Ulrich Langner, Ph.D., DABR
Curriculum Vitae
Ulrich W. Langner, Ph.D., DABR
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Date 25 April 2016
Contact Information
Business Address: Maryland Proton Treatment Center
Department of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
850 W. Baltimore Str.
Baltimore, MD 21201
Business Phone: (410) 369-5313
Email:
Foreign Languages: Afrikaans (native), Dutch (working knowledge)
Education
1999 B.Sc., Physics/Applied Mathematics/Mathematics, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (South Africa) (renamed to North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus) from 2004)
2001 M.Sc., Physics, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (South Africa), Advisor: Marius Potgieter, Dissertation title: “Effects of different local interstellar spectra on the heliospheric modulation of cosmic rays”
2004 Ph.D., Heliospheric Physics, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (South Africa), Advisor: Marius Potgieter, Dissertation title: “Effects of termination shock acceleration on cosmic rays in the heliosphere”
Post Graduate Education and Training
08/2004-07/2005 Postdoctoral research position, Heliospheric physics, Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Bochum, Germany)
07/2005-08/2006 Postdoctoral research position, Heliospheric physics, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus – South Africa)
10/2006-3/2009 Postdoctoral research position, Medical Physics (4DCT), Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA, USA)
Certifications
2012 Therapeutic Radiological Physics, American Board of Radiology
Employment History
Academic Appointments
4/2009-6/2011 Instructor, Department of Radiation Medicine, University of Kentucky
7/2011-8/2014 Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Medicine, University of Kentucky
9/2014-present Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland
Professional Society Membership
1999-2006 Student Member, South African Institute of Physics (SAIP)
2003-2005 Affiliate Member, Institute of Physics (IoP)
2007-2009 Junior Member, American Association of Physicist in Medicine (AAPM)
2009-present Full Member, American Association of Physicist in Medicine (AAPM)
2010-present Qualified Expert, State of Kentucky
2011-2014 Full Member of the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS)
Honors And Awards
1999-2000 Grant holder linked bursary by the NRF (National Research Foundation of South Africa)
2003 Scarce Skills scholarship by the Department of Labour of South Africa
2004-2005 Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant by the NRF (National Research Foundation of South Africa)
2005-2006 Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant by the Claude Leon Foundation for research at a South African University
Clinical Activities
Clinical Expertise
1. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) (2010 – present)
Perform and assist in treatment planning
Treatment delivery and CBCT image guidance oversight
Commission new stereotactic frame
2. Tomotherapy (2009 - present)
Commissioned Tomotherapy unit
Develop and maintain daily, monthly, and annual Quality Assurance procedures
Physicist in charge of Tomotherapy
Responsible for DQAs (Patient specific quality assurance delivery)
Perform and assist in treatment planning
Responsible for monthly and annual QAs
3. Prostate Brachytherapy, Transrectal Ultra Sound Guided LDR (2010 - present)
Perform routine treatment planning, source loading, radiation protection, post-operative plan evaluation
4. High and low dose rate brachytherapy (2011 – 2014)
Perform treatment planning and physics tasks – tandem and ovoids, tandem and rings, Wright applicator
Perform daily and annual QA on HDR afterloader
Assist in source exchange for HDR afterloader
Perform treatment planning and physics tasks for LDR tandem and ovoids with Cs137
5. Total Body Irradiation (2009-2014)
Physicist in charge of TBI
Supervised daily patient setup
Responsible for treatment planning and dose calculation
Oversee compensator construction
Commisioning of TBI on different machines (Tomotherapy, Truebeam, Varian 21-EX)
6. Machine QA (2009 – present)
Responsible for Varian 21EX monthly and annual QA (until 2013) – replaced by Truebeam SVC
