True Tales of Medical Physics

Since the discovery of the x-ray over 125 years ago, scientists and medical professionals alike have harnessed the power of the atom to heal and protect. This book brings together an all-star cast of high-profile and award-winning scholars, introducing the general readership to an often unnoticed yet societally vital profession - medical physics. This collection of personal short stories offers an informal, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of these esteemed professionals, encapsulating their transformative "aha" moments within a whimsical hodgepodge of instructive and inspiring anecdotes. They even pass on words of wisdom discovered from their diverse experiences throughout the academic, clinical, and commercial worlds. The wealth of information packed into these vignettes runs the gamut from practical career advice to lighthearted tales of humorous misadventure, providing a tremendous overview of the breadth and depth of medical physics as a career and discipline while imparting sage advice that extends well beyond the field. In his Foreword to this book Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, provides his strong endorsement of the life-saving work carried out by medical physicists and the profession as a whole.

Jacob Van Dyk is Professor Emeritus of Oncology and Medical Biophysics at the Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, and Former Head of Physics and Engineering at the London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP) of the London Health Sciences Centre. He has over 40 years of experience in the practical facets of radiation oncology physics with 24 years at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1971–1995); 15 years at the London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP), London, Ontario, Canada (1995–2010); and nearly two years at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria (2009-2011). During his tenure at PMH, he took a one-year leave of absence (1974–1975) to work at the Centre de Radiothérapy, Hôpital Cantonal de Génève, in Geneva, Switzerland.
During his recent years at the LRCP, he was associated with research grants averaging about $1 Million per year involving various aspects of the implementation of modern technology into clinical practice. Since retirement, he has worked on projects related to radiation therapy resource analysis in different income environments around the world as well as providing medical physics guidance in low-to-middle income countries.

He has won various teaching awards. He was elected Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine in July 1997 for his “contributions to the field of medical physics”. In 2004, he was elected Fellow of The Institute of Physics (London, U.K.) “in recognition of his status in the physics community”. In 2011, he was awarded the Gold Medal by the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP). This is the highest honour which COMP bestows on a member of COMP to recognize an outstanding career as Medical Physicist who has worked mainly in Canada. In July 2012, he was presented with COMP’s inaugural Fellow of COMP (FCOMP) award in recognition of “his significant contribution to the organization and to the field ofmedical physics in Canada”. In 2013, in view of the 50^th anniversary of the International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP), he was selected as one out of 50 medical physicists "who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of medical physics over the last 50 years." In May 2014, he was granted an honorary Doctor of Science (honoris causa) degree at Western University’s MD Convocation. In November 2019, the IOMP awarded him the International Day of Medical Physics (IDMP) award for “promoting medical physics to a larger audience and highlighting the contributions medical physicists make for patient care.” The IOMP is an organization representing nearly 30,000 medical physicists worldwide.

He has served as President of the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) as well as one of its examiners for multiple years. He participates on the boards and task groups of various professional, national, and international organizations. He also participates as Consultant and Lecturer for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO), especially as related to technology, quality assurance, and safety considerations in radiation therapy. While he served as Full-Time Consultant at the IAEA in Vienna, Austria, from 2009 to 2011, he continues to work with the IAEA as Consultant, especially regarding projects relating to low-income environments. He has been Invited Lecturer to conferences and courses in over 41 countries.

In addition to about 200 publications, he has published 4 books (~2600 pages) in 1999 (Volume 1), 2005 (Volume 2), 2013 (Volume 3), and 2020 (Volume 4) entitled The Modern Technology of Radiation Oncology: A Compendium for Medical Physicists and Radiation Oncologists. He co-edited Volume 6 of Advances in Medical Physics (2016).

His most recent activities include founding a new organization called Medical Physics for World Benefit (www.mpwb.org) of which he is has now completed his terms of office although he is still involved in various related projects. This organization is devoted to providing medical physics support to lower income countries throughout the world.