JAMES AARON PURDY 
Profession: Medical physicist specializing in radiation oncology
Birth: July 16, 1941 ; Tyler, TX
Education:
BS in Physics, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, 1967
MA in Physics, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 1969
PhD in Nuclear Physics, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 1971
Certifications:
American Board of Radiology, Therapeutic Radiological Physics, 1976
American Board of Medical Physics, Therapeutic Radiological Physics, 1990, recertified 2000, 2005.
Fellowships:
Career:
Dr. James A. Purdy was born in Tyler, Texas on July 16, 1941. He received a B.S. in Math and Physics from Lamar University in 1967 and a M.A. (Physics, 1969) and Ph.D. (Nuclear Physics, 1971) from the University of Texas at Austin. In 1972, he received postdoctoral training in medical physics at M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute. In January 1973, he joined the Washington University School of Medicine faculty in the Division of Radiation Oncology, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) where he is served until June 2004. At Washington University, he rose to the rank of Professor of Radiation Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology and served both as Director of the Radiation Physics Division and Associate Director of MIR’s Radiation Oncology Center. On July 1, 2004 he joined the University California, Davis Medical Center’s Department of Radiation Oncology faculty as Professor and Vice Chair, and head of that department’s Physics Section.
Dr. Purdy served as the AAPM President in 1985 and Chairman of the Board in 1986. In addition, he has served the AAPM as a member or chair of 7 AAPM Task Groups, numerous AAPM committees, as chair of the Radiation Therapy Committee, and as chair of the Science Council, and was the Scientific Program Director of the 1990 AAPM Summer School on Advances in Radiation Oncology Physics.
Dr. Purdy is well known for his work on radiation oncology quality assurance issues and in computer-aided radiation therapy, particularly 3-D conformal radiation therapy (3-D CRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy. Over the past 34 years, he has published 162 peer reviewed manuscripts and 138 additional symposium proceedings articles and book chapters. In addition, he has edited/co-edited 10 scholarly textbooks. He has been the principal investigator on 9 funded research grants totaling several million dollars. He currently serves as the P.I. for the NCI sponsored Advanced Technology QA Consortium (ATC) grant that facilitates the QA of many of this nation's cooperative group advanced technology clinical trials.
The training of medical physicists and physician residents has been of special interest to Dr. Purdy over the course of his career. At Washington University, he mentored numerous physician residents, junior physics faculty, and physics residents over a 30 year period. Internationally, he lectured in numerous AAPM International Scientific Exchange Workshops as well as many other international scientific symposia. Dr. Purdy served on the 1988-89 AAPM Presidential Ad Hoc committee on The Clinical Training of Radiological Physicists, whose report (Task Group 36) was key in establishing medical physics residencies in the U.S. He provided the leadership for the establishment of the first (in 1997) CAMPEP-accredited radiation oncology physics residency program at Washington University, serving as director of the WU Radiation Oncology Physics Residency Program from 1992 to 2002. For these and other education contributions, he was awarded the 1997 Teacher of the Year Award for the MIR Radiation Oncology Residency Program.
Dr. Purdy is also very active in many other scientific and professional organizations including the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), the American College of Radiology, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), the American Board of Radiology, the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP), and the American College of Medical Physics (ACMP). Dr. Purdy has served as Chairman of the Board of Chancellors of the ACMP, Vice-Chairman of the ABMP, and was the first elected Physicist Member-at-Large to the ASTRO Board of Directors (1994-1997). From 1991 to 1995, he served as a member of the NIH Radiation Study Section, Division of Research Grants, and has continued to serve when asked on other NIH grant review panels. In addition, he served as the Senior Editor for Physics from 1996-2002 for the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics
Dr. Purdy has received many prestigious awards. He is a Fellow in the AAPM, the ACMP, and the ACR. In 2006, he was selected to be in the inaugural group awarded ASTRO Fellow status. In 1996, Dr. Purdy was awarded the ACMP Marvin M.D. Williams Professional Achievement Award and in 1997 the AAPM William D. Coolidge Award for Distinguished Contributions to Medical Physics, the two highest honors bestowed by U.S. Medical Physics societies. In 2000, he was awarded the 2000 ASTRO Gold Medal, becoming only the fifth medical physicist at that time to have received that award, and in 2002, he was awarded the ACR Gold Medal.