Responsible for Varian Truebeam SVC monthly and annual QA
Supervise daily QA
7. 4D CT acquisition (2009 – present)
Physicist in charge of 4D CT acquisition
Commissioned 4D system at CT and Linac for use with gated treatments
Perform QA on 4D CT acquisition
Assist with 4D CT scans and gated treatments
8. All other clinical aspects of medical physics:
Weekly chart check
Plan check
Dosimetry support
Build custom compensators
IMRT QA
9. Lead acceptance and commissioning of Truebeam SVC linear accelerator and Eclipse treatment planning system (December 2013- January 2014)
10. Lead in acquisition of QA equipment for Maryland Proton Treatment Center in Baltimore
(December 2014- September 2015)
11. Lead acceptance and commissioning of proton pencil beam at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center (November 2015- September 2016)
12. Commissioning and verification of Varian Eclipse Treatment planning system for proton pencil beam at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center (December 2015- February 2016)
12. Develop monthly and annual QA procedures for proton pencil beam at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center (November 2015- February 2016)
Administrative Service
Local and National Service
Institutional service Service
2015-present Lead commissioning efforts of proton gantries, and Eclipse treatment planning system
2015-present Member, Depatment of Radiation Oncology Quality and Safety Review Committee (QSRC)
2016-present Mentor for Medical Physics resident during Proton rotation
National Service
2008-Present Ad Hoc Reviewer, Medical Physics (~1 per month)
2009-Present Ad Hoc Reviewer, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (~1 per month)
2011-Present Ad Hoc Associate Editor, Medical Physics(~2 per year)
2012-Present Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of Applied Medical Physics (~2 per month)
2012 Abstract Reviewer, AAPM Annual Meeting 2012 (~35-40 per year)
2014 Abstract Reviewer, AAPM Annual Meeting 2014(~40 per year)
2015 Abstract Reviewer, AAPM Annual Meeting 2015(~50 per year)
2016 Abstract Reviewer, AAPM Annual Meeting 2016(~40 per year)
2012-2014 Observer, AAPM Vendor Relations and Product Usability Subcommittee
2016-2018 Voting member, AAPM Vendor Relations and Product Usability Subcommittee
Teaching Service
Undergraduate Student Teaching
1999-2002 Mentor, Lab for first year Physics students, 200+ students, 2 hours/week
2002-2004 Mentor, Lab for second year Physics students, 10+ students, 2 hours/week
2003 Lecturer, Introductory Quantum Physics (second year Physics students), 10+ students, 2 hours/week
2004 Lecturer, Introduction to Heliospheric Physics (honors level Physics students), 3+ students, 4 hours/week
Resident and Fellow Teaching
2009-2010 Clinical mentor, 2 students/year, Physicist in charge of Patient Specific QA rotations for Physics Residents, 1 contact hours/week
2009-2014 Clinical mentor, 2 students/year, Physicist in charge of Special Procedures rotation for Physics Residents, 1 contact hours/week
2009-2014 Clinical mentor, 2 students/year, Physicist in charge of Machine QA rotations for Physics Residents, 2 contact hours/week
2009-2014 Research mentor, 1 student/year, Physics Resident student research projects, 6 contact hours/week
2009-2014 Lecturer, 4 students/year, Lectures on specific topic for Medical Residents, 2 lectures/year at University of Kentucky Department of Radiation Medicine
2014-present Two lectures on electron beam therapy per year for dosimetry students, medical and physics residents at University of Maryland Department of Radiation Oncology
Residents mentored:
2010 Phil Kallenberg (currently at Spectrum Medical Physics, Lima, OH)
2011 Tom Greist (currently at INphysics LLC., Carmel, IN)
2012 Apha Plypoo (currently at Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Greenbay, WI)
2013 Thomas Baker (currently at Alyzen Medical Physics, Fort Smith, AZ)
2014 Aaron Meacham (currently at Alyzen Medical Physics, Fort Smith, AZ)
2014 Dan Lewis (currently at Billings Clinic Cancer Center, Bilings, MT)
2016 Sina Mossahebi (currently resident at University of Maryland)
Post-Graduate Teaching
