About the Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences

The Department is one of the 6 departments comprising the School of Biomedical Sciences. Since its foundation in 1998, the Department has offered a number of professionally accredited and qualifying programs within medical radiations.  These include Australia's first four year Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging and an articulated Master of Medical Ultrasound which replaced the previous Graduate Diploma of Medical Ultrasound.  In 2003 the Department introduced Australia's first graduate entry program Master of Radiation Therapy which was replaced by the Master of Medical Radiations (Radiation Therapy) in 2010.  Additionally, the Department has offered a nuclear medicine and a medical ultrasound track within the Master of Medical Radiations framework.  Graduates from our courses and other suitably qualified medical radiations practitioners with a research track record can apply for enrolment in either a research based Master of Philosophy or a PhD program through the Department.

The Department is located on the first floor of Building 13C within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences teaching precinct on the Clayton Campus.

The Department utilises lecture and teaching facilities located close to its physical location including a new Radiology facility on the ground floor of Building 13D and a new medical ultrasound facility on level one of Building 13C.  The Radiology facility is designed to model a hospital radiology department including patient reception and waiting areas, tutorial spaces and a departmental office.  The facility features three x-ray rooms incorporating two fixed hospital x-ray systems, a C-arm fluoroscopy system and a mobile x-ray.  In addition, the facility has a Agfa computed radiography (CR) system for processing the x-ray images and a Philips Brilliance Workspace Portal PACS (picture archiving and communication system) for extensive image handling capability. The Brilliance Portal drives numerous student workstations providing ready student access to images generated within the facility as well as from our affiliated hospitals.

These clinical quality radiographic facilities are used in practical teaching of radiation and radiographic methods.  Under supervision from radiographers, students learn radiographic practice using an anthropomorphic phantom (a model patient with artificial bones and organs) and carry out experiments related to the physics of radiographic imaging.  Simulation software also enables students to practise obtaining images with correct exposure under differing conditions and to minimise patient radiation dose.  The Brilliance Portal, apart from providing extensive image processing and three dimensional imaging capability, will support research in various fields of medical imaging.

The new medical ultrasound facility comprises four clinical quality Philips ultrasound systems.  The facility has been designed to simulate the clinical setting and facilitate the development of abdominal scanning skills through hands-on practical training.  All laboratory teaching sessions are supervised by accredited medical sonographers.  The facility is also used for ultrasound related research projects.