Penn's Master of Medical Physics Program Receives CAMPEP Accreditation

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University of Pennsylvania-College of Liberal and Professional Studies

Apr 04, 2011, 06:40 ET

PHILADELPHIA, April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Pennsylvania's Master of Medical Physics program (MMP) has been accredited by CAMPEP, the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs. CAMPEP is a nonprofit organization that reviews and accredits educational programs in medical physics. Accreditation serves as public recognition that a program or institution provides a quality education.

Accreditation of Penn's MMP program allows graduates to be admitted into a CAMPEP-accredited residency program and to take the American Board of Radiology board examination. The American Society of Physicists in Medicine recognizes this board certification as the appropriate qualification for the designation of Qualified Medical Physicist.

The only program of its kind in the Philadelphia area, Penn's Master of Medical Physics trains students to become specialists in therapeutic radiological physics, diagnostic imaging physics, nuclear medicine physics, and medical health physics. The program's curriculum is based on CAMPEP guidelines as well as American Board of Radiology board certification requirements. It is housed jointly in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the University's School of Arts and Sciences and the departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology in Penn's School of Medicine, which has been ranked as the number-two medical school in America by U.S. News & World Report.

MMP students at Penn are given the most well-rounded medical physics education possible, balancing classroom, laboratory, and clinical work. Students gain valuable clinical experience in the Penn Health System's new Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center, one of only seven in the country and home to the world's largest particle accelerator to be used for the treatment of cancer. The Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, which also houses Penn's Abramson Cancer Center and the Department of Radiation Oncology, is designed to create an ideal environment for patient-focused care and collaboration among healthcare professionals.

Penn's MMP courses are taught by faculty practitioners who are experts in their fields, from clinical medical physicists to anatomists to physicians who also teach at the School of Medicine. The program also stresses communication, ethics, and responsibility in both clinical and research settings, promoting the highest possible standards in patient care.

SOURCE University of Pennsylvania-College of Liberal and Professional Studies