physics + medicine

<p>does anyone here (bdm, brm, etc.) know of any specialties in medicine that utilize a good deal of physics? i know that radiology is pretty physics related, but is there anything else? the reason i'm asking is because i'm looking into research offers in imaging labs at my uni. and i'm trying to prepare for an md/phd program. is getting a phd in physics unheard of along with an md?</p>

<p>Neurology, radiology. Biomechanics is a good area, although not a MD group.</p>

<p>EDIT: I wanted to add that the physics that goes in medicine is done by engineers. Yes, plenty of that goes on in biomechanics and neural engineering. Imaging techniques is huge part of EE and BME. It's not unheard of for an engineer or physicists to also have an MD. The MD would have to be valuable to their research though. I couldn't imagine getting a MD for the heck of it.</p>

<p>I suppose there are certain kinds of fluid dynamics involved in cardiology, but again that's mostly engineering. If you're talking about the cutting edge stuff in physics, that's really mostly quantum and strings and such, and no, medicine doesn't do any stuff there.</p>

<p>There is one MSTP at my school doing a physics PhD. I don't know what he does, actually. It didn't sound very clinical.</p>

<p>This is not to say that introductory physics isn't important for medicine. We're discussing the cutting edge of physics, here -- and not that it's not important, just that the clinical implications are not obvious.</p>

<p>Nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, electroencephalography, general radiology and radiology specialties are branches of medicine directly using applied physics. MRI scanning depends on abtruse principles of group theory, but few doctors understand the math and none need to.</p>

<p>Device development requires EE and materials expertise, usually the work of engineers rather than MD's.</p>

<p>Of note, physical science majors outscore life science majors on the MCAT.</p>

<p>I know in radiation oncology, you actually have to prepared for a pretty intensive physics exam as part of you certification during residency.</p>