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Medical Engineering

Location:
San Francisco, CA
Posted:
December 19, 2014

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Resume:

Youssef M. Charara

Home Address:

**** ******** ******** **

Fairfax Station, VA 22039

Phone: 571-***-****

Email: ********@*****.***

Professional Experience

Virginia Cancer Specialists, Fairfax, VA

July 2013 - Present Medical Physicist

Responsible for all aspects of medical physics. This

includes acceptance, commissioning, beam modeling, monthly

and annual calibration of treatment linear accelerator,

quality assurance procedures for Elekta Synergy Linac,

Nucletron HDR, GE 16 slice CT, Seed Implants, and Pinnacle

and Xio treatment planning systems. Manage vendor

relationships including upgrades. Serve as radiation safety

officer.

West County Radiology, Saint Louis, MO

Aug 2012 - June 2013 Medical Physicist

Plan and execute customer acceptance testing,

commissioning, and beam modeling for multiple Linacs,

imaging systems, and treatment planning systems. Plan and

QA prostate seed implants, HDR, 3D-CRT, IMRT, IGRT, SRS,

and SBRT treatments. Calibrate Siemens, Varian, Elekta,

and Tomotherapy Linacs monthly and annual. Train physician

residents and therapy/dosimetry students on physics

procedures. Manage vendor relationships, including system

upgrades and part replacements.

Elekta Inc, Saint Louis, MO

Oct 11-Aug 2012 Medical Physicist

Responsible for research, product design, development, and

validation, including the invention and implementation of

unique solutions, algorithms, and features, as well as

providing technical documentation.

Provide support by participation in technical conferences,

sales demos, training, and phone support for physics-

specific questions from customers.

Develop training course material and teach general

treatment planning, IMRT, and beam modeling courses for

dosimetrists and physicists using XiO, Focal, and Monaco.

Sibley Memorial Hospital, Washington, DC

Mar 09-Sep 11 Medical Physicist, Radiation Oncology Department

Monthly and annual calibrations of Varian, Tomotherapy, and Primus

Linacs. Responsible for treatment planning and patient-

specific QA using Tomotherapy and Pinnacle planning

systems. Experience in real-time and preplanned prostate

seed implants, eye-plaque seed implants and Nucletron HDR

treatments. Patient chart check and special physics

procedures.

Thompson Cancer Survival Center, Knoxville, TN

Aug 2006 - Feb 09 Medical Physicist, Radiation Oncology Department

Monthly and annual calibrations of Varian and Tomotherapy Linacs

Responsible for treatment planning and patient-specific QA

using Tomotherapy and Pinnacle planning systems.

Experience in real-time prostate seed implants and

Nucletron HDR treatments. Patient chart check and special

physics procedures.

