Medical Dosimetry Certification Study Guide

This study guide contains nearly 1,100 questions and answers to help in preparation for board certification. The questions have been prepared following the syllabus of the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board. They introduce the basic concepts underlying radiation therapy dosimetry and radiation therapy treatment planning and have been carefully written so that students will be able to confidently answer questions in any kind of format that may be found in the board examination. Answers are given at the end of each section and many include explanations with illustrations.

Govinda Rajan, K.N., is the Head of the Medical Physics & Safety Section at Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai, India. He is in charge of radiation safety and quality assurance of all medical institutions in the country. He has many years of experience in medical physics, medical dosimetry, and medical radiation safety. He has initiated several programs in India in the fields of mammography, diagnostic radiology, and radiation therapy to optimize diagnostic information to patient dose in diagnostic procedures and target dose to normal tissue dose in radiation therapy treatments. He has helped set up a Medical Imaging Laboratory in his division to test medical films coming into the country and to set minimum standards for these films. In the fields of brachytherapy and external beam therapy, he has developed Quality Audit procedures and audited several centers to ensure radiation safety and in-house QA.

His fields of specialization are medical dosimetry, development of air kerma strength standardization procedures for brachytherapy sources and beam calibration procedures for external photon and electron beams, indigenous development of ionization chambers for medical dosimetry and QA tools for radiation therapy, and implementation of dosimetry protocols at hospitals.

Dr. Rajan has contributed significantly to medical radiation dosimetry at the international level. He has represented his country in several Technical Committee Meetings at the International Atomic Energy Agency, relating to medical radiation dosimetry, medical radiation safety, safety and security of radiation sources, etc. He has also served as chief investigator/investigator of several Coordinated Research Projects of the IAEA.