Our residents come from graduate schools around the U.S. and outside of the country. They have a love of learning and a compassionate approach to patient care. Our residents come from diverse backgrounds, family statuses, and professional and personal interests. Throughout the residency, residents and faculty foster a collegial environment and education-focused culture that provides an inclusive and collaborative learning experience.

From the senior residents

Welcome to Radiation Oncology’s Medical Physics Residency! As third-year residents, we're very excited to share what we love about our residency program. Our residents come from a wide variety of locations and educational backgrounds. As residents, we're committed to learning how to provide quality compassionate care for patients in a setting where the needs of the patient come first.

Starting day one of residency, we have daily interactions with faculty and clinical staff. This promotes an education-focused and inclusive learning environment. In addition to structured education meetings, there is always a physicist available to answer questions when the need arises. As residency progresses, residents credential for coverage of physics roles such as pre-treatment plan checks, brachytherapy, and proton gantry physicist of the day. Residents cover these roles independently, but there is always a physicist or senior resident available for support when needed. This is the perfect setting to develop clinical competency.

As residents, many of us have different career goals, with different amounts of research and clinical duties, however, we're all passionate about learning the skills to practice clinically. Mayo Clinic has many procedures and treatments including smaller regional site practices, an active brachytherapy program, and large proton and photon external beam practices. There are many opportunities in research, commissioning, and the use of new technologies. Mayo Clinic has medical physics assistants who perform patient-specific quality assurance, ensuring that the work we as residents do is focused on getting the experience we need to succeed, without needing to perform patient specific QA to keep the clinic operating smoothly. The variety of projects and treatments makes it possible to focus on the aspects of the clinic that best suit us.

While training can be challenging, we have a great group of residents who support each other as well as a good work-life balance. We hope that you will consider joining our residency program. You will get to work with many wonderful people and see some amazing treatments.

Sincerely,
Sharareh Fakhraei, Ph.D., Jay Brooks, Ph.D., and Justine Dupere, Ph.D.
2023-2024 Senior Residents

Current residents

Learn about each resident's background, research/clinical interests, and why they chose to train at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Class of 2024

	Jay Brooks, Ph.D. Hometown: Bloomington, MN Graduate school: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: Treatment planning, contouring, functional imaging, machine learning, and treatment outcomes Hobbies: Camping, hiking, canoeing, guitar, video games, board games, volleyball Why I chose Mayo: I wanted to feel confident that I would be well-trained as a medical physicist and a clinical scientist. I felt that the program at Mayo had very thorough training in many clinical procedures that would give me many opportunities after residency.
	Justine Dupere, Ph.D. Hometown: Brentwood, NH Graduate school: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: Brachytherapy, proton therapy, Monte Carlo dose calculation Hobbies: Crossfit, weightlifting, soccer, skiing, piano, hiking Why I chose Mayo: The structure of the program. I really wanted to stay involved in research throughout my residency, so I prefer it being a three-year program with about one-third of my time each year spent on research. Mayo also offers a wide range of treatment modalities so I knew I would be able to get a well-rounded education here.
	Sharareh Fakhraei, Ph.D. Hometown: Shiraz, Iran Graduate school: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: Image-guided radiation therapy, respiratory motion management, adaptive radiation therapy, proton therapy Hobbies: Painting, piano, badminton, hiking and camping, cooking and baking Why I chose Mayo: I have always been inspired by the history of the Mayo Clinic, the quality of patient care, and its leading role in medical innovations.

Class of 2025

	Shaquan David, Ph.D. Hometown: Killeen, TX Graduate school: University of Texas at San Antonio (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: Developing Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy (SFRT) techniques for delivering nonuniform kV energy dose distribution to the tumor sub-volumes while minimizing dose to the surrounding critical structures Hobbies: Hiking, mixed martial arts, basketball, weightlifting Why I chose Mayo: The medical physics residency program at Mayo Clinic involves exceptional clinical training and research centered around solving immediate and potential issues in serving our patients. With excellent clinical training, research, and mentorship, I am confident this residency program will help me attain the necessary skills to become a qualified clinical medical physicist.
	Zachary Stottler, Ph.D. Hometown: Glenwood, MN Graduate school: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: Adaptive therapies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and Monte Carlo dose calculation and optimization in particle therapy Hobbies: Camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and cooking Why I chose Mayo: Growing up in rural Minnesota—far from Rochester—I came to revere Mayo Clinic as a world-class institution from an early age. After pursuing a doctorate in physics with an emphasis on experimental high-energy particle physics, I sought a career in medical physics to put my skillset to use in helping patients in the clinic. The wealth of experts working at Mayo and the established track record of interdisciplinary collaboration make it an ideal place to learn and participate in cutting-edge research aimed at improving patient care
	Xueyan Tang, Ph.D. Hometown: Qingdao, China Graduate school: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: Automatic treatment planning, adaptive radiation therapy Hobbies: Guitar, violin, camping, video games Why I chose Mayo: It is the No.1 hospital in the world, with cutting-edge equipment and a tier-one medical team. I'll be able to learn from the best to better serve the patients.

Class of 2026

	Dalton Griner, Ph.D. Hometown: Sandy, UT Graduate school: University of Wisconsin (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: AI and automation, data management, innovative imaging Hobbies: Rock climbing, backpacking and hiking, guitar Why I chose Mayo: No.1 hospital speaks for itself!
	Daiki Hara, Ph.D. Hometown: Austin, TX Graduate school: University of Miami (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: Particle therapies, spatially fractionated radiotherapy, radiobiology Hobbies: Fishing, snowboarding, bonsai Why I chose Mayo: Mayo Clinic's Medical Physics Residency Program has it all. The Radiation Oncology Department is full of state-of-the-art technology operated by experts in the field, and it’s all incorporated into a renowned hospital solving highly complex cases. As one of the longest-running medical physics residency programs filled with friendly, education-focused faculty/staff, I felt I could fully absorb everything these facilities have to offer.
	Cenji Yu, Ph.D. Hometown: Shanghai, China Graduate school: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (Ph.D.) Research/clinical interests: Image-guided radiation therapy, computer vision applications in radiation oncology Hobbies: Creative writing, basketball, skiing Why I chose Mayo: I chose Mayo for our dedication to patient care and education. Our program provides abundant learning opportunities with a variety of complex clinical procedures. We are also supported by caring experts who prioritize our personal growth and well-being.