About ME

2 quick things

I have been a practicing Clinical Medical Physicist for over ten years, with hands on experience on a wide-range of today’s equipment used for radiation therapy. I have an undergraduate degree in Physics, and a Doctorate of Medical Physics from Vanderbilt University. This type of doctorate from Vanderbilt is specifically designed for the clinic, not just advanced research. We learned how to work directly the machines and personnel, and interact with patients face-to-face. Since then I have overseen a thousand cases or more of all types, from brachytherapy, to external beam radiotherapy, to stereotactic radiosurgery.

I love to talk about what I do, because no know one really knows what I do! (More on this in a bit.) The feedback I have gotten from colleagues and patients alike is that I can discuss topics in a way that different people can understand. In Radiation Oncology, with highly-complex procedures, this is all the more necessary, and why I created Under the Beam!

My Passion is Empowerment…

You likely may not have known that Medical Physics exists, but my role is to make sure that every patient who comes to Radiation Oncology for radiation therapy for their cancer (or other conditions too!) gets a safe and effective treatment. In my years of clinical experience, one thing has stood out to me: the patient experience. Radiation therapy can be a black box of mystery, because you cannot see, smell, or even feel radiation as it is being delivered to the target.

When I have gotten a chance to talk about the process and answer technical questions for patients, I realized that if more people had a better idea about what was happening, they might do better. I have seen this play out time and time again in my experience too. When I interact with patients, they get more comfortable in knowing what is coming. Their demeanor lightens up and this difficult journey becomes a little more bearable. My passion is to help as many people going through their own radiation therapy journeys, by empowering them with the knowledge and the confidence to know what they can do to have the best possible outcome.

…For Patients and Providers

This type of communication is not an easy thing to achieve either; often times we, as healthcare providers, are visiting with patients and their families in the middle of a tsunami of information. This includes appointment dates, insurance claims, medical tests, treatment plans, and on and on. As well, given the complexity of radiation therapy to a person outside of the department, it can be especially difficult to explain even on basic terms what is happening or why radiation therapy can help cure cancer or relieve pain. Under the Beam aims to empower both sides of this patient/provider relationship, by offering communication techniques and general knowledge of what we do in Radiation Oncology every day.

Important do’s and don’ts for Under the Beam

While Under the Beam aims to empower patients and healthcare professionals with information needed regarding radiation therapy, it is crucially important to understand what we do not do. We do not give medical advice, nor do we diagnose, prescribe, or interpret personal health data. Medical Physicists are technical experts in this field; we work side by side with Radiation Oncologists and other Medical Doctor specialists when determining the best and safest course of action for a given treatment but we do not decide how much radiation to give in order to achieve the desired outcome of cure or pain control.

These conversations should be had with your doctor either during the consultation or while on treatment. What Under the Beam can do, is equip the patient with an idea of what to expect for this process or other related imaging exams, how these machines work, and how we use different imaging to treat cancer, among other aspects. Giving clarity to the unknown will be very useful in getting through the treatments, which is the best way a patient can give themselves the highest chance of success. I know you can do it; let’s do it together. See full Terms and Conditions for more information and disclaimers.