Radiological Sciences

IBMS 5000. Fundamentals Of Biomedical Sciences. 8 Credit Hours.

This core course covers the fundamentals of biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, organismal and systems biology, and microbiology and immunology. The course is designed for first-year graduate students matriculating into the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program (IBMS).

INTD 5007. Advanced Cellular And Molecular Biology. 4 Credit Hours.

This course provides an in-depth learning experience that instructs students on the fundamentals of molecular biology and cell biology as well as prepares the student to evaluate and design new research in the cutting-edge areas of modern molecular biology and cell biology. The course combines a didactic program of lectures along with a small group discussion format in which students interact closely with a group of faculty who have active research programs. The course focuses on active areas of research in molecular biology: Chromatin structure, DNA Transcription, DNA Replication and Repair, Recombination, RNA processing and regulation, Protein processing, targeting and degradation and in cell biology: Cell Signaling and Communication, Cell Growth, and Cell Death. Each week, the faculty provide students with didactic lectures on a current research area. Students and faculty will then jointly discuss key publications that serve to bridge the gap between the fundamental underpinnings of the field and the state of the art in that area.

INTD 5046. Metanalysis In Cognitive Neuroimaging. 2.5 Credit Hours.

The objective of this course is to familiarize students with human functional brain imaging methods, experimental designs, statistical analyses, inferential strategies, and content. Students are guided through a literature-based research project that culminates in a quantitative metanalysis of a set of studies using similar tasks.

INTD 7006. Biomarkers in Health Care Research and Delivery. 1 Credit Hour.

This course provides a broad overview of the rapidly evolving use of biomarkers in health care research and health care delivery. Biomarkers are non-subjective (i.e., not symptom scores, disability scales, or diagnoses) physical or functional measurements that serve as quantitative indices of physiological processes, pathological processes, and responses to exposures or interventions (including therapeutic interventions) that are intended to enhance the rigor and reproducibility of health care research and care delivery. Federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are deeply engaged in promoting the use of biomarkers, introducing multiple funding opportunities for biomarker development toward FDA qualification and/or regulatory approval for clinical use. Additionally, opportunities for commercial partnership during biomarker development will be discussed. Examples will be provided of fluid (serum, CSF, urine, etc.), tissue, imaging, and biometric biomarkers (including wearable devices). Course format will emphasize assigned readings/viewings from various sources (IOM white papers, FDA & NIH video and powerpoint presentations, recent biomarker validation publications, current biomarker qualification submissions, relevant regulatory guidance, funded-grant synopses, et cetera) followed by in-class review and discussion. Special topic lectures will be delivered by invited speakers ranging from established biomarker researchers to regulatory experts. Open for Cross Enrollment on Space Available Basis.

PHYT 7009. Neuroscience. 4 Credit Hours.

This course in neuroscience provides the foundation to understand the structure and functions of the developing, mature, and aging nervous system. It covers basic neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neuropharmacology. It also applies neuroscience to clinical applications regarding pathology and patient care. Since cultural organization is central to most functional concepts, neuroanatomy is emphasized to facilitate an overall understanding of the nervous system. Morphology is covered first at the cellular level, then regionally. Neurophysiology of cellular processes of nerve cell transmission as well as regional connectivity of pathways devoted to specific neural modalities is covered. Neuropharmacology encompasses the chemical aspects of synaptic transmission at the cellular level, and the regional differences of transmitter pharmacology. Special emphasis is given to the structures involved in motor control, neuroplasticity, normal neurological functions, and pathologies. Neuropathology is introduced when appropriate to the systems being discussed. The course offers laboratory time examining neurological structures of the central and peripheral nervous system cadaver specimens. Open for cross enrollment on space available basis.

RADI 5001. Basic Radiation Safety. 1 Credit Hour.

This course provides the student with the opportunity to gain a conceptual understanding of the radiation protection principles involved in the research, diagnostic, and therapeutic uses of radiation sources. This course will cover the safe receipt, use, storage, and disposal of radiation sources in the biomedical research setting. The contents of this course fulfill HSC training requirements in order to use radioactive materials on campus. Successful participants will earn three HSC safety certificates of completion: Basic Radiation Safety Training, Basic Laser Safety Training, and Basic Laboratory Safety Training.

RADI 5005. Fundamentals Of Radiation Dosimetry. 3 Credit Hours.

The aim of this course is to introduce the students to the fundamentals of radiation dosimetry, including dosimetry quantities, interactions with matter, cavity theory and calibration protocols. More specifically, the topics that will be covered during this course are the following: 1) Introduction/Ionizing Radiation, 2) Quantities for describing interactions, 3) Exponential attenuation, 4) Charged particle and radiation equilibria, 5) Absorbed dose in radioactive media, 6) Radioactive decay, 7) X-ray interactions with matter, 8) Charged particle interactions with matter, 9) Cavity theory, 10) Dosimetry Fundamentals, and 11) Calibration protocols.

