The Division of Medical Physics comprises clinical and research scientists with advanced expertise in diagnostic imaging physics. By combining broad medical physics training with modality-specific specialization, the division provides high-level physics oversight across clinical operations, research initiatives, and educational training, while delivering expert support that adapts to evolving needs and emerging technologies.
The division supports diagnostic imaging with primary clinical expertise in computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and nuclear medicine, complemented by cross-modality knowledge to support integrated imaging care. Its team members partner closely with radiologists, technologists, service directors, and clinical leadership to ensure imaging systems are used safely, effectively, and appropriately. Protocol development and optimization are central to the division’s work, balancing image quality, radiation dose, and workflow efficiency across scanners, sites, and patient populations. The division plays a key role in supporting accreditation and regulatory compliance and oversees imaging system performance and safety, implementation of new imaging technologies, quality assurance programs, performance monitoring, and resolution of imaging-related events.
The division also actively conducts and supports modality research, quality improvement, and translational projects in collaboration with other clinical and research faculty across the Emory School of Medicine. In addition, the Medical Physics Residency Program trains the next generation of medical physicists, and the division also provides structured education for residents, fellows, technologists, and clinical faculty across imaging-related specialties through lectures, workshops, hands-on training, and teaching embedded within clinical practice.
Through its integrated approach to clinical care, research, and education, the division fulfills its mission of supporting high-quality patient care, translating innovation into practice, advancing impactful research, and delivering comprehensive training in imaging physics.
Highlights and Accomplishments
- Within the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), Dr. Izabella Barreto serves as Chair of the Community of Medical Physics Educators Subcommittee, Vice-Chair of the Global Representatives Subcommittee, and member of the Global Needs Assessment Committee, Medical Physicists as Educators Committee, Women's Professional Subcommittee, and Public Education Committee. Dr. Shalmali Dharmadhikari serves on the Characterization and Quality Control of Automatic Exposure Control System in CT Task Group (TG392), Alliance for Quality Control in CT Working Group, and RSNA/AAPM Physics Module Subcommittee. Dr. Matt Goette serves on the Environmental Sustainability in Medical Imaging Physics Working Group and on the Addressing Barriers to Energy Savings in Imaging Operations: Nomenclature, Mode Definitions, and Implementation Task Group (TG463). Dr. Wendy Siman serves as Chair of the Safety, treatment planning, and quantitative pre- and post-treatment imaging and dosimetry for hepatic yttrium-90 microsphere therapy Task Group (TG378), and is a member of Nuclear Medicine Subcommittee, Acceptance Test and Quality Control Procedures for Pixelated Gamma Cameras Task Group (TG266), Quality Control of Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) Systems Task Group (TG367), Commissioning Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Dosimetry Software Task Group (TG454), and the Radioactive Microspheres Working Group. Dr. Xiangyang Tang serves on the Computed Tomography Subcommittee and on the Development and validation of dynamic CT for musculoskeletal imaging Task Group (TG465).
- Within the American Board of Radiology (ABR), Dr. Shalmali Dharmadhikari serves as an oral examiner for the ABR Medical Physics Certifying Exam.
- Within the Georgia Radiological Society (GRS), Rebecca Neill serves as Chair of the Physics & Radiation Safety Committee.
- Within the American College of Radiology (ACR), Dr. Shalmali Dharmadhikari and Rebecca Neill serve on the Dose Index Registry (DIR) CT Mapping Workgroup. Dr. Wendy Siman serves as Associate Editor of the ACR's RadExam and as an Invited Item Writer for the Physics Section of the ACR Diagnostic Radiology In-Training Exam (DXIT).
- Dr. Izabella Barreto and Dr. Wendy Siman serve as Associate Editors for the Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics (JACMP). Dr. Wendy Siman also serves as an Associate Editor for Medical Physics. Dr. Xiangyang Tang serves as Senior Editor of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine, Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, and on the Consulting Editorial Board of the Journal of Medical Physics - Zeitschrift für Medizinische Physik.
