Duke Radiation Dosimetry Laboratory

The Duke Radiation Dosimetry Laboratory (DRDL) is operated jointly by the Department of Radiology and the Duke Radiation Safety Division. The primary goals of the laboratory are: (a) to provide technical support in patient dosimetry at Duke University Medical Center; (b) to serve as core dosimetry laboratory to various radiation biology research groups on campus; (c) to provide research training in radiation dosimetry for residents, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate / graduate students and visiting researchers; and (d) to perform research and development in new detector technologies.

Established in the spring of 2000, the group currently consists of 11 faculty, staff, and graduate students affiliated with the Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology at Duke University, Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) and the Duke Medical Physics Graduate Program. The research initiatives of DRDL are supported by federal grants from the National Institutes of Health and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, industry grants and internal funds from the Department of Radiology and the Radiation Safety Division.

DRDL serves as the Core Dosimetry Laboratory for the Duke Computed Tomography Institute (Donald Frush, MD, Director), the Radiation Countermeasures Center of Research Excellence (Nelson Chao, MD, Director), and Photo-X Project (Tuan Vo-Dinh, PhD, Director). Research collaborations also exist with the Duke Radiation Oncology Physics group, Duke Advanced Imaging Laboratories (DAI Labs), and the Duke PET Center Physics group.

DRDL is part of the 14-member Duke University Radiation Safety Division that serves both DUMC and the academic research campus. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art radiation detection dosimeters and equipment, gamma and neutron calibration sources, and various anthropomorphic phantoms. DRDL takes full advantage of radiation facilities on campus, including the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL), the Duke Free Electron Laser Laboratory (DFELL), clinical x-ray and CT machines in the Department of Radiology, Small Animal Irradiator Laboratories, the DUMC PET Facility, and the DUMC Radiation Oncology Facility.