Andrea Williamson, Medical Physics Expert

My role is largely related to safety in diagnostic radiology use of radiation - X-rays! There's a lot of legislation related to safe use of radiation, and it's the task of my team to be expert in this - to ensure safe systems and processes. Day-to-day work might include commissioning new radiographic equipment, working with radiology teams when there's an imaging problem, carrying out patient dose analysis - and my favourite, optimisation project work. Optimisation is our medical physics term for getting the necessary clinical image quality for a given procedure, at the lowest radiation dose achievable - a lot of detective work goes into improving patient imaging issues.

Although we don't see patients directly, we are involved in problem-solving for particular patients' cases (for example a pregnant patient who needs a procedure involving X-ray guidance - is it OK to go ahead?).

Over the years I've done lots of project work to reduce patient radiation doses, which is always really satisfying. Supporting radiology departments to look at their imaging methods and reduce doses themselves is always really empowering too. Knowing that my science skills are utilised to help people is a really big motivator. There is also a certain amazement at the incredible technology we have to help patients.