A medical physicist is an occupation of contributing to appropriate radiation therapy practice from the perspective of medical physics specialists. According to current social situations, there is a growing demand to develop qualified medical professionals at the graduate level based on a team medical care. Especially in the field of cancer radiotherapy, there is a need for promotion of researchers in medical physics capable of taking major parts in innovation of new treatment techniques and clinical trials collaborated with other medical fields. Hiroshima University pursues to develop cutting-edge technologies on high-accuracy therapies; stereotactic body radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy and brachytherapy.

Under these social conditions, Hiroshima University established the Medical Physics Course (Master’s Course), Medical and Dental Sciences Major, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences in April 2012, offering education curriculum required to become qualified medical physicists. The course has been the only certified medical physics course approved in Chugoku and Shikoku regions, that fulfills the established guidelines and standards for education curriculum specified by Japanese Board for Medical Physicist Qualification. Those who have successfully completed the course are newly accredited as medical physicists and can receive privileges of the board membership.

The Program of Medical Physicist aims to cultivate not only highly specialized professionals who can play active roles in medical physics, but internationally active personnel in medical physics through exchanges of human resources and collaborative research activities with universities, medical institutions, and private companies inside and outside Japan as educators and researchers engaged in the advancement of medical physics.

The program aims to cultivate the following personnel:

• Medical professionals and technologists including medical physicists as highly skilled experts in medical physics who can cope with advancements in enhanced and diversified medicine, dentistry and health sciences at hospitals or health facilities
• Educators and researchers who can contribute to promote medical physics fields at various educational institutions
• Those who can take international leaderships in medical physics

The program aims to nurture the followings:

• Medical professionals / educators who possess enriched knowledge on medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences and health sciences, extensive competencies such as knowledge, techniques and attitudes required of medical physicists, and problem-solving abilities in different medical teams
• Personnel who possess research skills required to advance to doctoral programs

1. Officers involved in medical physics at research organizations
2. Corporate researchers
3. Academic staff
4. Highly specialized professionals in medical physics
5. Medical practitioners at health care facilities
6. Proceeding to doctoral courses