Medical Physicists

Medical Physicists are the essential partners of Radiation Oncologists in delivering quality care in radiation therapy. They must have earned advanced degrees in physics, and had additional training in the medical field. They calibrate, maintain and watch over the complicated radiation-generating equipment, ensure accuracy of treatment plans and dose calculations, and are personally involved in high-tech treatments such as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).

When your doctor is “board-certified”, it means that he or she has had comprehensive training and has passed several examinations by a member of the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS). Medical physicists are the only non-MD specialists who may be certified by the ABMS, through the same process. Although certification is not required for practice, we are proud that all six of our superb physicists are board certified. Few hospitals can make such a claim.

Michael Taylor, M.S., DABR - Has served as the Director of Medical Physics at Inova Fairfax Hospital since 2003. He oversees the Physics and Dosimetry group of the Department of Radiation Oncology. Mr. Taylor came to Inova from The National Institutes of Health. He has previously worked at the National Naval Medical Center. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology.

Charlotta Efros, M.S., DABR - Has served as a Medical Physicist with the Department of Radiation Oncology at Inova Fairfax Hospital since 1999. Among her duties, she oversees the implementation and execution of the Department’s 3D conformal and IMRT planning. Her prior work experience has included serving as a Medical Physicist at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the Harvard Joint Center for Radiation Therapy in Boston. She is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology.

James George, M.A., M.S. - Has served as a Medical Physicist with the Department of Radiation Oncology at Inova Fairfax Hospital since 2002. He is certified in Therapeutic Radiological Physics by the American College of Radiology and oversees the Department’s brachytherapy and radiation safety programs. His training includes a Master’s Degree in Physics from Western Michigan University and a Masters in Business Administration from George Washington University. Mr. George is a retired Navy Captain, and prior to coming to Inova, he was the Head of Radiation Physics at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and is also the prior Head of the Radiation Safety Branch of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, D.C.

Don Anderson, M.S. – Don joined the Radiation Oncology Department at Inova Fairfax Hospital in 2006. He received his Master’s Degree in Medical Biophysics from the University of Western Ontario. He has previously worked as a physicist for TomoTherapy Inc. and brings expertise in the integration of TomoTherapy into our clinical practice. A citizen of Canada, don enjoys the outdoors and hockey.

Nicolas Recalde, M.S., PhD. – Nicolas joined the Radiation Oncology Department in 2007 as an Associate Medical Physicist at The Potomac Hospital Radiation Oncology Center. Prior to joining our department he was a clinical medical physicist at Georgetown University Hospital. He completed his training at the Clinique Universitaire Saint Luc in Belgium and the Institute Gustave Roussy in France. Outside of the clinic he enjoys mountain climbing and biking.

Yang Cai, M.S. – Yang joined the Radiation Oncology Deparment in 2007 as a medical dosimetrist at The Potomac Hospital Radiation Oncology Center. He completed his medical dosimetry training at the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. He has been a dosimetrist at the Long Island College Hospital in New York and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Arizona. Yang enjoys almost all outdoor activities outside of the clinic.

Shanjin He, PhD - Dr. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology and has been a staff physicist in the Radiation Oncology Department at Inova Fairfax Hospital since 2006. He completed his medical physics training in the Division of Medical Physics at the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore, MD.

Dosimetrists

Dosimetrists receive instructions from the radiation oncologist as to the desired target for radiation, the nearby organs that must be spared, and the radiation dose desired for each patient. They turn these goals into a treatment plan with field sizes and shapes, beam angles, and dose calculations that can be executed daily by the radiation therapists. Frequently the dosimetrist and the physician work through several plans to get one that meets all the requirements. The final plan is approved by the radiation oncologist, and then checked for calculations and accuracy by the medical physicist before it is implemented.

Many, though not all, dosimetrists have years of experience as radiation therapists before taking additional training in dosimetry. Some go directly from a college physics degree to dosimetry training.

Sydney Seracino, RT(T) - Presently serves as a dosimetrist in the Radiation Oncology Department at Inova Fairfax Hospital. She came to Inova in 1993 as a Radiation Therapist and completed her RT training at the Medical College of Virginia School of Radiation Therapy, where she also served as a staff therapist for 2 years prior to joining our team.

Sandy Bentkofsky, BHS, CMD, RT(R)(T) - Has been with the Department of Radiation Oncology at Inova Fairfax Hospital since 1998. She presently works as a Certified Medical Dosimetrist. She received her Radiation Therapy training at the UVA School of Health Sciences and then went on to receive her Bachelor’s in Health Sciences from The George Washington University. Prior to coming to Inova and ROA, she worked at a radiation therapy facility in Rockhill, SC.

Sheri Cosler, RT(T) - Has worked at the Radiation Oncology Department at Inova Fairfax Hospital for since 1998. With her extensive therapy expericene, Sheri now serves as the lead Dosimetrist at the Inova TomoTherapy Center, specializing in the clinical implementation and optimization of helical Intensity Modulated Therapy in our daily clinical practice.

Joseph Baron - Mr. Baron has served as a Medical Dosimetrist in the Radiation Oncology Department at Inova Fairfax Hospital since 2004. Prior to coming to Inova he worked as a medical dosimetrist at the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program in Boston, MA.

Nelson Tendoh, B.S. - Presently serves as a Medical Dosimetrist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Inova Fairfax Hospital. He has been at Inova since 2004, working initially as a Radiation Therapist. He completed his Radiation Therapy training at Howard University and has both training and work experiences at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle; U.C. Davis Hospital in Sacramento and VCU/MCV in Richmond.

Jose Mendez - Has served as a certified Radiation Safety Officer with the Inova Health System since 2006. He is certified in Radiological Emergency Response and Advanced Radiological Incident Operations through the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA). Prior to joining our team, Jose served as the Radiation Safety Officer at the Washington Hospital Centers.