Research Areas

My research focuses on proton therapy, PT, for cancer treatment. This kind of radiotherapy has theoretical advantages over traditional radiotherapy with x-ray (photons) or electrons. The physical characteristics of the proton make it easier to minimize secondary effects, when treating patients with PT. Nevertheless, a number of issues need to be better understood and controlled in order to take full advantage of the physical characteristics of PT. One of those issues is how to calculate accurate dose distributions for a given set of radiation specifications. Proton dose distributions are more sensitive to the characteristics of the radiation and the environment than for traditional photon radiation. Another important factor is understanding the biological effects of proton radiation.