Biography

Dr. Lee received his master's in Health Physics in 1997 and doctorate in Health Physics in 2002 from Hanyang University in South Korea, where he was extensively trained in computational human phantom development as well as in advanced dosimetry applications. He subsequently joined the Innovative Technology Center for Radiation Safety as a Post-Doctoral Fellow. While in the post-doctoral period, he was actively involved in national research projects investigating computational dosimetry of the Korean population. After the 2 years of post-doctoral study, he went to the University of Florida as post-doctoral researcher where he received extensive training in computational medical physics. Throughout both his doctoral studies and post-doctoral training, Dr. Lee has made considerable contributions to the development of anthropomorphic phantoms and to the improvement of the dosimetry calculations for a variety of radiation applications ranging from radiation protection to medical exposures. Dr. Lee was appointed as a tenure-track investigator in REB in 2009. Dr. Lee is a Corresponding Member of the DOCAL Task Group of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP).

Research Interests

• Development of dosimetry databases for radiation exposure
• Development of dosimetry databases with GUI-based software
• Monte Carlo dose calculation using human models

Research

Development of dosimetry databases for radiation exposure

Currently, dose reconstruction effort for diagnostic and therapeutic procedure has been limited by a lack of consistent human models covering all ages and detailed information on radiation source and equipment. Once a series of pediatric and adult phantoms is established, it will be possible to generate a consistent dosimetry database for the whole population from infants to adults. The dosimetry data could include dose reconstruction for diagnostic exposure such as computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, projection x-ray, etc, as well as for radiation treatment situation such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), proton therapy, tomotherapy, and etc. Close collaboration with manufacturers would be needed for accurate source modeling.

Development of dosimetry databases with GUI-based software

Since it is very hard to archive and access a huge amount of data generated by Task 2, a GUI-based software where end-user could easily obtain dosimetry results by entering some parameters is necessary to develop. This software approach can be applied to a large amount of dosimetry data generated from lots of parametric combinations in diagnostic and therapeutic radiation exposure (i.e. source parameters, human ages, and clinical protocols).

Human modeling and Monte Carlo dose calculation

Dr. Lee is working on the hybrid pediatric phantoms which are so crucial for realistic dose reconstruction of pediatric population to be done in the future. Recently, International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has asked Dr. Lee and University of Florida team to develop a new series of pediatric hybrid NURBS models to serve as reference pediatric models, and is planning to publish a series of reference dosimetry data in the near future. Dr. Lee is also working on 4D Monte Carlo simulation using hybrid NURBS models which can address organ motion. This feature can significantly improve the accuracy of nuclear medicine dosimetry as well as radiation treatment dosimetry.

Keywords

Monte Carlo, radiation dose calculation, computational human phantom, medical physics

Selected Publications

• Johnson P, Whalen S, Wayson M, Juneja B, Lee C, Bolch W. A comprehensive family of hybrid patient-dependent phantoms covering statistical distributions of body morphometry in the US pediatric and adult population: Implications for medical patient dosimetry. IEEE Transaction, in press.
• Hanlon J, Lee C, Gertner M, Chell E, Firpo M, Hansen S, Howell R, Bolch W. Dimensional data for ocular and optic nerve anatomy via 1-mm computed tomography images. IVOS, submitted.
• Lee C, Kaufman K, Pafundi D, Bolch W. Applications of lymphatic node models in UF hybrid phantoms to radionuclide therapy of lymphoma patients. IEEE Transaction, in press.
• Johnson P, Lee C, Siragusa D, Johnson K, Bolch W. Influence of body morphometry on dose conversion coefficients: a hybrid phantom study for adult cardiac catheterization. Phys Med Biol, in press.
• Pafundi D, Lee C, Watchman C, Bourke V, Aris J, Shangina N, Harrison J, Fell T, Bolch W. An image-based skeletal tissue model for the ICRP reference newborn. Phys Med Biol, in press.
• Hanlon J, Lee C, Chell E, Gertner M, Hansen S, Howell R, Bolch W. Kilovoltage stereotactic radiosurgery for age-related macular degeneration: assessment of optic nerve dose and patient effective dose. Med Phys, in review.
• Bolch W, Hurtado J, Lee C, Manger R, Hertel N, Dickerson W. Guidance on the use of portal survey meters for radiological triage: time-dependent detector count rate thresholds corresponding to 50, 250, and 500 mSv effective dose for adult males and adult females. Health Phys, in review.
• Hurtado J, Lee C, Lodwick D, Goede T, Williams J, Bolch W. Hybrid computational phantoms representing the 50th percentile male and female adult: construction and applications for retrospective dosimetry. Health Phys, in review.
• Lee C, Chell E, Gertner M, Hansen S, Howell RW, Hanlon J, Bolch WE. Dosimetry characterization of a multibeam radiotherapy treatment for age-related macular degeneration. Med Phys 2008 Nov;35(11):5151-60.
• Kim CH, Choi SH, Jeong JH, Lee C, Chung MS. HDRK-Man: a whole-body voxel model based on high-resolution color slice images of a Korean adult male cadaver. Phys Med Biol 2008 Aug 7;53(15):4093-106.
• Lee C, Lodwick D, Williams JL, Bolch WE. Hybrid computational phantoms of the 15-year male and female adolescent: applications to CT organ dosimetry for patients of variable morphometry. Med Phys 2008 Jun;35(6):2366-82.

Collaborators

DCEG Collaborators

• Amy Berrington de Gonzalea, M.S.; Peter Inskip, Sc.D.; Martha Linet, M.D., M.P.H.; Lindsay Morton, Ph.D.; Ruth Kleinerman, M.P.H.; Steve Simon, Ph.D.; Dunstana Melo, Ph.D.; Rochelle Curtis, M.A.; Andre Bouville, Ph.D.

Other Scientific Collaborators

• Wesley Bolch, Ph.D., University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• Kwangpyo Kim, Ph.D., Kyunghee University, Soowon, South Korea
• Chanhyong Kim, Ph.D., Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
• Choonik Lee, Ph.D., MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, Orlando, FL