Program Leadership
Program Leadership
The program is overseen by the Program Director, Associate Program Director, Program Coordinator, and Physics Residency Program Education Committee. The committee meets twice a year to discuss major changes to the program.
Program Director - Leah Schubert, PhD, DABR
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
Undergraduate: University of California, San Diego
Graduate: University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI
Dr. Schubert is the Director of the Medical Physics Residency Program, having been involved in the program since its inception and has successfully led it through accreditation since. Dr. Schubert joined the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 2012. She received her PhD in Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2009, where her research was focused on image guided radiotherapy. Following graduation, she joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she was involved in treatment planning systems, external beam, brachytherapy, and teaching in the medical physics residency program and the radiation therapist training program. At the University of Colorado, Dr. Schubert’s clinical responsibilities has included external beam physics coverage at numerous Denver Metro sites, HDR brachytherapy for standard and complex cases, and eye plaque LDR brachytherapy. Dr. Schubert is active in many national societies, including AAPM, SDAMPP and the ABR. Dr. Schubert’s research interests include patient safety, quality improvement, and innovations in resident education.
What do you like to do outside of work? I try to spend as much time as possible outdoors. Growing up in Alaska probably instilled this in me. When I moved to Colorado, I quickly realized that I would never become bored in this state due to large amount of easily accessible outdoor opportunities. My family and I love exploring Colorado, camping in the numerous national forests and exploring various trails. When in the city, Denver is a great place for live music and excellent restaurants. We also love to travel, ranging from road tripping to nearby national parks and interesting areas or farther abroad internationally.
What do you think are the strengths of the residency program here? I think that a training program is only as good as the people doing the training. We have an incredibly strong, well-functioning team of physicists. This allows the resident to benefit from a great learning environment. The physicists are invested in the resident’s learning and are genuinely interested in helping the resident succeed. Additionally, we are known for being a thorough, organized program. The quality of our treatment planning training is particularly noteworthy. Residents come out of our training extremely well prepared and well supported for the next steps of their careers.
What do you like best about working here? The faculty and staff in this department are impressive and are great at their jobs. This includes physicists, physicians, dosimetrists, therapists, and administrative staff. The different staffing groups work exceedingly well together and the collegial atmosphere is second to none. Not only is this important for quality and safety, but residents hugely benefit from such a positive dynamic. This is especially important because our program emphasizes multi-disciplinary learning and broader involvement in the department.
Program Coordinator - Sandy Korn
Hometown: Denver, CO
Undergraduate: Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO
Graduate: Regis University, Denver
Associate Program Director - Gregory Penoncello, DMP, DABR
Hometown: Canton, CT
Undergraduate: University of Maine
Graduate: Vanderbilt University