Duke University Medical Physics Graduate Program

We are delighted to congratulate Olivia Dickinson, PhD, advised by Dean Darnell, PhD, on the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation, "Enabling Wireless MRI Through Integrated RF Coils, Communications, and Synchronization Architectures for both Low-Field and High-Field Imaging Systems," on July 27, 2026.
Olivia's dissertation represents an important contribution to the advancement of magnetic resonance imaging technology, exploring innovative wireless architectures that have the potential to enhance MRI system design and improve imaging capabilities across both low-field and high-field platforms. Her work reflects years of dedicated research, technical innovation, and scholarly excellence.
Please join us in celebrating this significant milestone and congratulating Dr. Dickinson on earning her Doctor of Philosophy degree. We extend our sincere appreciation to her advisor, Dean Darnell, PhD, and the dissertation committee for their mentorship and guidance throughout her doctoral journey.
Congratulations, Dr. Dickinson! We wish you continued success as you embark on the next chapter of your career.

Congratulations to Breylon Riley, PhD (Advisor: Kyle Lafata, PhD), on the successful defense of their doctoral dissertation, “A Multiomics Architecture for Multiscale Phenotyping in HPV+ Oropharyngeal Carcinoma,” on June 17, 2026. Dr. Riley’s study focused on characterizing the tumor microenvironment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma to resolve clinically conflated phenotypes for precision medicine. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Riley on earning their PhD! 🎉

🎓 Celebrating the Duke Medical Physics Class of 2026 🎓
On May 9, the Duke Medical Physics Graduate Program proudly celebrated the Class of 2026 at the annual Awards and Diplomas Ceremony at the Washington Duke Inn.
This year, 17 Master of Science and 9 Doctor of Philosophy graduates were recognized alongside faculty and students honored for excellence in leadership, scholarship, teaching, and service.
Program Director Mark Oldham encouraged graduates to remain connected to the Duke Medical Physics community, and challenged them to lead the future of medicine through scientific expertise, innovation, and professionalism. In her student address, Njood Alsaihati reflected on her personal journey and urged her classmates to carry forward the program’s lessons of excellence, integrity, community, and responsibility.From heartfelt diploma presentations to shared memories and celebrations with family, friends, and faculty, the day marked an unforgettable milestone for our graduates.
Congratulations to the Duke Medical Physics Class of 2026! We are proud of all you have accomplished and look forward to the impact you will make in the future of medical physics. 💙

Read more: https://medicalphysics.duke.edu/news/celebrating-the-duke-medical-physics-class-of-2026/

On April 10, 2026, the Duke Medical Physics Graduate Program hosted its Annual Research Symposium, bringing together students, faculty, and alumni for an exciting showcase of discovery and collaboration. The event featured 30 research posters highlighting cutting-edge work across the field.
We were especially honored to welcome Irina Vergalasova, PhD, DABR as keynote speaker and recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award. Her leadership in brachytherapy physics, dedication to education, and lasting impact on the profession exemplify the very best of Duke Medical Physics.
The day concluded with recognition of outstanding student research—congratulations to all of our poster award winners for their exceptional work!
Read more: https://medicalphysics.duke.edu/news/medical-physics-graduate-program-annual-research-symposium-and-distinguished-alumni-awardee/

Mingyue Chen, MS, successfully defended her Scholarship Project titled “Reinforcement Learning for Automated IMRT Treatment Planning: Mathematical Formulation for Optimized Reward Function Design” on April 10, 2026. Guided by Jackie Wu, PhD and Yang Sheng, PhD, this marks an important milestone in Mingyue’s academic journey. Congratulations, Mingyue!

Big news from Duke Medical Physics! 🎉
We’re thrilled to celebrate an incredible achievement—14 of our graduate students matched to top residency programs across the country in the 2026 cycle!
From radiation therapy (RT) to diagnostic imaging (DI), this talented group of MS and PhD students is heading to some of the nation’s leading institutions. Their success reflects not only their hard work and dedication, but also the strength of the training and mentorship at Duke University.
👏 Join us in congratulating our outstanding graduates.
We are so proud of you and can’t wait to see the impact you’ll make in the field of medical physics!
Read more: https://medicalphysics.duke.edu/news/duke-medical-physics-graduate-students-achieve-outstanding-residency-match-success/

Great job and congratulations, Roberto Carrascosa, MS (Advisor: Scott Robertson, PhD) on defending your thesis on March 31, 2026, titled: “Development and Validation of Tools for Virtual Imaging Trials of Ultrafast Breast MRI.” Roberto Carrascosa’s research focused on development of software tools for simulating Ultrafast Breast MRI in order to optimize clinical protocols. This accomplishment reflects his hard work and dedication — well done, Roberto!

We are excited to share that Justin Simmons, MS (Advisor: Timothy Turkington, PhD) has successfully defended his Master’s thesis titled “Analysis of PET Image Quality Using 2D vs 3D ROIs in Small Spheres” on March 31, 2026. Congratulations to Justin on reaching this important academic milestone!

We are delighted to celebrate Katherine Moeser, MS (Advisor: Timothy Turkington, PhD), on the successful defense of her master’s thesis on March 30, 2026, titled “Respiration-Related Attenuation Artifacts in PET/CT.” Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

We are thrilled to celebrate Jingtong Zhao, PhD (Advisors: Chunhao Wang, PhD and Deshan Yang, PhD), on the successful defense of her Doctoral dissertation on March 30, 2026, titled “Explainable AI and Advanced Mathematical Modeling for Radiotherapy Outcome Assessment.” Congratulations on this fantastic accomplishment!