CST now offers a Professional Science Master’s in medical dosimetry. Led by Mulualem Kefene, program director and assistant professor, the degree has seen strong demand with 10 students currently enrolled.

Medical dosimetry is the science of calculating doses for patients who require radiation treatments. Medical dosimetrists collaborate with radiation therapists, medical physicists and radiation oncologists to design and generate radiation dose distributions while providing oversight to high-level treatment procedures.

Temple’s Medical Dosimetry PSM offers an interdisciplinary curriculum aligned with the curriculum adopted by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) and taught by Temple faculty and clinical experts. The program prepares students for the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board Exam and provides hands-on treatment planning experience through laboratory exercises and clinical practicums at various affiliate radiation therapy facilities, including Fox Chase Cancer Center.

There is a nationwide shortage of medical dosimetrists, creating a critical need for professionals to provide skilled care for those battling cancer. According to Zippia, an online recruitment service and career information tool, the projected medical dosimetry job growth rate is 6 percent through 2028.

“CST introduced the medical dosimetry PSM to meet the high demand for medical dosimetrists,” said Kefene, an experienced certified medical dosimetrist and medical physicist with a background as a certified radiation therapist. “Ours is the only medical dosimetry master’s program in the entire state of Pennsylvania.”