May Whitaker
Deputy Director of Medical Physics
Our patients are some of the bravest people I've ever met, and I am humbled to be a part of their...
What was your course?
What exactly does your work/job entail?
As a radiation oncology medical physicist, my day-to-day activities might include providing consultation on patient treatments using my physics knowledge, ensuring the quality and accuracy of the radiation treatment and equipment, collaborating on research to improve treatment accuracy and outcomes, commissioning new equipment and techniques, and training staff.
What part of your work inspires you the most? Why do you find it interesting?
Our patients are some of the bravest people I've ever met, and I am humbled to be a part of their journey as they fight against cancer. Everything I do – the research, the quality assurance checks, the plan assessments – is to ensure that our patients are receiving the safest and most accurate treatment we can give them. Having the opportunity to use my physics background and implement all sorts of interesting equipment and measurement devices towards such a compassionate purpose is extremely motivating.
Do you find the skills you learnt during your degree useful and versatile? If so how?
At UTS, my degree focused on the real world of working science: we had a lot of hands-on laboratory components, along with report writing and collaborating with other students on projects. These are all things I do as part of my job, and although I don't recall much of my quantum mechanics theory, I can set up equipment safely, perform measurements accurately, analyse data intelligently and come to a logical conclusion. These are all things I learnt throughout my degree at UTS, not as a single subject but as an immersive experience over the years. Presenting the results to a varied audience is not an easy task, but I also learnt how to do this at UTS throughout the course and it's a very important component of my work today.
Have you had any achievements or news that you'd like to share with the UTS Alumni community?
I am currently working with the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM) to help promote medical physics as a career, and also to encourage women in science and engineering. In particular, we would love to see more young women choosing science and engineering as their undergraduate major with a longer-term view of working in medical physics. The ACPSEM is also introducing activities to assist our members to grow professionally, learning skills to complement the scientific background and developing the science leaders of tomorrow.
