Medical Assistant

Naser H. Darwish

**** **** **** **** **** Street Chicago IL 60637 •*****.*******@*****.***•608-***-****

EDUCATION

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

Ph.D., Medical Physics, Minor in Nuclear Engineering, June 2012

• Dissertation Title: Investigation of on-board PET with Tomotherapy

M.S., Medical Physics, August 2008

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL

M.S., Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering, August 2005

M.S., Nuclear Engineering, August 2001

B.S., Bioengineering, August 1996

CERTIFICATIONS AND ADMISSIONS

Scheduled to take ABR for Physics step 1 Aug. 2012

Planning to sit for USPTO

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

University of Wisconsin Department of Medical Physics, Madison, WI and Chicago, IL

Research Assistant, December 2007 to present

In collaboration with the University of Chicago Department of Radiology

Major Projects:

• Mechanical design of positron emission tomography (PET) detector modules using DETECT2000 for investigation of spatial resolution of various crystal etchings in relation to positioning of diodes to simulate Silicon photomultiplier tubes.

• Investigation of the integration of dual ring PET with Tomotherapy system including mechanical design using Solidworks, GATE, and STIR.

• Mechanical design of various PET systems with different axial gaps for incorporation with Tomotherapy.

• Quantitative analysis of the PET system with different activity levels and scan times required for localization of various lesion sizes is investigated in terms of spatial resolution, CNR, FOV, and localization accuracy.

Accomplishments:

• Determined the optimal PET detector configuration with Silicon Photo-Multiplier Diodes in terms of best spatial resolution.

• Showed proof of concept, specific design schematics, and applications of the PET-Tomotherapy system.

• Determined the optimal PET system design for marriage with Tomotherapy in terms of continuity of field of view and uniformity of image.

• Used the PET image as an ideal dose prescription and investigated PET projections for generation of energy fluence with Tomotherapy.

• Strengthened my research capabilities by identifying and utilizing resources at both the University of Wisconsin and The University of Chicago in the areas of image processing, image acquisition and reconstruction, and molecular imaging.

Philips Medical Systems Department of Radiation Oncology Systems

QA Medical Physicist, August 2005 to July 2007

Major Projects/Accomplishments:

• Scientific and clinical consultation throughout the full cycle product development process.

• On-line and adaptive CT guided radiotherapy via implementation of Cross Correlation and Mutual Information algorithms for image registration.

• Pinnacle RT Planning System verification, integration, risk mitigation, and validation for the following projects: inverse planning and intensity modulated radiotherapy, dynamic and virtual wedges support, conformal arc treatment, photon convolution/superposition dose computation, and beam commissioning for Pinnacle.

University of Illinois Department of Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering, Urbana-Champaign, IL

Research Assistant, September 2003 to July 2005

In collaboration with the Department of Physics Laboratory of Florescence Dynamics

• Completed the design and construction of a Near-Infrared Scanner (NIRS) and developed cross correlation algorithm to track the region of interest in real time.

• Construction involves mechanics, optics, circuit integrations, and software development.

• Applications of NIRS include: assessing brain and peripheral oxygenation by detecting the spectral concentrations of oxy-hemoglobin and de-oxy-hemoglobin and imaging of blood vessels in brain during neurosurgery.

• Developed the scanner based on business rationale, strategic direction, and available resources. Process incorporates the relative importance of innovation, market demand, and management.

Advanced Radiation Consulting, St. Joseph, MI

Medical Physicist, October 2002 to July 2003

• Operation of the Linear Accelerator (Varian 2100C) daily, monthly, and annual QA 2-D & 3-D external beam treatment planning using Computerized Medical Systems (CMS).

• Experienced with LDR, conformal, & IMRT planning.

• Conducted prostate and H&N IMRT treatment planning.

• Performed volume studies, seed implant procedures, and seed assay.

Prasad Radiological Consulting, Evanston, IL

Medical Physicist, August 1998 to October 2002

• Performed weekly and final physics chart checks.

Calibrated and characterized monthly and annually photon and electron beams for Varian Linac 2100CD and photon and electron hand calculations.

• Conducted radiation safety officer tasks including wipe tests and radiation badges management.

