• Medical physicists are concerned with three primary areas of activity: clinical service and consultation, research and development, and teaching. Clinically, medical physicists are called upon to contribute scientific advice and resources to solve physical problems arising in radiological medical physics. Medical physics research typically involves the development of new instrumentation and technology, the development of new medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and tests using existing technologies. Historically, this type of activity has been primarily in radiological imaging and radiation oncology, but now has a growing breadth of involvement throughout medicine.
  • Many medical physicists not only provide clinical service but also have faculty appointments at universities and colleges and are responsible for teaching future medical physicists, resident physicians, medical students and hospital technical staff.
  • Vanderbilt University offers the CAMPEP-Accredited Doctorate of Medical Physics (DMP) and the Master of Science degree in Medical Physics with a specialty in Radiological Medical Physics.  The Vanderbilt DMP and MS Program offers both therapy and diagnostic physics tracks.