2005-2006 Research Mentor, 1 student, post-graduate (co-advisor for M.Sc.), 6 contact hours/week (M.D. Ngobeni, currently at North West University, South Africa)
2009-2014 Clinical mentor, 1 student/year, post-graduate (MS), 1 contact hour/week
2009-2010 Clinical mentor, 6 students/year, Physicist in charge of Patient Specific QA rotations for MS students, 1 contact hours/week
2009-2014 Clinical mentor, 6 students/year, Physicist in charge of Special Procedures rotation for MS students, 1 contact hours/week
2009-2014 Clinical mentor, 6 students/year, Physicist in charge of Machine QA rotations for MS students, 2 contact hours/week
2009-2014 Research mentor, 2-3 students/year, MS student research projects, 4 contact hours/week
2009-2014 Lecturer, 6 students/year, Lectures on specific topic for MS medical physics students, 4 lectures/year
2014 Lecturer, RAS545: “Radiation Hazards and Protection”, 6 students/semester, 5 contact hours/week
Students mentored as clinical mentor
2009 Chris Waite-Jones (currently Therapy Physics Inc., Gardena, CA)
2010 Christine Luerman-Swanson (currently Baptist East Hospital, Louisville, KY)
2011 Brice Hamilton (currently Terre Haute, IN)
2012 Ryan Neff (currently at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma city, OK)
2013 Steven Crawford (currently physics resident at Newnan, GA)
2014 Kari Ray (currently resident at UKy University, KY)
Students mentored as research mentor
2009 Chris Waite-Jones (currently Therapy Physics Inc., Gardena, CA)
2010 Christine Luerman-Swanson (currently Baptist East Hospital, Louisville, KY)
2011 Eric Lobb (currently at Affinity Health System, Appleton, WI)
2012 Ryan Neff (currently at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma city, OK)
2012 Joe Yagelski (currently medical physicist in IN)
2013 Mario Fugal (currently at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC)
2013 Thomas Baker (currently at Alyzen Medical Physics, Fort Smith, AZ)
Professional Course Teaching
2007-2009 Clinical Instructor, 15+ medical Physicist and Radiation Oncologist, Lead practical session on 4D CT acquisition at IGRT short course, Stanford, CA, 6 contact hours/year
Grant Support
Completed Grants:
6/2012-6/2013 PI Dr. J. Molloy 5% (co-PI, 25%)
“Development of institutional consistency metrics for the prevention of injuries and reportable radiation delivery errors”
Varian Medical Systems
Annual Direct Costs: $70,000
Total Direct Costs: $70,000
Role: Software and metric development
Patents
Patent number: 7894571, Langner, U. W., and P.J. Keall, “System and method for using prospective evaluation of displacement and velocity of a respiratory trace in a five dimensional parameter space to reduce artifacts and dosage in four dimensional computed tomography”
Publications
Abstracts and Conference Proceedings
1. Ferreira, S. E. S., M. S. Potgieter, and U. W. Langner, Effects of the heliospheric termination shock on possible local interstellar spectra for cosmic ray electrons and the associated heliospheric modulation, in The Outer Heliosphere: The Next Frontiers, edited by K. Scherer, H. Fichtner, H. J. Fahr, and E. Marsch, Pergamon, Amsterdam, 223, 2001.
2. Ferreira, S. E. S., M. S. Potgieter, U. W. Langner, and C. Lopate, Consequences of different local interstellar spectra on 16 MeV electron modulation, Proc. 27th Inter. Cosmic Ray Conf. (Hamburg), 8, 3653-3656, 2001.
3. Langner, U. W., and M. S. Potgieter, Differences in proton and anti-proton modulation in the heliosphere, Proc. 27th Inter. Cosmic Ray Conf. (Hamburg), 4, 3657-3660, 2001.
4. Langner, U. W., and M. S. Potgieter, Heliospheric modulation of cosmic rays computed with new local interstellar spectra, Proc. 27th Inter. Cosmic Ray Conf. (Hamburg), 4, 3686-3689, 2001.
5. Langner, U. W., O. C. de Jager, and M. S. Potgieter, Proposed local interstellar spectra for cosmic ray electrons, Proc. 27th Inter. Cosmic Ray Conf. (Hamburg), 4, 3992-3995, 2001.
6. Moskalenko, I. V., A. W. Strong, J. F. Ormes, M. S. Potgieter, and U. W. Langner, Secondary antiprotons in cosmic rays, Proc. 27th Inter. Cosmic Ray Conf. (Hamburg), 4, 1868-1871, 2001.
7. Potgieter, M. S., U. W. Langner, and S. E. S. Ferreira, New cosmic ray electron to positron ratios in the heliosphere, Proc. 27th Inter. Cosmic Ray Conf. (Hamburg), 4, 3690-3693, 2001.
