Research

OMPI is a research network consisting of over 40 members from a number of institutes in the Ottawa region and is based in the Department of Physics at Carleton University. Many OMPI members are also adjunct research professors at Carleton and supervise graduate students. OMPI research areas include most aspects of medical physics:

Medical Imaging Physics

  • X-ray Imaging
    • X-ray scatter imaging to achieve greater tissue contrast
    • Dual Energy x-ray imaging
    • Novel imaging detectors
  • Cardiac Molecular Imaging
    • 3D PET-CT imaging of molecular-anatomic function
    • Nuclear Imaging of heart function and synchrony
    • Small animal PET imaging of blood flow and metabolism
    • Integrating CT and SPECT in small-animal imaging
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
    • MRI contrast mechanisms and sequence development
    • Brain functional MRI studies involving cortical activation
    • Quantitative MRI for brain perfusion
  • Image Guiding Techniques.
    • Image guided radiation therapy
  • Biomedical Optics
    • Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
    • Raman microspetroscopy for live cell discrimination
    • Optical molecular imaging for treatment monitoring
    • Portable optical probes for clinical translation

Research members: Dr. Avery Berman, Dr. Rolf  Clackdoyle, Dr. Robert deKemp, Dr. Costel Flueraru, Dr. Paul Johns, Dr. Ran Klein, Dr. Gerd Melkus, Dr. Sangeeta Murugkar, Dr. Reggie Taylor, Dr. Rebecca Thornhill, Jennifer Renaud, Dr. Richard Wassenaar, Dr. Glenn Wells, Dr. Tong Xu, 

 

Radiation Therapy Physics

  • Treatment Planning
    • Monte Carlo systems for simulating radiation transport and radiotherapy treatment planning  (x-ray, brachytherapy, proton therapy ...)
    • Virtual reality
  • Delivery
    • Image-guidance techniques for radiation therapy
    • Intensity modulated therapy
    • Development of novel treatment delivery techniques
  • Verification and dosimetry
    • Monte Carlo simulation to improve dosimetry
    • In-vivo dosimetry
    • Optically stimulated luminescence techniques
    • Monitoring of treatment

Research members: Dr. Elsayed Ali, Dr. Joanna Cygler, Dr. Elizabeth Henderson, Dr. Miller MacPherson, Dr. Dave Rogers, Dr. Rowan Thomson, Dr. Emily Heath, Dr. Lesley Buckley, Dr. Eric Vandervoort, Dr. Balazs Nyiri

 

Radiation Biology and Environmental Health Physics

  • Biological markers for ionizing radiation damage
  • Biological effects of alpha radiation
  • Identification of the sources of radioactivity in atmosphere
  • Methods to discriminate an explosive source or another anthropogenic source
  • Monte Carlo simulation of clouds of radioactivity
  • Health Physics studies in the Arctic
  • Manned and unmanned aerial and truckborne mobile survey for characterization of radioactivity in the environment
  • Long-range detection of radioactivity using a fieldable Compton gamma imager

Research members: Dr. Peter Raaphorst, Dr. Richard Richardson, Dr. Laurel Sinclair, Dr. Trevor Stocki, Dr. Ruth Wilkins, Dr. Lindsay Beaton-Green, Dr. Graeme Wardlaw, Dr. Janos Szanto.

 

Radiation Standards and Dosimetry

  • Benchmark data for electron and photon beams to improve Monte Carlo simulation 
  • Measurements of electron stopping powers for a range of materials in the energy range from 5 to 15 MeV. 
  • Photon attenuation data and coherent scatter form factors
  • Properties of new radiochromic film for dosimetry measurements

Research members: Dr. Malcolm McEwen, Dr. Patrick Saull,  Dr. Frederic Tessier, Dr. Claudiu Cojocaru, Dr. Bryan Muir, Dr. Raphael Galea, Dr. Ernesto Mainegra-Hing, Dr. Reid Townson.

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