In recognition of National Medical Dosimetrist’s Day, Lea Rozgaja, certified senior medical dosimetrist at Texas Center for Proton Therapy, answers three questions about her role in her own words.

What is a medical dosimetrist?

A medical dosimetrist is a member of the radiation oncology team. At Texas Center for Proton Therapy, we work with the radiation oncologists and medical physicists to design a customized radiation treatment plan that will be delivered to the patients.

What role do dosimetrists play providing leading-edge care to cancer patients?

Together with the radiation therapists, the dosimetrists help determine the best, most reproducible way to immobilize the treatment area for their upcoming treatment. After the initial computerized tomography (CT) scan, the images are then sent to our dosimetry department to review and begin the planning process. Once the radiation oncologist provides a treatment directive indicating the prescription details, the dosimetrist creates a plan on the CT scan to deliver the prescription to the tumor volume and protect nearby healthy organs.

Why is this work meaningful to you?

This work is meaningful to me because I love being a part of a team that makes a difference for our patients. We have the most amazing patients. We get to use incredible, advanced technology to design our treatment plans and we solve puzzles! I enjoy the creativity that goes into each unique plan.