RADI 5007. Statistics in the Radiological Sciences. 2 Credit Hours.

An overview of biomedical statistics methods and basic applications to experimental design with special emphasis given to those methods used in radiation detection, image analysis, and evaluations of diagnostic efficacy. Students will learn the theory behind these methods and apply them to actual and simulated problems in the Radiological Sciences using the R statistical programming environment.

RADI 5015. Physics Of Diagnostic Imaging 1. 3 Credit Hours.

This course introduces the student to the basic principles and radiological practice using noninvasive imaging systems. Topics include production of x-rays, interaction of radiation with matter, and the physics of imaging using computed tomography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance. Prerequisites: consent of instructor.

RADI 5018. Physics Measurements In Imaging Lab. 2 Credit Hours.

This is a laboratory course focusing on performance of measurements used in quality assurance (QA), system characterization, and acceptance testing of medical imagers. Corequisites: RADI 5015.

RADI 5020. Principles of Health Physics 1. 3 Credit Hours.

This course covers the basic principles of protection dealing with the major forms of ionizing radiation.

RADI 5025. Molecular Oncology & Radiobiology. 1.5-3 Credit Hours.

This course is an overview of the physics and chemistry of radiation biology; the biological effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiations and hyperthermia at the cellular and tissue levels and whole body and late effects.

RADI 5090. Radiological Sciences Seminar. 1-9 Credit Hours.

Enrolled students are required to attend a minimum of 9 faculty/outside speaker seminars per semester and complete an evaluation sheet on each seminar attended. To fulfill the number of seminars, students may include seminars offered by disciplines other than their own. A list of seminars of interest to the students will be supplied on the first class day. Students must also prepare a PowerPoint presentation on a Radiological Sciences topic and present their seminar for critique by program faculty and students. By the end of this course, each student should be able to: 1) Demonstrate competence in verbal communication. 2) Demonstrate competence in written communication. 3) Critically review research literature and analyze scientific data.

RADI 6012. Phys Nuclear Medi Imaging. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is a study of physical principles of planar, SPECT, and PET radionuclide imaging; instrument theory; dosimetry; computer uses; and safety considerations.

RADI 6015. Physics Measurements in Imaging 2. 3 Credit Hours.

Students will study and work with advanced methods for evaluating the performance of clinical imagining systems, including x-ray imagining, fluoroscopy, mammography, ultrasound, x-ray CT and MRI. Testing will follow procedures described in publications of the AAPM and ACR and used to achieve compliance with the regulations and recommendations the DSA, MQSA, ACR, NRC, MIPPA and State of Texas' Radiation Control Program. Students will study the procedures and then use "best practices" to perform the tests in a clinical setting. Methods for evaluating nuclear medicine equipment shall also be reviewed and carried out, but in a less intensive manner. Prerequisites: RADI 5015, RADI 6049, RADI 6012 and RADI 6016.

RADI 6016. Physics of Diagnostic Imaging 2. 3 Credit Hours.

This course includes theory and applications of various forms of electronic imaging systems; advanced diagnostic imaging principles involving mathematical image analysis, digital image processing, digital image display, and concepts of electronic imaging. Prerequisites: consent of instructor.

RADI 6017. Neuroimaging Methods. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will deal extensively with several noninvasive brain imaging techniques to study the functional organization of the human and animal brains. Methods covered include positron-emission tomography (PET), event-related potentials, magneto-encephalography, optical imaging, voltage and calcium imaging, autoradiography, as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation. The course will only touch upon anatomical and functional MRI as well as high field MRI, as students will receive exhaustive MRI training from other classes. Course format will include both lectures on the several methods and seminars in which recent technical advances in the field are discussed. Prerequisites: consent of instructor.

RADI 6020. Advanced Topics In Cognitive Neuroscience. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will explore several advanced topics in cognitive neuroscience. It includes exhaustive study of a brain function in normal and in disease states. Brain functions include but are not limited to sensation, perception, action, language, motion, and cognition.

RADI 6022. Programming for Medical Physics. 1 Credit Hour.

The purpose of the course is to demonstrate to students the usefulness of programming for medical physics. The Matlab programming language is chosen because it enables rapid coding and data visualization. Students will first be taught basic programming techniques. Then , they will be shown specific examples of these techniques being applied to medical physics. Finally, they will create a final program, which performs a task of the student's choosing and utilizes several concepts from the course. Students will be graded based on their attendance and programming projects. Must have familiarity with the field of medical physics.