Research interests: Ion Therapy Dosimetry and Applications

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

January 05 - Feb 09 Graduate Research Assistant, Nuclear Engineering

Department

Modeling of Linear Energy Transfer (LET) response of the CRaTER

detector, launched in April 2009 to characterize the lunar

radiation environment and its impact on human tissue

Research interests: Particle production of high energy charged particles

beams in thick targets

Education

University of Tennessee - College of Engineering, Knoxville, TN

August 2006 - May 2009 PhD, Nuclear Engineering

Jan. 2005 - August 2006 M.S., Nuclear Engineering

Jan. 2000 - May 2004 B.S., Nuclear Engineering

Honors and Awards and Certificates

2004 Finalist at the ANS student Senior Design Competition

2007 Finalist in the 49th Annual AAPM's Young Investigator Symposium

2008 Invited Student Speaker at the Annual SEAAPM Meeting

2008 Finalist in the 50th Annual AAPM's Young Investigator Symposium

2010 NASA Group Achievement Award (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Team)

2012 ABR Certification in Therapeutic Medical Physics

Organizational Activities

2000 - American Nuclear Society, Member

2006 - American Association of Physicist in Medicine, Member

2007 - American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and

Oncology, Member

Clinical Skills

Linear Accelerators: Varian 21EX, Siemens Primus, Tomotherapy, Elekta

Axess, Elekta Synergy

Treatment Planning: Elekta Xio, Elekta Monaco, Philips Pinnacle, Varian

Variseed, Nucletron Plato, Tomotherapy, Eclipse, Ergo ++, Oncentra, MIM

Info. Management: IMPAC MultiAccess, IMPAC MOSAIQ, ARIA

Brachytherapy: Nucletron MicroSelectron Remote afterloaders. Iodine,

Palladium, and Cesium Seeds

QA Tools: MapCheck, ArcCheck, Daily QA3, Wellhofer Blue Scanning System,

RIT, MATRIXX, RadCalc

Other Skills

Computer OS/Codes: UNIX, Microsoft Office suite, HETC-HEDS, Fortran, Xio,

Monaco, Focal

Languages: English, French, Arabic

Publications

Journal Publications

Charara, Y.M.; Townsend, L. W.; Gabriel, T.A.; Zeitlin, C. J.; Heilbronn,

L. H.; and Miller, J.: HETC-HEDS Code Validation Using Laboratory Beam

Energy Loss Spectra Data. IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol. 55,

No. 6, December 2008, pp. 3164-3168.

Mansur, L. K.; Charara, Y. M.; Guetersloh, S. B.; Remec, I.; and Townsend,

L. W.: Fragmentation Calculations for Energetic Ions in Candidate Space

Radiation Shielding Materials. Nuclear Technology, Vol. 166, No. 3, June

2009, pp. 263-272.

Spence, H. E.; Case, A.; Golightly, M. J.; Heine, T.; Blake, J. B.;

Caranza, P.; Crain, W. R.; George, J.; Lalic, M.; Lin, A.; Looper, M. D.;

Mazur, J. E.; Salvaggio, D.; Kasper, J. C.; Stubbs, T. J.; Doucette, M.;

Ford, P.; Foster, R.; Goeke, R.; Gordon, D.; Klatt, B.; O'Connor, J.;

Smith, M.; Onsager, T.; Zeitlin, C.; Townsend, L.; and Charara, Y.: CRaTER:

The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation Experiment on the

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission. Space Science Review, Vol. 150, Nos.

1-4, January 2010, pp. 243-284, doi:10.1007/s11214-009-9584-8

Townsend, L.W.; Moussa, H.M.; and Charara, Y.M.: Monte Carlo Simulations of

Energy Losses by Space Protons in the CRaTER Detector. Acta Astronautica,

Vol. 66, Nos. 5-6, March-April 2010, pp. 643-647.

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2009.08.007

Townsend, L. W.; Charara, Y. M.; DeLauder, N.; PourArsalan, M.; Anderson,

J. A.; Fisher, C. M.; Spence, H. E.; Schwadron, N. A.; Golightly, M. J.;

and Cucinotta, F. A.: Parameterizations of the Linear Energy Transfer

Spectrum for the CRaTER Instrument During the LRO Mission. Space Weather -

The International Journal of Research and Applications, Vol. 8, S00E03,

March 2010, doi:10.1029/2009SW000526

Conference Publications and Presentations

Charara, Y. M.; Townsend, L. W.; Mansur, L. K.; Frame, B. J.; Gallego, N.

C.; Geutersloh, S. B.; Johnson, J. O.; and Klett, J. W.: Fragmentation of

High Energy 16O Beam in Carbon and Polymer Materials: Comparisons Between

Data and Model. 14th Biennial ANS Radiation Protection and Shielding

Division Topical Meeting, Carlsbad, NM, April 2-6, 2006. Proceedings on CD-

ROM.

Charara, Y.; Townsend, L. W.; and Moussa, H. M.: LET Spectra of High Energy

Proton Beam on A-150: Model Predictions for the CRaTER Detector. 36th

International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES), Norfolk, VA, July

17-20, 2006. SAE Technical Paper No. 200*-**-****. Proceedings on CD-ROM.

Mazur, J. E.; Blake, J. B.; Looper, M. D.; Spence, H.; Kepko, L.; Kasper,

J.; Townsend, L.; and Charara, Y.: The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects

of Radiation (CRaTER) Investigation for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

2006 IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference, Ponte Vedra

Beach, FL, July 17-21, 2006.

Charara, Y.; Townsend, L. W.; Moussa, H. M.; Hatcher, R. L.; Anderson, J.

L.; Dudney, C.; McKee, S. A.; McKinnis, P.; and Ottinger, K. : Calculated

Energy Loss Spectra in the CRaTER Detector for Selected Cosmic Ray Ions.

