Biomedical Physics

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor DJ Lurie

Pre-requisites

Undergraduate degree, normally in a Physical Science or Engineering subject.

Notes

Overview

Lectures and practicals covering:
Radiation physics, radiodiagnosis, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, radiation protection, lasers and ultraviolet light in medicine, ophthalmic and audiological physics, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound in medicine.

Structure

60 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practical sessions over half-session.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr AR Allen

Pre-requisites

Undergraduate degree, normally in a Physical Science or Engineering subject.

Notes

Overview

Lectures and practicals covering:
Computing, software development, computing applications, digital electronics, mechanics, analogue electronics, medical electronics, orthopaedics, rehabilitation engineering.

Structure

55 one-hour lectures over half-session; 2 practical sessions over half-session; 4 software development sessions over half-session; 4 tutorials over half-session.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor P Sharp

Pre-requisites

Undergraduate degree, normally in a Physical Science or Engineering subject.

Notes

Overview

Lectures covering:
Safety, statistics, professional topics, scientific methods, physiology and disease, cell biochemistry.

Structure

60 one-hour lectures over two half-sessions.

Assessment

1 x 1.25 hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

180

Course Coordinator

Prof. David J. Lurie

Pre-requisites

A degree or equivalent qualification, at the prescribed standard, in an Engineering or Physical Science subject.

Overview

Lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Core lecture course (September to December), followed by specialisation in three "Deeper-Study" sub-topics (January to April), then MSc project (May to August).

Structure

Core lecture course: 15 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Deeper-Studies: 9 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Also self-directed learning.
Total of 1200 hours in taught element.

Assessment

3 written examinations.
Continuous assessment (essays, practical reports, student presentations).
Project dissertation.
Project presentation.
Oral examination.

Credit Points

180

Course Coordinator

Prof. David J. Lurie

Pre-requisites

A degree or equivalent qualification, at the prescribed standard, in a Science or Engineering subject.

Overview

Lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Core lecture course (September to December), followed by specialisation in three "Deeper-Study" sub-topics
(January to April), then MSc project (May to August).

Structure

Core lecture course: 15 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Deeper-Studies: 9 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Also self-directed learning.
Total of 1200 hours in taught element.

Assessment

3 written examinations.
Continuous assessment (essays, practical reports, student presentations).
Project dissertation.
Project presentation.
Oral examination.

Credit Points

180

Course Coordinator

Prof. David J. Lurie

Pre-requisites

A degree or equivalent qualification, at the prescribed standard, in a Physical Science or Engineering subject.

Overview

Lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Core lecture course (September to December), followed by specialisation in three "Deeper-Study" sub-topics (January to April), then MSc project (May to August).

Structure

Core lecture course: 15 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Deeper-Studies: 9 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Also self-directed learning.
Total of 1200 hours in taught element.

Assessment

3 written examinations.
Continuous assessment (essays, practical reports, student presentations).
Project dissertation.
Project presentation.
Oral examination.

Credit Points

180

Course Coordinator

Prof. David J. Lurie

Pre-requisites

A degree or equivalent qualification, at the prescribed standard, in a Physical Science or Engineering subject.

Overview

Lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Core lecture course (September to December), followed by specialisation in three "Deeper-Study" sub-topics (January to April), then MSc project (May to August).

Structure

Core lecture course: 15 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Deeper-Studies: 9 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Also self-directed learning.
Total of 1200 hours in taught element.

Assessment

3 written examinations.
Continuous assessment (essays, practical reports, student presentations).
Project dissertation.
Project presentation.
Oral examination.

Credit Points

120

Course Coordinator

Prof. David J. Lurie

Pre-requisites

A degree or equivalent qualification, at the prescribed standard, in an Engineering or Physical Science subject.

Overview

Lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Core lecture course (September to December), followed by specialisation in three "Deeper-Study" sub-topics (January to April).

Structure

Core lecture course: 15 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Deeper-Studies: 9 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Also self-directed learning.
Total of 1200 hours.

Assessment

3 written examinations.
Continuous assessment (essays, practical reports, student presentations).
Oral examination.

Credit Points

120

Course Coordinator

Prof. David J. Lurie

Pre-requisites

A degree or equivalent qualification, at the prescribed standard, in a Science or Engineering subject.

Overview

Lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Core lecture course (September to December), followed by specialisation in three "Deeper-Study" sub-topics (January to April).

Structure

Core lecture course: 15 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Deeper-Studies: 9 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Also self-directed learning.
Total of 1200 hours.

Assessment

3 written examinations.
Continuous assessment (essays, practical reports, student presentations).
Oral examination.

Credit Points

120

Course Coordinator

Prof. David J. Lurie

Pre-requisites

A degree or equivalent qualification, at the prescribed standard, in a Physical Science or Engineering subject.

Overview

Lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Core lecture course (September to December), followed by specialisation in three "Deeper-Study" sub-topics (January to April).

Structure

Core lecture course: 15 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Deeper-Studies: 9 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Also self-directed learning.
Total of 1200 hours.

Assessment

3 written examinations.
Continuous assessment (essays, practical reports, student presentations).
Oral examination.

