IIT-Hyderabad, Basavatharakam hospital to roll out PG programme in medical physics

Hyderabad: IIT Hyderabad and Basavatharakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute (BIACH&RI) will be launching a unique postgraduate programme on MSc in Medical Physics from the current academic year. An IITH communique on Thursday said that the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) approved the programme and will be starting from September 2022.

The Department of Biomedical Engineering, Physics, under the aegis of the Centre of Interdisciplinary Programme, IIT-H and the BIACH&RI will be collaborating and launching the three-year programme. The programme aims to provide world-class 'Medical Physicist' specialist training in the concepts and techniques of applying physics in medicine. It intends to provide Clinical Orientation for Radiation physics, Clinical immersion and shadowing, Industry/ Clinical Lectures, Short term projects, and Clinical Internship (3rd Year) for 12 months (Mandatory for Certification) for the admitted students at BIACH&RI.

Students who intend to pursue the course will benefit from the academic acumen of IIT-H's faculty and the practical expertise of the BIACH&RI team. The programme is ideal for BSc candidates with Physics as one of the main subjects and who want to make a career in applied physics for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases. Candidates from the above background can apply directly to IIT-H admissions. The applications will be screened based on the marks obtained in the qualifying degree.

In addition, an interview will be conducted online. The programme requires students to complete a total of 90 credits in three years, consisting of two years of Course work (66 credits) and one-year (24 credits) mandatory Medical Physics and Clinical Internship after successful completion of course work and declaration of course results.

Talking about the programme's relevance with New Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020), Prof B S Murty, Director, IIT-H, said, "IIT-H has well-established departments of Biomedical Engineering and Physics providing UG, PG and PhD programmes wherein students are solving various challenges of the healthcare sector. MSc (Medical Physics) programme of IIT-H, in collaboration with BIACH&RI, is the third PG programme in the field of healthcare at IIT-H, which is in line with NEP-2020. It not only provides strong academic background to students but also provides hands-on training in the form of a year-long clinical internship to students and make them industry-ready.

Mapping the objectives of this programme, Dr T Subramanyeshwar Rao, Director and Head of Surgical Oncology, BIACH&RI, said, "IIT- H and BIACH&RI have joined hands to create a leading programme to train future Medical and Radiation Physicists."