Medical physics education faces unique challenges as healthcare technology continues to advance at a rapid pace. Dr. Jason Stanford, a medical physicist specializing in therapeutic applications, offers valuable insights into preparing the next generation for this evolving field. Originally from Jamaica and now practicing in the United States, he brings a perspective shaped by both technical rigor and a deep commitment to compassionate care in modern medical physics.
Discovering Medical Physics in the US
Dr. Stanford’s path into medical physics wasn’t something he mapped out from the start. “For me, it’s partly fate, partly deliberate decisions,” he reflects. A scholarship brought him from Jamaica to the United States to study radiological science, where he first encountered medical physics as a career option. “I had an affinity for the science, and it fit perfectly well. It blended with my personal belief of trying to help, especially those who are vulnerable.” Today, Dr. Stanford specializes in therapeutic applications, working primarily with cancer patients. “I spend most of my time helping patients who are diagnosed with cancer, preparing and delivering the appropriate treatment to them,” he explains. It is a role that demands technical precision but also carries profound human impact.
Looking ahead, Dr. Stanford believes medical physics education is at a turning point. “Medical physics stands at the intersection of science, compassion, and art, in the sense that each patient is unique,” he says. The field is simultaneously embracing artificial intelligence and navigating the need to maintain safety standards and efficiency. As he puts it, medical physicists are “the hardcore science behind the delivery of cancer care,” making their training more complex than ever. The profession itself has evolved significantly. “A medical physicist is really the blend between executive leadership, administration, and the clinical,” Stanford observes. That shift means students must not only master technical skills but also learn to communicate across teams and understand the business side of healthcare. “Efficiency and turning profits are very important,” he notes, a reality that today’s trainees cannot afford to overlook.
Mastering Core Skills for Success
When he talks about the skills medical physicists need today, he is clear and specific. “A physicist has to be very analytical, detail oriented, and in their day-to-day approach, be proactive. You can consider it a rule that physicists should deliver the best results and solve problems before they arise.” In other words, the job is about preventing problems, not just fixing them. The days of staying behind the scenes are over. “Oftentimes a physicist would be the technical person who’s behind the scene. But now a medical physicist is very much involved and integrated in day-to-day patient care,” Dr. Stanford explains. Advanced technology demands that physicists not only ensure systems work efficiently and safely but also build broader knowledge and stronger people skills.
Artificial intelligence is another area Dr. Stanford sees as both an opportunity and a challenge. “The first aspect is the ethical aspect of artificial intelligence. How do we deploy it while keeping at our core that our primary role is to ensure that we do no harm and maintain safety,” he says. Safety, he insists, cannot be sacrificed for efficiency. He also emphasizes that training must now include business leadership. “Physicists are now emerging from technical roles to being in executive leadership positions,” Dr. Stanford points out. The pressing question, he says, is “how do you ensure that the business bottom line remains profitable? Not at the expense of safety and compromising quality care.”
Building Simulation and Global Networks
Simulation, Dr. Stanford explains, is at the heart of medical physics. “The very aspect of what we do as physicists entails simulation. It’s basically developing what the treatment will look like and entail before we actually deliver the treatment,” he says. The reason is simple: once radiation is delivered to a patient, it cannot be taken back. He also believes international collaboration could help address some of the field’s biggest challenges. In emerging economies, he sees both technological and financial barriers. “There’s a technological barrier and there’s also the financial barrier,” Dr. Stanford notes. One possible solution, he suggests, is hub-and-spoke models in which established organizations mentor medical physicists abroad. Such partnerships, he believes, could benefit everyone involved.
Preparing students for clinical practice requires more than theory. Feedback and customization are essential. “We deliver, we iterate, we modify and ensure that the process is working,” Dr. Stanford explains. Measuring effectiveness also means listening directly to students. “We have to be quite frank, be vulnerable, be open to suggestions, and who’s best to share that more than the students themselves.”
Correcting Misconceptions About the Field
Dr. Stanford often encounters misconceptions about what medical physicists actually do. “Medical physics seems to be the best kept secret in healthcare because most people are not aware of the profession or what we do,” he notes. A common assumption is that physicists simply fix machines. “But that’s not what we do. We ensure that they’re operating safely. We play a very critical role in the actual clinical delivery of patient care.” There is also the stereotype of the physicist as socially distant. “The idea of a physicist seems to be one without a personality,” Dr. Stanford observes. “Physicists are persons who have very warm interpersonal skills, and we are not all geeky fellows behind the scene.”
His advice to students and future practitioners is straightforward: “Be curious, be innovative, push the boundaries, ask questions, challenge the status quo.” While strong foundations in science, mathematics, chemistry, and physics are essential, he believes curiosity and diligence ultimately make the difference. “Those who will succeed are those who are curious, who are deliberate and diligent in their approach.”
Dr. Stanford is optimistic about the field’s trajectory. He expects treatments to become “more personalized, faster, and more economically efficient.” For students entering the profession now, that means a future filled with opportunity.
Connect with Dr. Jason Stanford on LinkedIn to explore more about medical physics education and innovation.