RADI 6024. Radiological Anatomy & Physiology. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will provide students with an opportunity to learn anatomy, physiology, and commonly used medical terminology as it relates to radiologic imaging. Anatomic and physiologic features will be illustrated with radiologic images in formats commonly encountered in clinical radiology. By the end of the course, students are expected to be familiar with basic medical terminology and have a good understanding of medical anatomy, physiology, and some basic pathology as related to specific organs for which radiologic images are commonly applied.

RADI 6030. Physics Of Radiotherapy. 3 Credit Hours.

Theory, design, and operation of radiation-producing equipment used in radiation therapy are introduced. Exposure and absorbed dose calculations, patient dosimetry, treatment planning, and use of computers in radiation therapy are covered.

RADI 6031. Physics Measurements In Radiotherapy I. 3 Credit Hours.

Performance of measurements on radiation therapy equipment used to determine therapy treatment parameters is the opportunity for study in this course.

RADI 6033. Advanced Radiotherapy Physics. 3 Credit Hours.

This course includes the coverage of advanced radiation therapy special topics: intensity modulated radiation therapy, advanced brachytherapy, and radiation therapy shielding.

RADI 6035. Physics Measurements In Radiotherapy 2. 3 Credit Hours.

In this course students will have the opportunity to gain further didactic and hands-on familiarity with radiation therapy measurement equipment (ion chambers, films, TLDs, water tanks, profilers, etc.) and learn daily clinical practices. Students will have the opportunity to learn the roles of a radiation oncology team, the generation of radiation therapy treatment plans, patient quality assurance, and advanced, specialized radiation therapy techniques. Learning can be accomplished through attendance of didactic lectures, homework assignments, presentations of class projects, and a comprehensive oral exam. Prerequisites: RADI 5005, RADI 6030, and RADI 6031.

RADI 6042. Non-Ionizing Radiation Biology. 1-9 Credit Hours.

This course is an overview of the biological and known or potential health effects of non-ionizing radiation, with attention to radio frequency radiation in the microwave range, extremely low frequency (ELF) field exposures, LASER emissions, and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure.

RADI 6049. Intro To Magnetic Resonance. 2 Credit Hours.

This course presents the basics of the practice of magnetic resonance as the experimentalist or clinician first meets them. The approach begins with images, equipment, and scanning protocols. The student will have the opportunity to face issues pertinent to practice with theoretical background added as experience grows. Through this approach, key ideas are introduced in an intuitive style that is faithful to the underlying physics.

RADI 6050. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2 Credit Hours.

This course explores the physics of magnetic resonance image formation through discussion of imaging problems, reviews of current research topics with an emphasis on quantitative methods using MRI, and hands-on experience in MRI laboratories. Prerequisites: RADI 6049.

RADI 6051. Statistical Parametric Mapping. 3 Credit Hours.

Course content includes principles of NMR Spectroscopy as applied to the resolution of molecular structural problems in chemistry, biology, and medicine; and principles and methods for designing BOLD contrast MRI experiments and evaluating fMRI data.

RADI 6054. Introduction to Statistical Learning. 2 Credit Hours.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly common tools for image data analysis and image interpretation. AI methods are also being developed for treatment planning. This short, intensive course is designed to give the student an introduction to the principal methods of statistical learning that underlie artificial intelligence algorithms. Students will learn how to use the R statistical programming language to work through statistical learning exercises both in-class and in homework assignments. Course will be taught 2 hours per day for 3 days per week in July and August. Topics covered will include, Classification Schemes, Resampling Methods, Linear Model Selection and Regularization, Tree-Based Methods, Support Vector Machines, and Unsupervised Learning. Prerequisites: Completion of RADI 5007, Statistics in the Radiological Sciences; Familiarity with R statistical programming environment. Open for Cross Enrollment on Space Available Basis.

RADI 6071. Supervised Teaching. 1-12 Credit Hours.

This course is a presentation of lectures and supervised teaching under the direction of faculty.

RADI 6091. Special Topics. 1-12 Credit Hours.

This course covers topics of special interest which may include emerging and new modalities in radiological sciences relating to x-ray, nuclear, or magnetic imaging.

RADI 6097. Research. 1-12 Credit Hours.

This course is supervised research under the guidance of a faculty member.

RADI 7005. Treatment Planning Techniques In Radiation Therapy. 3 Credit Hours.

The goal of the course is to provide an overview of the physics and clinical elements that contribute to the development of computerized treatment plans in radiation therapy. The commissioning and acceptance testing of a planning system will be discussed and demonstrated in several planning platforms. Anatomy specific treatment planning will be described, including imaging of the specific disease, as well as contouring and plan development. Multiple plans will be generated for each site using different planning modalities, such as 2D, 3D, and IMRT.

