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David J. Carlson

PhD, DABR, FASTRO, FAAPM
Professor of Therapeutic Radiology; Vice Chair for Physics, Therapeutic Radiology; Director of Medical Physics, Therapeutic Radiology

Contact Information

David J. Carlson, PhD, DABR, FASTRO, FAAPM

Office Location

Mailing Address

  • Yale School of Medicine

    PO Box 208040

    New Haven, CT 06520-8040

    United States

Appointments

Biography

Dr. Carlson serves as Professor, Vice Chair, & Director of Physics in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at the Yale School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Health. He completed his residency in Radiation Oncology Physics at Stanford University and received his PhD in Medical Physics from Purdue University. He is certified by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Radiologic Physics. He currently serves as Executive Editor and Section Editor for Physics for the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics. He is a Fellow and past Member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the Past Chair of the Science Education and Program Development committee of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). He was recently elected Fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (FASTRO). The goals of Dr. Carlson’s research are to improve radiation therapy outcomes for cancer patients by developing accurate models of treatment response and to advance our understanding of the underlying biophysical mechanisms that govern radiation response.

Education & Training

  • PhD
    Purdue University (2006)
  • BA
    Middlebury College, Physics (2002)
  • Resident
    Stanford University
  • Intern
    Medical College of Wisconsin

Activities

  • Visting Faculty
    Munich, BY, Germany 2017
    Invited to speak and collaborate with faculty in the Department of Experimental Physics at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
  • Invited Speaker
    Vienna, Vienna, Austria 2017
    Invited to speak in a scientific symposium at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 36) in Vienna, Austria.
  • Visiting Faculty
    Seoul, South Korea 2016
    Invited to speak and collaborate with faculty in the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
  • Invited Speaker
    Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan 2015
    Invited to speak in an international symposium at the International Congress of Radiation Research (ICRR 2015) in Kyoto, Japan.
  • Visiting Fellow
    Heidelberg, Baden-Wuerttemberg Region, Germany 2011
    Participated in the Foreign Scientist Program in the Division of Medical Physics at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Honors & Recognition

AwardAwarding OrganizationDate
Invited Participant to an International Workshop on “The Role of Oxygen in Radiation Therapy” at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences2023
FellowAmerican Society for Radiation Oncology2023
Host of a Podcast for the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics on Advances in Particle Therapy https://www.redjournal.org/audio-do/red-journal-podcast-july-15-20232023
Appointed by the Faculty of Science to serve as an External Expert Referee for an Associate professorship in Medical Radiation Physics in the Department of Physics, Stockholm University2020
FellowAmerican Association of Physicists in Medicine2018
Outstanding Young Alumni AwardPurdue University School of Health Sciences2014
Honored as an “Outstanding Reviewer” of 2012International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics2012
Certified in Therapeutic Radiologic PhysicsAmerican Board of Radiology (ABR)2009
Editor’s AwardRadiation Research Society2009
Scholar-in-Training Travel AwardRadiation Research Society2007
Scholar-in-Training Travel AwardRadiation Research Society2006
Ross FellowshipPurdue University2003
Graduate Student Travel AwardPurdue University2003

Professional Service

OrganizationRoleDate
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and PhysicsExecutive Editor & Section Editor, Physics2019 - Present
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and PhysicsAssociate Senior Editor, Editorial Board2016 - 2019
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)Board of Directors, Member2015 - 2017
Connecticut Area Medical Physics Society chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)Representative2015 - 2017
Therapeutic Radiology Departmental Thesis CommitteeMember2014 - 2016
Clinical Competence Committee for the Therapeutic Radiology Residency ProgramMember2013 - 2016
American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)Member, Science Education and Program Development Committee2013 - 2016
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)Peer Reviewer, 55th-59th Annual Meetings2013 - 2017
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)Member, Task Group No. 256 on Proton Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE)2013 - 2016
Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research ProgramsReviewer2013
Medical Physics Residency Training ProgramCommittee Member2012 - 2015
American Association of Physicists in MedicineCommittee Member2012 - 2014
American Association of Physicists in MedicineCommittee Member2011 - 2014
Connecticut Area Medical Physics Society chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)President2011 - 2013
American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)Reviewer2009 - 2014
American Association of Physicists in MedicineVice Chair2007 - 2015
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)President2007 - 2009
International Journal of Radiation BiologyReviewer
Medical PhysicsAssociate Editor
Medical PhysicsReviewer
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and PhysicsReviewer
Radiation ResearchReviewer
Physics in Medicine and BiologyReviewer
British Journal of RadiologyReviewer
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)Member
American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)Member
Radiation Research Society (RRS)Member
Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center (YCCC)Member

Departments & Organizations