Credit Points

120

Course Coordinator

Prof. David J. Lurie

Pre-requisites

A degree or equivalent qualification, at the prescribed standard, in a Physical Science or Engineering subject.

Overview

Lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Core lecture course (September to December), followed by specialisation in three "Deeper-Study" sub-topics (January to April).

Structure

Core lecture course: 15 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Deeper-Studies: 9 1-hour lectures per week, plus tutorials and practicals.
Also self-directed learning.
Total of 1200 hours.

Assessment

3 written examinations.
Continuous assessment (essays, practical reports, student presentations).
Oral examination.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr G Robertson

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002

Notes

Overview

Lectures and tutorials covering all aspects of radiotherapy physics including radiobiology of radiotherapy treatment, charged particle therapy, disometry, treatment planning, brachytherapy, radiotherapy equipment, quality assurance, safety and radiation protection in radiotherapy. Clinical attachments/demonstrations in CT treatment planning, gynaecological brachytherapy, megavoltage beam data acquisition and linear accelerator QA.

Structure

36 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practicals/demonstrations.

Assessment

1 one-hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr H Gemmell

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002

Notes

Overview

Covers the whole field of Nuclear Medicine, including PET. Starts with the physics of instrumentation from radiation detectors to gamma cameras, and PET images. Considers the use of this equipment in clinical practice and the measurement of performance for quality control. The interpretation of nuclear medicine images and their role in clinical practice is considered together with the application of data processing techniques.

Structure

36 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practicals/demonstrations.

Assessment

1 one-hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Waiter

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002

Notes

Overview

Basic physics of NMR, relaxation phenomena, relaxatioin time measurement, contrast manipulation. Advanced MRI methods including fast imaging, chemical shift imaging, diffusion imaging, functional MrI. Flow imaging, MR angiography, cardiac gated imaging. Hardware for MRI. Radiofrequency coils, surface coils. Quality control, safety, installation, use of an MR imager in the clinical environment. In vivo NMR spectroscopy. Advanced MRI techniques.

Structure

36 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practicals/demonstrations.

Assessment

1 one-hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr H Seton

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002

Notes

Overview

Topics will include active Filters, amplifiers for physiological signals, transducers, signal processing and recording, body impedance measurement, biomagnetic signals, automated signal analysis, renal dialysis equipment, electrical stimulation, anaesthetic gas analysers, pluse oximetry, management of equipment. Digital logic, microprocessors, peripherals and interfaces.

Structure

36 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practicals/demonstrations.

Assessment

1 one-hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr KA Goatman

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002

Notes

Overview

Topics covered include image formation, representation and display; image degradation and restoration; intensity and colour processing; spatial and spectral filtering; simple object and shape recognition; segmentation; compression and image registration and fusion.

Structure

36 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practicals/demonstrations.

Assessment

1 one-hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr S McCallum

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002

Notes

Overview

X-rays as a diagnotsic imaging tool. X-ray equipment design and use; image formation and factors affecting it. Radiation doses to patients and staff will also be investigated. We will then look at the legislative requirements and guidance for radiation protection in the hospital setting where a range of ionising radiations are used. The scientific basis for dose limits will be studied. Procedures for restricting doses to staff and patients including shielding calculations, emergency procedures and contingency planning will be considered. Issues associated with transporting radioactive materials.

Structure

36 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practicals/demonstrations.

Assessment

1 one-hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr AR Allen

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002

Notes

Overview

Provides a technology and computing skills toolbox for use by medical physicists and bioengineers. Topics include tools and methods for data analysis and other scientific applications. Administration of Windows and Linux PCs in small networks. Computer Security: firewalls, viruses, cryptography, authentication. Networking technology, standards, and practical configuration. Wireless networking. Medical informatics communications standards (including DICOM). PACS. Distributed computing, PC clusters. Web authoring and development for scientific use, SML. Current topics and future trends in biomedical computing, such as Virtual Reality, wearable sensors, telemedicine and the developing world, web services.

Structure

36 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practicals/demonstrations.

Assessment

1 one-hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr A Manivannan

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002

Notes

Overview

Therapeutic and diagnostic applications of lasers, radiofrequency, microwave and ultraviolet radiation. Non-ionising radiation interactions with tissue. Biological effects. Classification of lasers. Dosimetric and safety requirements. Core knowledge of lasers. Principles of ultrasound wave propagation. Use for diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical purposes. Measurement and visualisation of ultrasonic fields. Composition and performance of a diagnostic system. Doppler effect for measurement and imaging of blood flow. Artefacts in diagnostic images. Biological effects of ultrasound. Safety regulations. Quality assurance. New techniques, including 3D.

Structure

36 one-hour lectures over half-session; 4 practicals/demonstrations.

Assessment

1 one-hour written examination (67%); continuous assessment (33%).

Credit Points

60

Course Coordinator

Professor DJ Lurie

Pre-requisites

BP5001, BP5002, BP5003, three of BP5501-BP5509.

Notes

Overview

Literature review and laboratory work.

Structure

11-week research project; project presentation; thesis not exceeding 15,000 words, oral examination.

Assessment

Thesis (68%); Student Presentation (8%); Oral Examination (24%).