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Meet The Faculty

Mayo Clinic radiation oncology faculty inspect a radiotherapy instrument

There are more than 40 faculty members involved in the Radiation Oncology Clinical Medical Physics Residency. Over 35 of the faculty are board-certified medical physicists, and the remaining physicists are on track to board certification. The faculty include Ph.D. and M.S. medical physicists who collectively have a wealth of experience in every aspect of radiation oncology medical physics.  Areas of expertise include all areas of clinical practice, basic and applied research, and education and professional activities, as demonstrated through leadership in national organizations, the certification and peer-review process, and educational involvement.

Many of our faculty members have published and lectured extensively and are highly regarded in their fields. Throughout your training, you will have direct access to the Department of Radiation Oncology faculty members.

In addition, there are more than 30 radiation oncologists who work directly with the physics faculty.

From the program director

Nicholas Remmes, Ph.D., Radiation oncology clinical medical physics residency program directorThank you for taking the time to research the therapeutic medical physics residency program here in Rochester, Minnesota.

Residents are trained on cutting-edge equipment in a busy practice with a wide variety of procedures. A physics faculty-to-resident ratio of over 3-to-1 means that residents have ample one-on-one training with ABR-certified physicists. 

Our residency program is structured a bit differently than most: instead of just two years of clinical training, we incorporate an extra year that allows residents to spend approximately one-third of their residency in clinically focused medical physics research. 

Having both three-year and two-year programs in the past, we find this three-year format better prepares our residents for the mixed responsibilities of junior medical physics faculty. The structure allows a resident’s clinical training experience and research experience to inform and complement one another, allowing our residents to enhance their training and develop lasting improvements in the quality of patient care. 

Minnesota Community has more information about Rochester, Minnesota, and the surrounding area. I expect you might be surprised by what the area has to offer. 

On a more personal note, I was a resident in this program myself before joining our physics faculty and eventually becoming the program director. I can still remember the sense of wonder I experienced in my first visit to the Mayo Clinic campus, and my words hardly do justice to the dedication the people of Mayo Clinic. As you explore our website, please do not hesitate to reach out to Elaine Eckheart or myself if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Nicholas Remmes, Ph.D.
Program Director, Assistant Professor of Medical Physics

Core faculty

Nicholas Remmes, Ph.D.

Nicholas Remmes, Ph.D.

Program Director

Residency: Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education

Rotation mentor: Protons-Gantry and Treatment Machine ATP, Survey, and Commissioning

Career interests: Proton therapy, radiobiology of ion therapy, Proton therapy for breast cancer, clinical applications of surface imaging, Medical physics education

Show more Dr. Remmes' publications
Joseph J. (John) Lucido, III, Ph.D.

Joseph J. (John) Lucido, III, Ph.D.

Associate Program Director

Residency: University of British Columbia, Anschutz Medical Center

Rotation mentor: External Beam Quality Assurance, Total Skin Electron Therapy

Career interests: Treatment planning, special procedures, quality assurance

Show more Dr. Lucido's publications
Debra Brinkmann, Ph.D.

Debra Brinkmann, Ph.D.

Division Chair

Residency: Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education

Rotation mentor: Radiotherapy Simulation, Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Career interests: PET and MR imaging for treatment planning and response assessment, image-guided radiation therapy

Show more Dr. Brinkmann's publications
Amanda Deisher, Ph.D.

Amanda Deisher, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medical Physics

Residency: Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education

Rotation mentor: Image-Guided Radiation Therapy, Protons – Dosimetry Planning, Radiotherapy Simulation, Respiratory Motion Management

Career interests: External beam radiotherapy for VT ablation, proton beam therapy for ocular tumors

 

Show more Dr. Deisher's publications
Luis Fong de los Santos, Ph.D.

Luis Fong de los Santos, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medical Physics

Residency: Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education

Rotation mentor: IMRT Quality Assurance

Career interests: Analysis and optimization of clinical processes, safety and error minimization strategies, assessment of RadOnc information systems, image-guided radiation therapy

Show more Dr. Fong de los Santos' publications
John Antolak, Ph.D.

John Antolak, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral clinical training: University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Rotation mentor: Dosimetry Physicist of the Day, External Beam Treatment Planning, Monitor Unit Calculation, Physicist of the Day, Plan Check

Career interests:  Respiratory-correlated radiation therapy, electron conformal therapy

Show more Dr. Antolak's publications

Advisers and mentors

You are assigned dedicated faculty mentors who can provide comprehensive educational advice and personal support. You meet with your mentors periodically throughout the program to review your progress and career goals and ensure that your educational needs are being met.