University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Shannon O’Reilly and Dr. Abby Besemer on their election to leadership positions within the Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs (SDAMPP). Beginning in January 2027, Dr. O’Reilly will serve as President-Elect, and Dr. Besemer will serve as Board Member-at-Large representing Residency Programs. SDAMPP facilitates collaboration among leaders …
Dr. Pippa Cosper, MD, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Radiation Medicine has been awarded a 2026 ASPIRE Award from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research for her project, Oncogenic Determinants of Radioligand Therapy Resistance. The highly competitive award provides one year of funding worth $250,000 and supports innovative, high-risk, high-reward research with …
Welcome Ann Klopp, MD, incoming assistant professor. Hometown: Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin Educational background: I went to undergrad at the University of Michigan and then returned to Wisconsin for medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. For my residency I moved to Houston to MD Anderson. I stayed there for my faculty position and have been there …
Welcome Nicholas Lynch, PhD, incoming assistant professor. Hometown: Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada Educational background: Radiation Oncology Physics Residency, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2026 PhD in Medical Physics, Dalhousie University, 2024 BSc (Joint Honours) in Physics and Earth Sciences, with a minor in Applied Mathematics, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2017 When, and how, did you develop an interest in …
Welcome James Sohn, PhD, incoming assistant professor. Hometown: Originally from Busan, South Korea; most recently Chicago, IL. Educational background: Residency, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2022 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Emory University, 2020 Visiting Student, Stanford University, 2018 Visiting Student, University of Florida, 2020 MS and PhD, Catholic University of Korea, 2018 When, and how, did you develop an interest in …
Six Department of Radiation Medicine faculty members were promoted this year. Their new ranks will become effective on June 28, 2026. Below is a list of the promoted faculty members and their new ranks. Andrew Baschnagel, MD Promotion to Professor (CHS) Abby Besemer, PhD, DABR Promotion to Associate Professor (CHS) Zac Labby, PhD, DABR, FAAPM …
When Dr. Jennifer Smilowitz boarded a plane to Costa Rica earlier this year, she was stepping into an experience that blended language immersion, community health, academic collaboration, and global professional growth. Over two weeks, she balanced morning volunteer work in a community clinic with intensive afternoon Spanish classes. For Dr. Smilowitz, a medical physicist in …
The Proton Therapy Medical Physics team at Eastpark Medical Center has been busy commissioning process for the gantry room of our new proton therapy system, which is anticipated to launch for patient care later this spring. Commissioning includes comprehensive characterization of the beam’s physical properties—energy, spot size, position, output consistency—as well as validation of treatment‑planning …
When Dr. Steven Howard walked into a patient’s room, time seemed to slow down. “Patients absolutely loved him because he was so empathetic,” recalls Lori Hayes, a longtime colleague and retired clinical nurse specialist. “When he was in a room with them, he was present. It wasn’t like he was thinking about three other patients. …