In this episode of the Smart Medicine Podcast, I speak with Thomas “Rock” Mackie, medical physicist, entrepreneur, and Professor of Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Dr. Mackie is one of the key innovators in modern radiation medicine. As a co-founder of TomoTherapy and founder of Leo Cancer Care, he has helped translate medical physics research into technologies that have significantly influenced radiation therapy practice worldwide.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The journey from academic medical physics to entrepreneurship and leadership

• What distinguishes technologies that truly change clinical practice

• The role of boards and governance in guiding innovation

• How AI, automation, and data-driven tools are shaping the future of healthcare

• Advice for physicists and clinicians who want to build and lead innovation

This discussion explores how medical physicists can play a larger role in shaping the future of healthcare technology and patient care.

Smart Medicine Podcast features conversations with leading scientists, physicians, and innovators shaping the future of medicine.

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Dr. Sasa Mutic, President of Radiation Oncology Solutions at Varian Medical Systems, joins the Smart Medicine Podcast to discuss leadership, AI, and the future of radiation oncology.

We explore the transition from academia to global industry leadership, the real impact of automation, and how medical physicists can shape — not fear — the future of intelligent healthcare systems.

In this episode of the Smart Medicine Podcast, Dr. Ali Fatemi speaks with Dr. Yujan Shrestha, MD, physician–engineer and Partner at Innolitics, about AI medical device regulation and clinical validation.

We discuss FDA pathways, including 510(k), De Novo, and Breakthrough programs, common regulatory pitfalls in AI/ML software as a medical device (SaMD), post-market model updates, and how AI will reshape clinical decision-making in oncology and beyond.

Smart Medicine explores the intersection of AI, medical imaging, regulation, and healthcare innovation.

AI in healthcare

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medical device innovation

clinical AI validation

FDA medical devices

AI in oncology

digital health regulation

In this episode of the Smart Medicine Podcast, Dr. Ali Fatemi speaks with Dr. Matthew Rosen of Harvard Medical School and Dr. Michael Hoff of UCSF about low-field MRI, quantitative imaging, AI-driven reconstruction, and the future of smart imaging systems.

We explore reproducibility challenges, hybrid physics–AI approaches, and the evolving role of medical physicists in clinical AI validation.

From Proton Physics to Platform Leadership

In this episode of Smart Medicine, Dr. Ali Fatemi speaks with Dr. Niek Schreuder, Chief Scientific Officer and President of Proton Therapy at Leo Cancer Care.

Dr. Schreuder reflects on his journey from Chief Medical Physicist to executive leadership, offering an insider’s view on what it truly takes to design, deploy, and sustain proton therapy systems. The discussion explores clinical reality, financial viability, leadership decision-making, and the evolving role of AI in particle therapy.

A grounded, experience-driven conversation on the present and future of proton therapy—beyond hype, focused on impact.

🎙️ Smart Medicine Podcast — Full Episode

Guest: Dr. Issam El-Naqa

Medical Physicist | Chair of Machine Learning, Moffitt Cancer Center

In this episode of the Smart Medicine Podcast, Dr. Ali Fatemi is joined by Dr. Issam El-Naqa, a leading figure in medical physics, artificial intelligence, and radiation oncology.

Dr. El-Naqa’s career spans academia, clinical practice, and AI leadership. He began as an Assistant Professor at Washington University, spent nearly a decade at McGill University working across medical physics, biomedical engineering, and clinical systems, and then moved to the University of Michigan as Professor of Medical Physics and Radiation Oncology. He is now the Chair of Machine Learning at Moffitt Cancer Center, where he leads one of the most advanced and clinically integrated AI programs in oncology.

In this full-length conversation, they discuss:

• His path into AI and radiation oncology

• The early days of machine learning—before the hype

• Adaptive therapy and quantitative modeling

• Bringing AI into real clinical workflows

• Access, scalability, and global equity in AI-driven care

• How the role of the medical physicist is evolving

• What the next 5–10 years may hold for the field

This episode offers a grounded, experience-based discussion on how AI, physics, and clinical insight can come together to meaningfully improve patient care.