8. Langner, U. W., M. S. Potgieter, H. Fichtner, and T. Borrmann, Effects of different solar wind speed profiles in the heliosheath on the modulation of cosmic ray and anaomalous protons, Proc. 29th Inter. Cosmic Ray Conf. (Pune), 0, 101-104, 2005.
9. Potgieter, M. S., and U. W. Langner, Modulation of cosmic ray boron and carbon in the heliosphere, Proc. 29th Inter. Cosmic Ray Conf. (Pune), 1, 129, 2005.
10. Langner, U. W., and M. S. Potgieter, A numerical description of the anomalous cosmic ray spectra observed with Voyager 1 at and beyond the solar wind termination shock, Proc 36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly (Beijing, China), #1983, 2006.
11. P.J. Keall, Langner, U.W. and Suh, Y., WE-SAMS-AUD-02: 4D CT Scanning: Imaging and Planning, Medical Physics, 34, 2581, 2007.
12. Langner, U.W. and P.J. Keall, TU-C-351-07: Prospective Displacement and Velocity Based Cine 4D CT, Medical Physics, 35, 4501, 2008.
13. Langner, U.W. and P.J. Keall, SU-GG-J-21: Accuracy in the Localization of Thoracic Tumors Using Respiratory Displacement, Velocity, and Phase, Medical Physics, 35, 2683, 2008 – Oral presentation.
14. Langner, U.W. and P.J. Keall, TU-D-304A-06: Comparison of Retrospective Phase Sorting with Real-Time Sorting Methods for 4D CT Images, Medical Physics, 36, 2738, 2009 – Oral Presentation.
15. Kallenberg, P., Langner, U., and Waite‐Jones, C., SU‐GG‐J‐100: A Comparison of the Effect of Intra‐Fraction Motion on Tomotherapy and IMRT Delivery Systems, Medical Physics, 37, 3168, 2010.
16. Plypoo A., Langner, U., Molloy, J. and Johnson E., SU‐E‐T‐82: Evaluation of Two Detector Arrays for Treatment Gantry Angle Specific IMRT Quality Assurance, Medical Physics, 39, 3721, 2012.
17. Langner, U., SU‐E‐T‐09: Empirical Evidence for Decreased Cell Survival in Flattening Filter Free Beams, Medical Physics, 39, 3704, 2012.
18. Hamilton B., Langner, U., SU-E-T-192: Investigating the Importance of Phantom Geometry in Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance, Medical Physics, 40, 2013.
19. Molloy J, Langner U., Gerring S., Lewis D., Otageri P., Yagelski J., Gillie M., Greist T., SU-E-T-205: Development of Institutional Consistency Metrics for the Prevention of Injurious and Reportable Radiation Delivery Errors, Medical Physics, 40, 2013.
20. Eley, J., Mehta, M., Molitoris, J., Langner, U., Langen, K, SU-E-T-626: Practical Method to Implement Arc Therapy Using Scanned Particle Beams, Medical Physics, 2015.
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
1. Langner, U. W., O. C. de Jager, and M. S. Potgieter, On the local interstellar spectrum for cosmic ray electrons, Adv. Space Res., 27(3), 517-522, 2001.
2. Potgieter, M. S., U. W. Langner, and S. E. S. Ferreira, Cosmic ray electron to positron ratios in the heliosphere, Adv. Space Res., 27(3), 523-528, 2001.
3. Langner, U. W., M. S. Potgieter, and W. R. Webber, Modulation of cosmic ray protons in the heliosheath, J. Geophys. Res., 108(A10), 8039-8048, doi:10.1029/2003JA009934, 2003.
4. Potgieter, M.S., and U. W. Langner, Modulation of anomalous protons with increasing solar activity, Adv. Space Res., 32(4), 687-692, doi:10.1016/S0273-1177(03)00359-4, 2003.
5. Potgieter, M.S. and U. W. Langner, Modulation and acceleration of anomalous protons in the outer heliosphere, Adv. Space Res., 34(1), 132-137, doi:10.1016/j.asr.2003.02.062, 2004.
6. Potgieter, M. S., and U. W. Langner, Heliospheric modulation of cosmic ray positrons and electrons: Effects of the heliosheath and the solar wind termination shock, Astrophys. J., 602(2), 993-1001, doi:10.1086/381148, 2004.