How is Stony Brook unique?

Stony Brook University (SBU) is a public university and a member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The university status was established in 1960 and in 1962, the campus was moved to its present location in Stony Brook. SBU is classified as a Type I research university by the Carnegie Foundation, a designation that reflects the university's volume of federally sponsored research, high percentage of doctoral students and emphasis on scholarship. Particularly strong programs are found in Chemistry, Physics and the Neurosciences. Currently there are 19,000 students involved in over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

The School of Medicine was established in 1977 and the University Hospital opened in 1980. At present, the hospital cares for and treats more than 148,000 ambulatory patients and 21,000 inpatients annually. The Emergency Room receives 40,000 visits annually and has recently been renovated to more than double its original floor space.

The Department of Radiology is a fully digital environment with a full picture archive communications system (PACS). The Department conducts approximately 300,000 examinations each year. The Department of Radiation Oncology is a modern state of the art facility which is able to provide a full range of External Beam and brachytherapy (HDR and LDR) treatment. Active programs include 3DCRT, IMRT, respiratory gating treatment, IGRT, RapidArc, SRS/SRT and SBRT. The 240,000 square foot Medical and Research Translation (MART) building has been constructed and has a focus on molecular medicine. The MART houses a cyclotron to support Molecular Medicine research.

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a Department of Energy national laboratory on a 5000 acre site managed by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited liability company founded by Stony Brook University and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology organization. BNL houses unique tools including the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) and Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) that have been available to support research activities associated with the Medical Physics Program. There are also a variety of technical services available at BNL such as instrumentation, glassblowing, electronics, a clearn room, graphic arts, photography, heavy machine trade shops and central computing.

Many important landmarks in Radiological Medical claim Stony Brook University (SBU) or Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL ) as their birthplace. Important breakthroughs have included the invention by Lauterbur of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the Chemistry Department at SBU and the development of the technetium (Tc-99m) generator, Tl-201 and F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) at BNL to name a few. Potentially important innovations in Medical Imaging and the application of radiation for therapeutic benefit are now under investigation at these institutions including virtual diagnostic visualization at SBU and imaging research related to drug abuse at BNL.

The Medical Physics Track at SBU was formed in the Biomedical Engineering Department (BME) in 2002. The Track was devised to integrate research, education and collaboration between BNL and SBU scientists. The overall goal of this Track is to nurture challenging research for graduate students from the Biomedical Engineering Department of SBU by providing a learning environment and expanding the research opportunities to include the advanced facilities and expertise of scientists at University Hospital and BNL.

Since the Medical Physics Track resides within the Biomedical Engineering Department, the diploma indicates a degree in Biomedical Engineering.  Provided the student makes the request upon graduation and it is approved by the Program Director, a statement is added that indicates a concentration in Medical Physics.   In addition, students that complete a graduate degree and fulfill the Medical Physics Track requirements will be provided a CAMPEP Certificate signed by the Program Director.