Last week, the UF Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) approved Dr Lynn Rill’s (DIMPR Program Director), request to increase the duration of the Diagnostic Imaging Medical Physics Residency (DIMPR) program. Effective July 1, 2019, the program will add an additional year to the existing two-year program. The additional year will be dedicated to nuclear medicine physics and will enable the program to train residents to become eligible for dual–board certification in both diagnostic medical physics and nuclear medical physics.
The new three year program will be one of a very few medical physics residency programs in the country to offer nuclear medical physics training. This will position the program to be one of the top programs in the nation. In fact, UF will become one of only ten accredited nuclear medicine physics training programs in the US.
UF Medical Physics has strategically positioned itself to effectively manage the additional year of residency. One of the more recent faculty members, Dr Stephanie Leon, is board certified in Nuclear Medicine Physics by the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine. Dr Leon also designed and effectively implemented a similar three year program at the University of Texas, where she previously worked. The program has also added Susan Stanford, the current UF Radiation Control Officer with Environmental Health and Safety, to the faculty. Susan will devote part of her time and effort in teaching some of the nuclear medicine safety rotations during the third year.
The current first year DIMPR resident, Dr Edmond Olguin, is equally excited about the additional year and the program is pleased to be able to provide him with this unique opportunity.
The DIMPR program, which began in 2011, has an excellent reputation and its graduates have all secured esteemed positions across the country.