RADI 7006. Treatment Planning Techniques in Radiotherapy 2. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is a continuation of RADI 7005. It presents an in-depth study of multidisciplinary treatment of the cancer patient from the clinician's viewpoint. Students are required to master concepts specific to site-specific disease including: histopathology, etiologic and epidemiology factors, detection and diagnosis, tumor stage and grade, routes of metastases, dose fractionation and prognostic factors. This course is designed to approach each cancer type by anatomic system, addressing treatment factors with increasing degrees of complexity. Assigned exercises organized by treatment site and procedure type will be carried out under the direct supervision of an assigned advisor. These will be both simulated and real case assignments. The course is taught as a didactic course with applied planning. Didactic instruction will be provided by medical residents while practical planning instruction will be applied by a medical dosimetrist.

RADI 7010. Motor Learning And Brain Imaging. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed for the advanced student (doctoral or postdoctoral) to obtain a comprehensive overview of the field of motor learning from behavioral and brain imaging perspectives. Topic coverage will include general motor learning and speech motor learning (with reference to treatment of motor speech disorders). The course will be structured in a seminar format. The course will explore measurement methods and issues in motor learning and the neural substrates of learning in intact and disordered subject groups.

RADI 7077. Ethics, Leadership and Vision. 2 Credit Hours.

This foundational course introduces students to the core ethical content necessary for responsible research conduct. It will also provide basic knowledge on negotiations, professionalism, leadership, effective communication, etc. Open for Cross Enrollment on Space Available Basis.

RADI 7099. Dissertation. 1-12 Credit Hours.

Registration for at least one term is required for Ph.D. candidates. Prerequisites: admission to candidacy for Doctor of Philosophy degree.

TSCI 5070. Responsible Conduct of Research. 2 Credit Hours.

This foundational course introduces students to core ethical content necessary for responsible research conduct. Through interactive seminars, students will learn about (1) scientists as responsible members of society (contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research and environmental/social impacts of research), (2) policies for research with human subjects and vertebrate animals, (3) collaborative research, (4) conflicts of interest (personal, professional, financial), (5) data acquisition and laboratory tools (management, sharing, ownership), (6) responsible authorship and publication, (7) mentor/trainee responsibilities and relationships, (8) peer review (9) research misconduct (forms of misconduct and management policies) (10) informed consent, privacy regulations, good clinical practice, and special populations in clinical investigations.

TSCI 5071. Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Methods-1. 2 Credit Hours.

This interdisciplinary course is the first in a two-semester sequence designed to train participants in the conduct of patient-oriented clinical research. Students will have the opportunity to learn to and, by the end of the course, be required to: (1) define a research question; (2) effectively conduct a systematic review of the scientific literature; (3) design strategies for recruitment into a study; (4) delineate strategies for minimizing bias in cross-sectional and retrospective studies; and (5) read and interpret research reports of cross-sectional and case-control investigations.

TSCI 5073. Integrated Molecular Biology With Patient-Oriented Clinical Research. 1 Credit Hour.

This interdisciplinary course is designed to train participants on integrating molecular biology methods into patient-oriented clinical research. Students will have the opportunity to learn to: (1) appropriately use molecular terms in clinical investigation; (2) describe the events involved in protein synthesis; (3) describe the principles involved in molecular techniques (e.g., polymerase chain reactions, southern blots); (4) identify the appropriate specimens, collection, and handling requirements for each molecular technique; (5) identify and correct common sources of error in performing molecular techniques; (6) cite examples of clinical applications of molecular techniques in clinical medicine; and (7) apply molecular techniques in the laboratory to specific clinical problems.

TSCI 5076. Applied Healthcare Informatics and Analytics. 2 Credit Hours.

This elective course is designed for students interested in applied healthcare informatics and analytics. This course will focus primarily on practical skills and knowledge for hands-on analytics applied to healthcare settings. Discussions of theory will be more limited and directed to a greater understanding required for practical application of the knowledge. The course will include traditional lectures as well as in-class and assigned database work using Microsoft Access, Excel, and Power BI. The course will include periodic short quizzes as well as a mid-term and final exam. Course participants will plan and evaluate a small healthcare analytics project for use in a healthcare system.

TSCI 5078. Introduction to Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer and Commercialization. 1 Credit Hour.

This elective course provides an in-depth overview of the essential components encompassed in the protection of intellectual property, patents, licensing, technology transfer, and product commercialization. Content is provided through a series of lectures, assigned readings, literature reviews, class presentations, and discussions with faculty.