T hanks to Georgia College & State University’s new medical physics program, this graduate’s future is off to a healthy start.

Kaylee Kallam of Cumming was Georgia College’s first student to complete its new medical physics pathway. Now, she’s been accepted into the University of Tennessee’s Medical Physics master’s program with a full assistantship teaching position, tuition waived and a monthly stipend.

“I feel very prepared based on the classes I took and the resources I was given at Georgia College,” Kallam said. “The physics course requirements enabled me to move forward with everything I needed.”

“All the required upper-level coursework was already in the curriculum,” she said. “So, I have no undergraduate requirements to fulfill upon entry into the program. It was all completed at GCSU.”
 
Kallam “absolutely loved” her years at Georgia College and the “charming” city of Milledgeville. At first, she planned to pursue engineering. But after career exploration junior year, she decided on the university’s new medical physics pathway.

It was a good decision.

After graduating in May, Kallam fielded offers from four out of the five graduate programs she applied to. 

The concentration in medical physics started last fall at Georgia College. It prepares students to get a master’s degree for careers in radiation therapy. After getting a master’s and working in a residency training program, students must pass an exam to become certified as medical physicists.

Medical physicists work in hospitals checking radiation equipment. They work side-by-side with doctors controlling the dose of radiation for cancer therapy and working with radiation imaging. They often travel between hospitals, checking and certifying operation of radiation equipment and safely disposing radioactive materials. They read CT-scans, help diagnose illnesses and perform research for better radiation detection.

During her coursework at Georgia College, Kallam shadowed a medical physicist in Atlanta. She took Dr. Ralph France’s nuclear physics class that focuses on medical physics and a second semester of physical chemistry as an elective. She also did undergraduate research in France’s nuclear physics lab and presented her research at the 2022 Southeastern conference of the American Physical Society in Oxford, Mississippi.

Her favorite class was physical chemistry with Dr. Ken McGill, who she said can explain even the most difficult concepts. He’d bring snacks to class, and student loved his “off topic” stories. That class became like family.
 
“It was probably one of my favorite classes to go to every day. It was always a mood booster and enjoyable to be a part of,” Kallam said. “All the physics faculty were amazing to work with. They’re all very knowledgeable in their fields and understanding with students. They’re easy to reach and always willing to help with whatever problems that arise.”

McGill said Kallam took advantage of the opportunities Georgia College offers—both in and outside the classroom.

"She was a joy to have in class," he said, "and involved in many organizations. I expect her Georgia College experience will serve her well throughout her career."

In Tennessee, Kallam will take four semesters of graduate courses with clinical rotations. Her biggest challenge will be moving from a university with small class sizes to a much larger campus and city.

It’ll take a while to get her bearings, but Kallam knows the time-management skills and knowledge she learned at Georgia College will pull her through.

After her master’s and completion of a residency program, she plans to get board certified and work as a medical physicist at multiple hospitals and medical offices through a third-party company.

“This will give me the opportunity to travel,” Kallam said, “and work with many different people in different professions.”