Zhiyan Xiao, PhD, DABR

I’m a clinical medical physicist in the Proton Therapy Center at Cincinnati Children’s. Proton therapy is often an ideal treatment option for children especially prone to radiation side effects. Proton therapy offers significant benefits to pediatric patients by limiting exposure to still-developing young bodies, which may decrease the risk of radiation-induced secondary cancers, developmental delays and growth abnormalities.

As a researcher, my work involves the investigation of a novel detector for the new radiotherapy modality, absolute dosimetry, and radiation safety for ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy (FLASH-RT). Investigating the novel detector and developing the new quality assurance (QA) device and workflows will be an essential help for patient care using this new radiotherapy modality.

I am honored to have received grants from Varian Medical Systems, Inc. as a primary investigator for my work, Shielding Evaluation of Conventional Proton Facility Performing FLASH Radiotherapy (2019).