Summary

The Department of Radiation Oncology at BCM is in search of a Postdoc with a strong medical background, specializing in imaging segmentation, database building, and sound statistical analysis. The ideal candidate will join our team to utilize artificial intelligence in enhancing radiation therapy techniques, with a focus on outcomes prediction and adaptive radiation applications.

Facility and Equipment:

The Radiation Oncology Department is currently comprised of 9 faculty physicists, 8 radiation oncology residents, and 10 faculty radiation oncologists. The Department of Radiation Oncology at the Baylor College of Medicine provides a full range of clinical services at the Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center and the Harris Health Smith Clinic. Services provided include conformal radiotherapy, IMRT, IGRT, SBRT, and an active brachytherapy (low-dose and high-dose) program. Two Varian Linacs (Halcyon with HyperSight and Edge), one Varian Bravos HDR unit and Two Siemens wide-bore CT scanners installed at the new campus of the Dan L. Duncan Cancer center. The Harris Health Smith Clinic is currently equipped with 3 Elekta Synergy linear accelerators, a large bore CT simulator with 4D capabilities, and a Varian VariSource brachytherapy afterloader unit. The department has access to clinical PET/CT and MR scanners.

Baylor has been an active part of the radiation oncology community in the Houston area for decades. We provide care to a diverse group of patients across the Houston metro area. Close ties also exist with other institutions within the Texas Medical Center. Baylor College of Medicine is a premier academic medical school ranked #22 for research and #16 for primary care medical schools in the US. In both of these, it ranks #1 in Texas along with the highest NIH grant dollars received in Texas.

The Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center first received NCI designation 14 years ago and since then has grown and matured harboring SPORE grants in both Breast Cancer and Lymphoma as well as being home to the Human Genome Sequencing Center. It was designated an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2015. In the 2022 U.S. News and World Reports rankings, The Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor St Luke’s Hospital was listed 25th in the nation, despite being one of the youngest centers on the list.

The city of Houston is the 4th most populous city in The United States and its most racially and ethnically diverse major metropolitan area. As such, Houston is home to a vibrant food, music, and theater scene while the museum district alone is home to nineteen galleries, museums, and community spaces. The Texas Medical Center in turn is the largest concentration of medical-related institutions in North America. A total of 54 institutions are represented including 4 medical schools, seven nursing schools, 8 academic and research institutions, and 21 hospitals. Come explore Space City and see what it has to offer.

Job Duties

• Medical Imaging and Segmentation:
  • Appliesexpertise in medical imaging to segment, labels, and curates datasets specifically for radiation treatment planning.
  • Collaborates with radiologists and oncologists to ensure the accuracy and clinical relevance of image segmentation.
• Database Building:
  • Leads the creation and maintenance of comprehensive databases related to radiation treatments.
  • Ensures the consistency, quality, and security of stored medical data.
• Statistical Analysis:
  • Performs robust statistical analyses on collected data to derive meaningful conclusions and inform AI model development.
  • Collaborates with data scientists to refine analytical methods and interpret results.
• Collaborative Research:
  • Engages in multidisciplinary research projects, co-authors publications, and presents findings at medical and technical conferences.
  • Fosters collaborations with researchers from various departments and external institutions.
• Continuous Learning & Training:
  • Remains updated with the latest advancements in medical imaging, database management, and radiation oncology.
  • Offers training sessions and workshops to departmental staff on best practices in imaging segmentation and statistical analysis.
• Safety & Compliance:
  • Upholds BCM regulations and guidelines, ensuring all research methodologies adhere to medical and ethical standards.
  • Collaborates with the BCM Institutional Review Board, maintaining rigorous patient data privacy protocols.

Minimum Qualifications

• MD or Ph.D. in Basic Science, Health Science, or a related field.
• No experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise in medical imaging segmentation and database building.
• Strong proficiency in statistical analysis tools such as R, MATLAB, or Python.
• Experience with medical imaging data formats (DICOM, NIfTI) and associated software applications.
• Prior exposure to the challenges and intricacies of radiation oncology.
• Ability to communicate complex technical details effectively to a diverse audience.
• Experience in working with multi-institutional datasets and cloud computing platforms.