one of only a few such systems currently in clinical use.
The department also houses a Philips Brilliance big-bore multi-slice CT simulator and a 1.5 T Philips Ingenia MR simulator dedicated to treatment planning. The RayStation treatment planning system (TPS) is used for conventional linac planning, while the Monaco TPS supports MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy on the Unity.
High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy is performed using an Elekta Flexitron remote afterloader with the Oncentra TPS. The Elekta MOSAIQ oncology information system supports patient scheduling, record-and-verify functions, charge capture, and other administrative operations.
A full complement of dosimetry and QA instrumentation is available, including IBA and Sun Nuclear 3D water scanning systems, diode and ion-chamber arrays, electrometers, and various radiation detection and measurement devices.
Please check out our technologies and clinical resources.
Additional modalities and equipment
- Techniques 3DCRT, IMRT, VMAT, TSET, TBI, SBRT, SRS, DIBH
- Linacs Elekta Versa HD, Unity MR-linac, Varian Trilogy, Edge (2026)
- TPS Raystation, Oncentra, Monaco
- Brachytherapy Flexitron HDR
- Radioligand Xofigo, Lutathera, Pluvicto, I-131
- Imaging Philips CT & MR simulators, C-Rad
- Instruments Zeiss IntraBeam, 3D printers
- Off site Proton therapy center (UFPTI)
The University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute (UFHPTI) on the Jacksonville campus is home to the first proton therapy facility in the southeast region. An IBA cyclotron with three proton gantries is in operation since 2006. Dedicated CT, MRI, and PET/CT are housed within UFHPTI. In addition, two Elekta linacs with MLC, EPID, and CBCT are used for photon beam radiotherapy.
Resident evaluations
At the end of each rotation, residents are evaluated by the supervising faculty physicist through an oral examination modeled after the ABR format to assess whether the learning objectives have been achieved. In addition, residents are required to deliver a 45-minute oral presentation to the department on a selected topic. Successful completion of each oral exam is required for residents to progress or graduate from the program. An annual comprehensive oral examination, also following the ABR format, is administered to assess overall learning progress throughout the residency
Resident expectations
- The resident will participate in the course on radiation oncology physics and complete all the requirements for the course in the first year.
- The resident will participate in the weekly Morning Chart Review Conferences.
- The resident is expected to give a minimum of five presentations, two in the first year and three in the second year, on topics relevant to their rotation or clinical project.
- The resident will submit a monthly written report on the tasks accomplished and activities observed/participated/performed during the month to the director of the Medical Physics Residency Program.
- The resident will observe and adhere to other rules and requirements of the department of Radiation Oncology at University of Florida and UF Health Cancer Institute.
Disciplinary actions
Residents may be disciplined for inappropriate actions or failure to follow rules and requirements of University of Florida and UF Health Cancer Institute. The disciplinary actions may include warnings, probation, and up to dismissal from the program.
