Yawei Zhang, PhD
Physicist
Dr. Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Florida. He practices as a medical physicist at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute and works with the physics team to ensure that high-quality radiation therapy is delivered to each patient with a focus on the latest proton research and techniques. He received his BS in Physics from Lanzhou University, China, and his Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from Rutgers University. Dr. Zhang completed his postdoctoral fellowship in Medical Physics at the University of Pennsylvania and 4-year residency training at Duke University.
Dr. Zhang’s clinical expertise includes advanced radiotherapy system commissioning and quality assurance, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and image-guided proton therapy. His research interests include the development of novel image reconstruction methods, imaging dose optimization, treatment planning system scripting, and adaptive proton therapy. Dr. Zhang received several awards from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), including the Summer School Scholarship, a finalist in the Grand Challenge, and the Science Council Junior Investigator Award.
Board Certification
Therapeutic Medical Physics – American Board of Radiology
Residency – Therapeutic Physics
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Medical Physics
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Post-Graduate Certification - Medical Physics
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Doctorate – Experimental Nuclear Physics
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
Bachelor of Science – Applied Physics
Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on imaging development and applications in proton therapy, including developing novel image reconstruction methods, imaging dose optimization, treatment planning system scripting, and adaptive proton therapy using synthetic CT. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles in publications, such as Medical Physics and Physics in Medicine and Biology.
Medical Physics Education Award
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida (2023)
AAPM Summer School Scholarship - Small Field Dosimetry, Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy: The Future is Here
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) (2022)
AAPM Grand Challenges: Image Reconstruction for 4D-CBCT Finalists
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Annual Meeting (2018)
Editor’s Pick Paper
Medical Physics Journal (2017)
AAPM Science Council Junior Investigator Award
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Annual Meeting (2016)
Los Alamos National Lab Graduate Research Associate Scholarship
Los Alamos National Laboratory (2009)
Merit Scholarship for Outstanding Student
Lanzhou University (2007)
Excellent Student Scholarship
Lanzhou University (2003-2006)
“Working at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute is about finding fulfillment in and making a difference in someone else’s life.”
Find Dr.Zhang’s publications through PubMed*
*Please note, the resulting PubMed entries may not reflect a complete or accurate listing for faculty members. Many journals are not indexed by PubMed, and there may be articles by other authors of the same name listed for each search.