John cameron

I found collaborating with congenial doctors about problems that physicists could help solve was very satisfying. I also like educating anybody who would listen!

When I entered medical physics in 1958 there were fewer than 100 in the U.S. and I could see many opportunities to apply my knowledge of nuclear physics.

I am not unhappy that my contribution was not recognized. I am sure it helped my career.

In 1970 I realized that there was negligible risk from x-rays but many radiographs had poor image quality so that the risk from a false negative was significant.

I started the nuclear medicine laboratory at UW Hospitals in 1959 and trained radiology residents in the field. It was 1965 before they found a trained MD (doctor) to take over my role.

There are now over 5,000 medical physicists in the U.S more than 50 times the number in 1958.

Many Nobel Prizes are awaiting good research to understand and explain the many mysteries of our bodies, such as the basic mechanism of memory or imagination.

I was the Chair of the first department of medical physics in a medical school in the U.S.

The growth of technology is such that it is not possible today for a nuclear physicist to switch into medical physics without training. The field is now much more technical. More training is needed to...

I am sure that I have been much more useful to society as a medical physicist.