28 September 1999 Lisa (Foye) Depies ('83)

I am the co-owner (major stock-holder) of a small, private consulting company. My title is a Consulting Medical Physicist. I have a Master of Science in Medical Physics from The University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School - 1985. This was a 2 year program which I started immediately after graduating from Valpo in 1983. After my master's degree, I worked for a hospital radiation therapy center for 3.5 years, then, became a partner with my current consulting company here in Phoenix. The original owner/founder sold his stock to me before he died of cancer three years ago. I consult to various Radiation Therapy Cancer Centers for medical physics services.

When I went into physics at Valpo, I was still interested in Biology and Medicine. I took as much biology and chemistry that would fit into my schedules. As my senior year was drawing to an end, I began to research the various directions of physics that might involve biology or medicine. My father sent me information from Fermilab's Neutron Therapy Center. The article noted the involvement of a Medical Physicist. I found out there were three different aspects that might be of interest to me; medical physics, biophysics, or health physics. Medical physics involved more people/clinical situations which appealed to me.

Broadly, Medical Physics is the application of physics to medicine. Medical physics degrees include anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, health physics, radiobiology, and basic atomic physics principles and training. With a degree in medical physics, one can concentrate on the Diagnostic Radiology aspect, including X-ray, Fluoroscopy, Nuclear Medicine, Mammography, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI, or the Radiation Therapy aspect.

I have chosen the clinical radiation therapy side. Its general responsibilities include accepting and commissioning linear accelerators and other radiation emitting devices. We are ultimately responsible for the correct dose distribution and delivery of radiation treatments to patients and patient and personnel safety. The list of precise duties and responsibilities is extensive.

(Editor's note: I met Lisa in Phoenix in 1999 and had a delightful night out for dinner at which time we reminisced and filled in the years since she graduated from Valpo.)