🎧 Smart Medicine Podcast

Hosted by Dr. Ali Fatemi

Clinical Medical Physicist | Founder of SpinTecx | Entrepreneur

Welcome back to the Smart Medicine Podcast.

I’m your host, Dr. Ali Fatemi, Founder of SpinTecx, clinical medical physicist, and entrepreneur.

In this episode, we are honored to welcome Ehsan Samei, one of the most influential leaders in modern medical physics and medical imaging.

Dr. Samei is a board-certified medical physicist and Professor at Duke University, with appointments in Radiology, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering. He also serves as Chief Imaging Physicist for the Duke University Health System.

A past president of American Association of Physicists in Medicine, Dr. Samei’s work spans X-ray imaging, image quality science, simulation and modeling, dosimetry, and translating imaging physics into patient-centered clinical care. He is the founder or co-founder of several landmark initiatives, including the Duke Imaging Physics Residency, the Center for Virtual Imaging Trials, and the globally influential Medical Physics 3.0 movement. In recognition of his impact and leadership, he received the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Award in 2022.

Beyond science, Ehsan is a talented musician and a devoted father.

• What Medical Physics 3.0 is, why it matters, and how it works in real clinical practice

• How imaging is evolving from regulatory compliance to quantitative, patient-specific optimization

• What virtual imaging trials are and how they extend beyond traditional phantom and clinical studies

• Whether virtual imaging trials will become routine in scanner development and clinical QA

• How AI and automation are reshaping the role of medical physicists

• Whether AI can—or should—replace radiologists or physicists

• Advice for students, residents, and young scientists entering medical physics today

• What fundamentally changes in medicine when imaging systems become adaptive, data-driven, and AI-native

Thank you for joining us on the Smart Medicine Podcast.

In this episode of the Smart Medicine Podcast, Dr. Ali Fatemi—clinical medical physicist, founder of SpinTecx, and entrepreneur—welcomes Dr. Shirin Abbasinejad Enger, Professor of Radiation Oncology at McGill University, Canada Research Chair, and Director of the Medical Physics Unit.

The conversation explores the foundations and future of radiation therapy, from patient-specific dose calculation and radiation detectors to emerging radiation sources, AI-driven modeling, and intelligent treatment delivery systems. Dr. Enger shares insights into how advanced computation, novel detectors, and personalized approaches are reshaping clinical decision-making and cancer care.

The episode also examines the evolving role of radiation therapy within multimodal cancer treatment, leadership at the intersection of research, education, and clinical practice, and what the next decade may hold for innovation—particularly for startups working in medical physics, AI, and smart healthcare.

A thoughtful discussion for clinicians, researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the future of personalized cancer care and smart medicine.

Dr. Ali Fatemi sits down with Dr. James Robar — Senior Clinical Medical Physicist at Nova Scotia Health, Professor at Dalhousie University, and Chief Scientific Officer at Adaptiiv Medical Technologies.

They explore how Dr. Robar turned academic innovation into clinical reality — from 3D printing in radiation therapy to AI-driven precision imaging.

The conversation dives into entrepreneurship, translation of research into startups, and the future role of medical physicists in smart healthcare.

🎧 Watch and subscribe for more conversations on innovation in imaging, therapy, and AI-driven medicine.

#MedicalPhysics #SmartMedicine #AIinHealthcare #Adaptiiv #Innovation #RadiationOncology #SpinTecx

Host: Dr. Ali Fatemi

Guest: Dr. Michael Noseworthy — Professor, McMaster University

Dr. Fatemi speaks with his mentor and friend, Dr. Mike Noseworthy, about the evolution of MRI, the rise of quantitative imaging, and how AI is transforming the way we see the human brain.

An inspiring discussion about mentorship, curiosity, and translating science into clinical impact.

#MRI #AI #MedicalImaging #SmartMedicinePodcast