Chair's Message
Welcome to the Department of Medical Biophysics at Western!We are Canada’s first Medical Biophysics Department, with a long tradition of integrating the fields of physics and computational modeling to the study of biological, physiological and pathophysiological processes. Medical biophysics is a critical player in the evolving clinical and translational research landscape and our faculty and trainees continue to contribute heavily as members of these growing disciplines.
Our faculty members are internationally recognized pioneers in the development and application of advanced techniques to study fundamental physiological processes. These range from the regulation of the microcirculation to the effects of the most prominent diseases of our time including neurological disorders, cardiac disease, musculoskeletal disease, pulmonary disease, and cancer - on the entire organism. What makes medical biophysics special is the ability to study these conditions at multiple levels of resolution – from the individual cell and its components to the whole organism within its environment.
As a faculty, we are deeply committed to offering the highest quality educational and research environments for both undergraduate and graduate students by providing unique programs and a wide range of research experiences. For example, in their senior years, undergraduate students have opportunities to train with dynamic faculty embedded in world-class research laboratories. Our MSc and PhD graduate training programs are research intensive, emphasizing hands-on learning through experimentation, modeling and increasing interaction with clinical populations and cohorts for the study of both acute and chronic disease. We also have a CAMPEP-accredited PhD training program available for qualified students interested in the extremely competitive and rewarding careers as a clinical medical physicist. At all levels, a degree in Medical Biophysics provides skills that are transferable to a wide range of industrial sectors and professions.
Our faculty members are highly integrated into the hospitals and research institutes throughout London, providing our students with access and training on cutting edge research infrastructure that is unparalleled in Canada. This ranges from Canada’s most powerful human MRI scanner at the Robarts Research Institute, to Canada’s first PET/MRI hybrid imaging system at the Lawson Health Research Institute, to state-of-the-art radiotherapy treatment systems at the London Regional Cancer Program, and to our new Translational Vascular Research Laboratories in the Core Department. Students are often embedded in clinical research projects, producing a unique cross-disciplinary expertise. The multidisciplinary nature of our field means that we have exciting opportunities available for students with a diverse interest in the physical, biological, and health sciences.
If you have a background in physics, engineering, biology, chemistry, health sciences, computer sciences, mathematics, or a related field, I welcome you to Medical Biophysics. Come and explore our educational and research programs and see how training in medical biophysics can help you start in a rewarding career working on the most challenging health questions of our time.
Jefferson C. Frisbee, PhD
Professor and Chair
Department of Medical Biophysics
