Over the last 12 years, Dr. Jonas Fontenot has worked his way from being a staff medical physicist to becoming the chief of physics and chief operating officer at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.
杏吧专区淢edical physicists are interested in using ionizing radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of human disease,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淲ithin a cancer center, that means that a medical physicist is responsible for serving as an interface between the science of technology and the art of medicine.
杏吧专区淭he day-to-day for that particular role involves working with radiation oncologists who see patients who would benefit from radiation therapy and coming up with radiation treatment plans that are customized, unique, and personalized to each patient杏吧专区檚 disease and anatomy, and then coming up with strategies to actually deliver those radiation dose plans to patients each and every day,杏吧专区 he said.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 been a wild and fun ride,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 certainly one that I did not anticipate.杏吧专区
The Road to Medical Physics
The start of his career in medical physics was also unanticipated.
杏吧专区淚 knew I was destined for something in science,杏吧专区 Dr. Fontenot said. 杏吧专区淚 didn杏吧专区檛 know exactly what I wanted to do when I got to UL Lafayette, but I had lots of options.
杏吧专区淚 started out in engineering but made my way to physics when I realized it was a better match for my interests,杏吧专区 he said.
杏吧专区淲hat I really enjoyed about physics is that if you know key concepts in a few key areas, you could apply that knowledge and understanding in lots of key areas."
杏吧专区淲hat drew me to medical physics was accidental,杏吧专区 Dr. Fontenot said. 杏吧专区淚t was really through a path of discovery that I would attribute to the physics program at UL Lafayette. I think for any physics major at any university, there comes a point in time where you ask, 杏吧专区榃hat am I going to do with this physics degree I杏吧专区檓 working toward?杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
When the time came for Dr. Fontenot to ask himself that question, the physics faculty were more than happy to help.
杏吧专区淲hen I first asked myself that question, I had no idea what I might do with a physics degree,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淏ut the faculty provided a wealth of information about the possibilities that existed for somebody with a physics degree.
杏吧专区淚 was made aware of the field of medical physics from Dr. John Meriwether (Professor Emeritus), who was aware of an alumnus of the department who had gone on to a career in medical physics,杏吧专区 Dr. Fontenot said.
杏吧专区淚t appealed to me that there was a social component of the career,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚t also appealed to me that it was a field that I could apply physics concepts within applications that would benefit people with a diagnosis of cancer.
杏吧专区淎fter talking through some of the general concepts of what medical physics was with Dr. Meriwether, he put me in touch with the alumnus that he had mentioned,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚 reached out to him and spent some time with him. I found that time to be productive and interesting to the point that I decided it was something I wanted to pursue.杏吧专区
Gaining Unanticipated Skills
Once he earned his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree from UL Lafayette, Dr. Fontenot started his graduate training in Houston where he learned more than he was expecting. He earned his Master of Science and his Ph.D. in Medical Physics at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
杏吧专区淚 think a graduate education and a career in science means you杏吧专区檙e often up in front of audiences, talking about research,杏吧专区 he said, 杏吧专区渟o the first few times I had to get up in front of a national or international crowd and talk about my ideas and things that I was pursuing, I was terrified.
杏吧专区淏ut with repetition and practice brings confidence and being able to get up in that sort of setting,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淎nd being able to have a conversation with an audience about the ideas you have. I think that further honed and improved my ability to communicate with others about technically difficult concepts.杏吧专区
This skill of effective communication has been one that has translated from large-scale audiences to Dr. Fontenot杏吧专区檚 patients and staff. It continues to be an asset in his career today.
杏吧专区淭he ability and the need to communicate effectively with patients and staff members and physicians in terms they can understand is something I did not expect to spend as much time on,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淏ut as I gained more experience in the field, I realized that杏吧专区檚 really an essential component of this career. That comes with time and experience.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 been what I expected in some ways and not what I expected in other ways,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚t has certainly brought a large degree of satisfaction by being able to apply a skill set that I think not many people have, that benefits cancer patients and has a specific and unique and direct application. That杏吧专区檚 been very satisfying.杏吧专区
Dr. Fontenot's Current Radiation Research
Dr. Fontenot杏吧专区檚 research is focused on improving radiation doses to target tumors better. He has numerous publications and received over $1 million in sponsored research funding. He was a key figure in bringing the to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.
杏吧专区淭here is a lot of work that is done before a patient is ever treated with radiation therapy to make sure we get as much dose to the tumor as possible and spare as much normal healthy tissue as we possibly can from being irradiated,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 always a balance 杏吧专区 it杏吧专区檚 never possible to do all of one and none of another."
杏吧专区淢y research is developing new strategies and refining current approaches to improve the balance between treating the tumor and avoiding normal healthy organs,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檝e been a part of that avenue of research for a number of years.
杏吧专区淎s a group, we杏吧专区檝e been very successful,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檝e been part of more than 50 papers that have been published in peer reviewed national and international journals. I杏吧专区檝e been a part of more than $5 million worth of research grants that have helped support that avenue of research.杏吧专区
The Role of UL Lafayette
Dr. Fontenot already had the ability to grow into someone great. Faculty and classes at UL Lafayette just provided the encouragement to pursue his interests.
杏吧专区淚 attribute my experience in the physics program at UL Lafayette to creating the foundation of support upon which my career has ultimately grown,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚 think with the physics knowledge itself, I杏吧专区檝e gotten excellent instruction and training in undergraduate physics concepts.
杏吧专区淚 was also afforded the opportunity as an undergrad to take graduate physics courses, which I think strengthened my application to propel me into the No. 1 grad program in medical physics in the country at M.D. Anderson in Houston,杏吧专区 he said.
杏吧专区淭he department also provided me with contacts that not only made me aware of the medical physics profession,杏吧专区 he said, 杏吧专区渂ut also connected me with a summer internship in Houston that opened the door for me to get introduced with some of the faculty at M.D. Anderson and ultimately contributed to me getting into that program.
杏吧专区淯ltimately the physics department faculty helped shepherd me into a life and career after college that aligned with my strengths and interests,杏吧专区 said Dr. Fontenot.
