UMass Lowell Places 100% of Its Medical Physics Graduates into Residencies
04/01/2025
By Katharine Webster
From the time he was a child enthralled with science fiction, Aaron Fishbein knew he wanted to study physics.
Now, as a student in UMass Lowell’s highly selective medical physics graduate program, Fishbein has harnessed that interest to focus on treating cancer patients who need radiation therapy—and doing research that could make radiation therapy both safer and more effective.
“I got into this field because of the patient care aspect of it,” says Fishbein, a third-year Ph.D. student.
Medical physicists work with radiation oncologists to oversee the precise dosage and delivery of radiation therapy to cancer patients, in part by ensuring the safety and proper functioning of the treatment machinery. They also work in nu- clear medicine and with diagnostic imaging machines that use X-rays and lasers, as well as with MRI, PET and CT scanners.
To become fully certified by the American Board of Radiology (ABR), students need at least a master’s degree in medical physics from an accredited program. They also have to pass three exams.
But a master’s degree is just a stop along the way to a doctorate for the majority of students at UML, which has one of only two accredited medical physics Ph.D. programs in New England and one of about 26 in the U.S., says Prof. Erno Sajo, who built and directs the program.
Both the master’s and Ph.D. programs require two clinical rotations at one of Massachusetts’ teaching hospitals and cancer treatment centers, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, UMass Memorial Health and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Fishbein is doing a rotation in one of the proton therapy centers at Mass General in Boston—a rare opportunity, since it is one of only two hospitals in New England to offer the treatment.
Master’s students also complete a research project, while the Ph.D. program requires significant original research with a faculty member and a clinical partner.
All graduate students must publish at least one paper in a peer-reviewed journal to graduate. Due to the program’s rigorous requirements, UMass Lowell places 100% of its medical physics graduates into residencies right away.