Dr Monica Kan Wai-kwan

PhD, College of Science
Senior physicist, Hospital Authority

“A medical physicist is committed to providing safe and high-quality services to patients.”

Dr Monica Kan Wai-kwan, alumna from the Department of Physics, aspired to become a medical physicist after an attachment at a hospital during her studies at CityUHK. As a Year 3 student, she assisted physicists in carrying out quality assurance of some X-ray equipment. In fact, her final-year project was based on her placement experience.

“That attachment broadened my view, for sure. After learning about medical physics, I set a clear goal for myself and aspired to develop my career in this field,” she says.

Her dream finally came true: she is now a senior physicist at the Hospital Authority.

Although she is not a frontline medical worker, her job is essential.

A medical physicist is committed to providing safe and high-quality patient services,” Dr Kan says. “We help doctors perform radiotherapy planning and work with the radiation therapists to deliver accurate radiation doses to kill the tumours while minimising damage to normal tissues in cancer patients.”

The way technology changes so rapidly is a great challenge, she adds. “Whenever we have new equipment, we have to perform quality assurance tests. We have to solve any possible technical problems so that the new equipment can be delivered safely as soon as possible. So we must keep abreast of the latest technology,” Dr Kan says.

As a medical physicist’s work directly affects patients, Dr Kan is meticulous in avoiding mistakes. Although demanding, the job is hugely rewarding.

“I can learn new knowledge all the time and regularly apply it to improve patient services. That’s how I get pleasure from work,” she says.

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