Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hokkaido University
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What is a medical physicist?

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A medical physicist in Japan is a medical professional who contributes to medical care by ensuring that medical care involving radiation is properly performed. In radiotherapy, medical physicists optimize treatment plans and conduct quality control and verification of the actual medical application working with physicians, clinical radiological technologists and radiotherapy quality control specialists. Medical physicists also confirm the accuracy of the position and the amount of radiation doses administered to the patient body, ensuring that they are within the clinically required range, and that the treatment is performed as prescribed by the physicians. They also engage in medical physics research and development related to radiotherapy. For matters related to diagnosis and nuclear medicine, they work with physicians to ensure the maintenance of a clear balance between effectiveness and safety of diagnoses and conduct quality control and verification of the diagnostic apparatus and images, working with the clinical radiological technologists. They also engage in medical physics research related to diagnostic radiology.

1,427 medical physicists (as of December 1,2022) and 79 therapeutic medical physicists (as of April 1,2022) have been certified in Japan by the Japanese Board for Medical Physicist Qualification. They are actively working in various fields including education, research, clinical settings and industry.

Medical Physics Educational Program – Model Curriculum Charts

The Medical Physics Education Program is a graduate course accredited by the Japanese Board for Medical Physicist Qualification.

Model Curriculum Chart 1

Combined Master’s and Doctoral Program (standard length: 5 years)

When enrolled in both the Master’s and Doctoral Programs

Curriculum of the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering Requirements for accreditation as a medical physicist1)
Lectures Clinical training Requirement for taking exams Certification
Master’s Complete all courses of the Medical Physics Education Program   Enrolled at least one year, or graduated  
Doctoral Training in clinical medical physics   Those who have been enrolled for at least two years and have been awarded the required performance evaluation credits within five years of passing the medical physicist examination 2)

Model Curriculum Chart 2

Two-year Master’s Program (standard length: 2 years)

With enrolment in only the Master’s Program
Curriculum of the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering Requirements for accreditation as a medical physicist 1)
Lectures Clinical training Requirement for taking exams Certification
Master’s Complete all courses of the Medical Physics Education Program   Enrolled at least one year, or graduated  
After completion       Those who have at least two years of experience in medical physics and have been awarded the required performance evaluation credits within five years of passing the medical physicist examination

Model Curriculum Chart 3

Doctoral Program (standard length: 3 years)

When enrolled from the Doctoral Program

Curriculum of the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering Requirements for accreditation as a medical physicist2)
Lectures Clinical training Requirement for taking exams Certification
Doctoral Complete all courses of the Medical Physics Education Program Training in clinical medical physics Enrolled at least one year, or graduated Those who have been enrolled for at least two years and have been awarded the required performance evaluation credits within five years of passing the medical physicist examination2)
  • 1)To take the examination for medical physicist, please refer to the guidance provided in the Constitution of the Medical Physicist Qualification System of the Japanese Board for Medical Physicist Qualification.
  • 2)In Model Curriculum Charts 1 & 3, it is assumed that students have satisfied the required performance evaluation credits acquired through clinical training and the presentations at academic meetings at the end of the 2nd year of the Doctoral Program; it is possible for those who have passed the medical physicist examination to become certified as medical physicists during participation in the program.

Medical device development program

It is an educational curriculum for acquiring advanced engineering knowledge with the aim of fostering human resources who are responsible for research and development on radiation diagnostic and therapeutic equipment.
We offer the basic subjects related to biomedical engineering such as the characteristics and functions of the human body necessary for medical device development and research.
Applied subjects related to device design of medical devices, medical images, medical information are also offered to students.
Students who have completed this program will be given "Certificate of completion of medical device development program".