Medical Physics
Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre
Department of Medical Physics
The Medical Physics Department, accredited by the ACPSEM, is one of six main Cancer Centre departments that provide comprehensive cancer care services, train postgraduates and undertake basic and applied research and development.
The Cancer Centre has been established for 14 years. Its cohesive multidisciplinary team deliver international best standard of care to patients from across South Australia and has active outreach in rural South Australia, the Northern Territory and western New South Wales. It is involved in the state-wide Cancer Plan aiming to export multidisciplinary care across the whole State. The Cancer Centre provides the only public radiotherapy centre in South Australia.
(http://www.rah.sa.gov.au/cancer/cancer2.php).
The Medical Physics Department has primary involvement with the Radiation Oncology Department.
RAH Radiation Oncology offers a full range of world standard facilities. Its equipment and services include:
- Five Varian linear accelerators. Four have MLCs and EPIDs. One is equipped with on-board imaging and another fully optioned one will be installed next year at the satellite centre
- New satellite centre currently being built at the Lyell McEwin Hospital for opening in 2008
- Prostate LDR brachytherapy with iodine-125 strands and real time planning using Nucletron software
- Prostate HDR brachytherapy with iridium-192 and real time planning using Nucletron software and equipment
- Extensive HDR program for other sites including gynae, head and neck, breast
- Specialized services include total body irradiation and stereotactic radiosurgery (to be upgraded soon)
- Philips wide-bore CT Simulator
- Pinnacle treatment planning system, recently upgraded to IMRT-capable V8.0, with a RAID server and an extensive network including a dedicated Medical Physics terminal for beam modelling, research and development
- SXR, Mould Room, Data Management, Library etc.
Medical Physics Department provides services related to linac commissioning and extensive QA, high-dose-rate and low-dose-rate brachytherapy, radiobiology and radiation protection, linac and imaging equipment QA, treatment planning system commissioning and QA .Our service contributes towards the safe, efficient and appropriate care of patients undergoing radiotherapy by teletherapy, brachytherapy or unsealed radioisotopes.
The department has nine medical physicists, a physics technical officer, four radiation engineering staff, a radiation oncology medical physics registrar, a personal assistant and up to 11 postgraduate students. It has comprehensive dosimetry equipment, a fully equipped radioisotope laboratory and a range of humanoid, QA and CT phantoms. There is an electronic and mechanical workshop and a TLD laboratory. All physics offices have been recently refurbished to provide an excellent working environment. Provision is made to create opportunities for CPD, and physicists have a rostered day-off each week to provide time for teaching and R&D.
Teaching and research are vital roles of the Department. A very strong interaction exists with the University of Adelaide’s MSc and PhD programs in Medical Physics and the successful applicants are expected to contribute in a major way. This interaction with the University offers the opportunity for staff members to be highly active in research and development. Physicists also participate in teaching at the School of Medical Radiations, University of South Australia. Number of staff hold affiliate academic staff positions with the University of Adelaide.