University of Wisconsin Department Dept. of Physics, Madison, WI

Teaching Assistant, January 1999 to May 2009

• Physics of Electricity and Magnetism, Lab and Discussion (Spring 2009)

• Radiotherapy Laboratory, (Fall 2007)

University of Illinois Department of Physiology, Urbana-Champaign, IL

Teaching Assistant for Human Physiology, Spring 1999, Fall 1999, Spring 2000, Fall 2000, Spring 2001

COMPUTER SKILLS

Operating Systems: MSDOS, Windows 95/98/NT, Windows XP, and UNIX.

Computer Languages: C/C++.

Scientific Applications: MATLAB/Simulink, and IDL.

Technical Drawing: SolidWorks.

Office Applications: Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

• Woo Seok Ko, Naser Darwish, Enrico Gratton, and Soo Hyun Kim. Development of a scanning system to detect the concentration of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin by tracking the head. SPIE Conference, San Jose, California, January 22, 2005. Photonic Therapeutics and Diagnostics (Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 5686). By KE Bartels, LS Bas, and e al (Editors). pp. 588-595, 2005.

• Arash Farahvar, Naser H. Darwish, Stefan Sladek, and Esmail Meisami, Marked recovery of functional metabolic activity and laminar volumes in the rat hippocampus and dentate gyrus following postnatal hypothyroid growth retardation: A quantitative cytochrome oxidase study. Received 8 September 2006; Accepted 14 December 2006. Experimental Neurology: Available online 30 December 2006.

• Abstract submitted to AAPM for 2010 and accepted for oral presentation on “Investigation of on-board PET with Tomotherapy.”

• Abstract submitted to AAPM for 2011 and accepted for oral presentation titled “Investigation of on-board PET with Tomotherapy with consideration to DOI”

• Guest speaker at Al_Quds University Dept. of Physics: Presentation of “Investigation of on-board PET with Tomotherapy” : March 2011

Relevant Course Work

Bioengineering

CHEM 104: General Chemistry II

CHEM 105: General Chemistry Lab II

CHEM 232: Elementary Organic Chemistry I

CHEM 233: Elementary Organic Chem Lab I

MATH 241: Calculus III

MATH 285: Intro Differential Equations

MCB 100: Introductory Microbiology

MCB 103: Intro to Human Physiology

MCB 104: Intro to Human Physiology Lab

MCB 401: Cell & Membrane Physiology

MCB 402: Sys & Integrative Physiology

MCB 404: Sys & Integrative Physiol Lab

MCB 450: Introductory Biochemistry

PHYS 101: College Physics: Mech & Heat

PHYS 102: College Physics: E&M & Modern

BIOE 406: Veterinary Ortho Biomechanics

ECE 414: Biomedical Instrumentation

ECE 472: Biomedical Ultrasound Imaging

ECE: 370: Circuit Analysis

Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering

ECE 522: Controlled Fusion Systems

NPRE 247: Modeling Nuclear Energy System

NPRE 441: Radiation Protection

NPRE 446: Radiation Interact w/Matter I

NPRE 447: Radiation Interact w/Matter II

NPRE 455: Neutron Diffusion & Transport

NPRE 457: Safety Anlys Nucl Reactor Syst

NPRE 501: Fundamentals of Nuclear Eng

NPRE 511: Nuclear Reactor Heat Transfer

NPRE 521: Interact of Radiation w/Matter

NPRE 555: Reactor Theory I

NPRE 556: Reactor Theory II

NPRE 596: Seminar in Nuclear Sci & Eng

NPRE 597: Independent Study : Nuclear Reactor Risk Assessment and Management

Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering related coursework

GE (ECE) 424: State Space Design for Control

GE (ECE) 521: Multivariable Control Design

GE (ECE) 540: Simulation of Dynamic Systems

GE 594: Project Design

GE 495: Evaluation Management Engineering Design

Medical Physics related coursework

NE (NEEP) 408: Ionizing Radiation

Physics 311: Mechanics

MP 463: Radioisotopes in Med & Biolology

MP 501: Radiological Physics, Dosimetry

MP 567: Physics of Diagnostic Radiology

MP 566: Physics of Radiotherapy

MP 569: Health Physics

MP 661: Radiation Lab-Radiotherapy Physics

MP 662: Radiation Lab-Diagnostic Radiology Physic

MP 665: Radiation Lab-CT, MRI, & DSA Physics

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