HEALTH PHYSICS MEDICAL PHYSICS

1. DIVERSITY IN HEALTH PHYSICS:
BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS
Saloni Chawla, Pratishtha, Alka Kataria
CENTRE FOR MEDICAL PHYSICS
PANJAB UNIVERSITY, CHANDIGARH

2. HEALTH PHYSICSINTRODUCTION
Health physics is branch of physics which deals with the
physical and biological perspective of human health. It is
the Science concerned with the recognition, evaluation,
and control of health hazards to permit the safe use and
application of ionizing radiation. Emerging interest in
health physics makes it the center of interest among the
other profession.

3. HEALTH
PHYSICS
Military
Medical
Power
Reactor
Environment
Education
Regulatory
Enforcement
and
Occupational
Safety

4. MEDICAL PHYSICS
• The field of Health Physics is related to the field of
medical physicsand they are similar to each other in
that practitioners rely on much of the same
fundamental science (i.e., radiation physics, biology,
etc.) in both fields.
• Health physicists, however, focus on the evaluation
and protection of human health from radiation,
whereas Medical Health Physicists and Medical
Physicists support the use of radiation and other
physics-based technologies by medical practitioners
for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

5. Medical
Health
Physics
Radiology
Radiotherapy
Nuclear
Medicine

6. RADIOTHERAPY
• This field deals with the use of radiation for
treatment of cancer by either killing or controlling
their number .
• It is divided into external and internal radiotherapy
based on the treatment .
• In External treatment the machine remains outside
of your body and doesn’t come into contact with
you. Radiation beams are directed towards the
cancer.
• In Internal treatment radiation source is put inside
the body or near the cancer.

7. RADIOLOGY
• It is an imaging technique in which electromagnetic
radiation especially X-rays to view the structure of a
non-uniformly composed and opaque object such
as the human body.
• It's commonly used to treat cancers but sometimes
used to treat tumors and other conditions, such as
thyroid disease and some blood problems
• It has two branches :
Diagnostic Radiology
Interventional Radiology
• CT Scan, Mri,Mammography fall under RADIOLOGY.

8. NUCLEAR MEDICINE
• Nuclear Medicine Technology is a diagnostic and
therapeutic science.
• Patients are given small amounts of radioactive
medicines called radio -pharmaceuticals which
emit radiation.
• They are prepared with care and before use they
are tested and approved too.
• Gamma cameras are used in this field unlike CT
Scan, MRI they don’t give any radiations.

9. POWER REACTOR
• They are responsible for protection at all phases of
reactor.
• Selecting, purchasing and maintaining radiation
protection, laboratory, and detection equipment are
someof theresponsibilities.
• In addition, survey and laboratory results are analyzed to
ensurethereactorisoperatingwithinprescribedlimits.
• They are trained to make assessments of the
potential environmental impact and to ensure that
the facility complies with federal regulations.

10. DEFENSE
• First is a career as a commissioned officer in
the department of the military
• The second path is as a civilian employee in
the defense.
• As a military health physicist one work in a
health care setting, in an industrial setting,
often as a radiation safety officer, or even
developing policy and regulations.
• There are some opportunities unique to the
military, such as duty at sea on a nuclear-
powered surface ship or in a submarine.

11. EDUCATION
• Upon completing a master's degree or PhD in
health physics ,teaching opportunities exist
• These programs offer health physics degrees at the
associate's, bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels.
• Health physicists in education may be found in both
college and university classrooms and laboratories,
as well as at off-campus training sites where they
supervise student instruction.
• Educators typically conduct their own health physics
research projects, often with the assistance of their
students

12. REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT
&OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
• Health physicists working in the different areas
and establish the future rules and regulations
regarding the manufacture, use, and disposal of
radioactive material.
• They also ensure current safety requirements
are properly implemented .
• Occupational safety aspects include work with
power companies ,industries manufacture
private-sector employers.

13. ENVIRONMENTAL
• This profession is most closely associated with
protecting the public and environment from
unnecessary exposure to man-made and
technologically enhanced natural radioactivity.
• Many of them are employed in environmental
surveillance for radioactivity, low-level radio
analytical, laboratories ,Instrument design,
radiochemical technique development .
• Decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) is an
area demanding environmental health physicists.

14. SPECIALITIES
NUCLEAR POWER
RADIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
RADIATION WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY
RESPONSE/PLANNING

16. REFERENCES
• www.careersinpublichealth.net/careers/health-physicist
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_physics
• hps.org/public information/hpcareers.html
• ruangbacafmipa.staff.ub.ac.id/files/2012/02/Health-
Physics-by-Herman-Cember.pdf
• www.cancervic.org.au/about-cancer/types-treatments-
trials/radiotherapy
• www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=gennuclear
• http://interactive.snm.org/docs/whatisnucmed2.pdf