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Welcome
to the
Discipline of Medical Biophysics
.... and to the courses and modules offered by the department. What is biophysics? Simply, it is the study of living things through the application of the laws and principles of physics. Our teaching and research focus on the biophysics of the human body and of higher animals. Many of the teaching faculty in the department are scientists in one of the research institutes associated with Western, and bring special topics from their research such as blood flow, orthopedic mechanics, medical imaging and cancer biology. The department has a long history, originating in 1947 as the first Department of Biophysics in Canada, under the leadership of the pioneering biophysicist and gifted teacher – Alan C. Burton, M.B.E., Ph.D., F.R.S.C. The first undergraduate program began in 1966, occurring along with the opening of the new Medical Sciences Building, and new undergraduate programs in the other medical science disciplines. The department was renamed Medical Biophysics in 1984 in recognition of the main themes for research and teaching.
The modules in Medical Biophysics allow students to combine studies in a related discipline such as applied mathematics or medical science, or with an outside field such as economics or statistics. For the greatest concentration of biophysics there are two honors specialization modules. The pathway into these modules can be through medical and biological sciences, leading to the BMSc honors degree or through physical sciences such as physics or chemistry, leading to the honors BSc degree. The Honors Specialization Modules includes the third year Medical Biophysics 3970Z lab course where students do individual Six-Week research projects and the signature fourth year course Medical Biophysics 4970, a research laboratory course in which each student works on his or her own project that they have helped to plan. For students contemplating graduate training, the 4970 course provides a window into that career path, and for some students the work from the project has led to publications with the student as one of the publishing authors. Graduating students often go on to professional programs like Medical Physics, Dentistry, Medicine or Physical Therapy, to graduate research training toward the MSc or PhD degree, or to work as laboratory researchers in industry or university departments. Again, welcome to our courses and modules in Medical Biophysics.
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Ian MacDonald, PhD Associate Professor Undergraduate Chair |
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