2007 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, March 3-10, 2007. Proceedings

on CD-ROM.

Mansur, L. K.; Charara, Y. M.; Guetersloh, S. B.; Remec, I.; and Townsend,

L. W.: Fragmentation Calculations for Energetic Ions in Candidate Space

Radiation Shielding Materials. Space Nuclear Conference 2007, Boston, MA,

June 24-28, 2007. Proceedings on CD-ROM.

Charara, Y. M.; Townsend, L. W.; Spence, H.; Blake, J. B.; Golightly, M.

J.; Kepko, E. L.; Kasper, J. C.; Looper, M. D.; Mazur, J. E.; and Farmer,

C. M.: Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER):

Comparison Between Experiment and Computer Simulations. Space Nuclear

Conference 2007, Boston, MA, June 24-28, 2007. Proceedings on CD-ROM.

Farmer, C. M.; Charara, Y. M.; and Townsend, L. W.: LET Spectra of Iron

Particles on A-150: Model Predictions for the CRaTER Detector. 37th

International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES), Chicago, IL, July

9-12, 2007. SAE Paper No. 200*-**-****. Proceedings on CD-ROM.

Charara, Y.; Townsend, L. and Ramsey, C.: Development of a Novel Detector

for Measuring Proton Energy Spectra. 49th Annual Meeting of the American

Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), Minneapolis, MN, July 22-26,

2007.

Charara, Y.; Townsend, L. and Ramsey, C.: Energy Deposition Contributions

from Secondary Particles in Proton Therapy. 49th Annual Meeting of the

American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), Minneapolis, MN,

July 22-26, 2007.

Charara, Y.; Townsend, L.; and Ramsey, C.: Secondary Particle Energy

Deposition for Proton and Carbon Therapy Beams. Proceedings of the American

Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, 49th Annual Meeting, Los

Angeles, CA, October 28-November 1, 2007, International Journal of

Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, Vol. 69, Issue 3, November 1, 2007, pp.

S192-S193.

Charara, Y. M.; Townsend, L. W.; and Farmer, C. M.: A Benchmark Study:

Comparisons Between HETC-HEDS and Experimental Data. 2008 IEEE Aerospace

Conference, Big Sky, MT, March 1-8, 2008. Proceedings on CD-ROM.

Charara, Y.M.; Townsend, L. W.; Gabriel, T.A.; Zeitlin, C. J.; Heilbronn,

L. H.; and Miller, J.: HETC-HEDS Code Validation Using Laboratory Beam

Energy Loss Spectra Data. 2008 IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects

Conference, Tucson, AZ, July 14-18, 2008.

Charara, Y.; Ramsey, C.; and Townsend, L.: Carbon Foam Collimators for

Proton Therapy. American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)

Annual Meeting, Houston, TX, July 27-31, 2008.

Charara, Y.; Ramsey, C.; and Townsend, L.: Distribution of Secondary

Particles in Carbon Ion Therapy. American Association of Physicists in

Medicine (AAPM) Annual Meeting, Houston, TX, July 27-31, 2008.

Charara, Y.; Ramsey, C.; and Townsend, L.: Neutron Production with Carbon

Therapy Beams. 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic

Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), Boston, MA, September 21-25, 2008.

Moussa, H.M.; Charara, Y.M.; and Townsend, L.W.: Monte Carlo Simulations of

Energy Losses by Space Protons in the CRaTER Detector. 59th International

Astronautical Congress, Glasgow, Scotland, September 29 - October 3, 2008.

(Proceedings on CD-ROM)

Anderson, J. A.; Townsend, L. W.; and Charara, Y.: Secondary Particle

Effects on Linear Energy Transfer. 2009 American Nuclear Society Annual

Meeting, Atlanta, GA, June 14-18, 2009.

Charara, Y.; Townsend, L.; Usynin, A.; and Ramsey, C.: Fragmentation in

Carbon Therapy Beams. 12th International Conference on Nuclear Reaction

Mechanisms, Varenna, Italy, June 15-19, 2009.

Anderson, J. A.; Townsend, L. W.; and Charara, Y. M.: Linear Energy

Transfer Estimates for the CRaTER Instrument on LRO. 2010 IEEE Aerospace

Conference, Big Sky, MT, March 6-13, 2010. (Proceedings on CD-ROM)

References are available upon request



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