Publications [Up to 15]:
- Purdy, J.A., Biggs, P.J., Bowers, C., Dally, E., Downs, W., Fraass, B.A., Karzmark, C.J., Khan, F., Morgan, P., Morton, R., Palta, J., Rosen, I.I. Thorson, T., Svensson, G., and Ting, J.: Medical Accelerator Safety Considerations: Report of AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group No. 35, Med. Phys. 20(4):1261-1275, 1993.
- Jain, N.L., Kahn, M.G., Drzymala, R.E., Emami, B. and Purdy, J.A.: Objective Evaluation of 3-D Radiation Treatment Plans: A Decision-Analytic Tool Incorporating Treatment Preferences of Radiation Oncologists, Int. J. Rad. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 26(2):321-333, 1993
- Purdy, J.A., Harms, W.B., Matthews, J.W., Drzymala, R.E., Emami, B., Simpson, J.R., Manolis, J.M., Rosenberger, F.U.: Advances in 3-Dimensional Radiation Treatment Planning Systems: Room-View Display with Real Time Interactivity, Int. J. Rad. Oncol. Biol. Phys.27(4):933-944, 1993.
- Bosch, W.R., Low, D.A., Gerber, R.L., Michalski, J.M., Graham, M.V., Perez, C.A., Harms, W.B., Purdy, J.A.: The Electronic View Box: A Software Tool for Radiation Therapy Treatment Verification, Int. J. Rad. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 31(1):135-142, 1995.
- Purdy, J.A., Klein, E.E., Low, D.A.: Quality Assurance and Safety of New Technologies for Radiation Oncology, Seminars in Radiation Oncology 5(2):156-165, 1995.
- Purdy, J.A.: Advances in three-dimensional treatment planning and conformal dose delivery. Seminars in Oncology 24(6):655-672, 1997.
- Purdy, J.A., Harms, W.B., Michalski, J.M., and Bosch, W.R.: Initial Experience with Quality Assurance of Multi-Institutional 3D Radiotherapy Clinical Trials. Strahlentherapie und Onkologie 174(II):40-42, 1998.
- Low, D.A., Harms, W.B., Mutic, S., and Purdy, J.A.: A Technique for the Quantitative Evaluation of Dose Distributions. Med. Phys. 25(5):656-661, 1998.
- Graham, M.V., Purdy, J.A., Emami, B., Harms, W.B., Bosch, W.R., Lockett, M.A., and Perez, C.A.: Clinical Dose-Volume Histogram Analysis for Pneumonitis after 3D Treatment for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 45(2):323-329, 1999.
- Purdy, J.A.: Future Directions in 3-D Treatment Planning and Delivery: A Physicist’s Perspective. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 46(1):3-6, 2000.
- Chao, K.S.C., Bosch, W.R., Mutic, S., Lewis, J.S., Dehdashti, F., Mintun, M.A., Dempsey, J.F., Perez, C.A., Purdy, J.A., and Welch, M.J.: A Novel Approach to Overcome Hypoxic Tumor Resistance: Cu-ATSM-Guided Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 49(4):1171-1182, 2001
- Michalski, J.M., Winter, K., Purdy, J.A., Perez, C.A., Ryu, J.K., Parliament, M.B., Valicenti R.K., Roach III, M., Sandler, H.M., Markoe, A.M. and Cox, J.D.: Toxicity After Three-Dimensional Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer with RTOG 9406 Dose Level IV. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 58(3):735-742, 2004.
- Purdy, J.A.: Current ICRU Definitions of Volumes: Limitations and Future Directions, Seminars in Radiation Oncology 14(1):27-40, 2004.
- Klein, E. E., Drzymala, R.E., Purdy, J.A., and Michalski, J.: Errors in radiation oncology: A study in pathways and dosimetric impact. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, Volume 6, Number 3: 81-94, 2005.
- Luo C, Yang CC, Narayan S, Stern RL, Perks J, Goldberg Z, Ryu J, Purdy JA, Vijayakumar S. Use Of Benchmark Dose–Volume Histograms For Selection of the Optimal Technique Between Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy and Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy In Prostate Cancer. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 66(4):1253-1262, 2006.
Awards:
- Sigma Pi Sigma Honor Society, 1967
- Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 1971
- President, Missouri River Valley Chapter-American Association of Physicists in Medicine, 1977
- American Society of Therapeutic Radiologists, Scientific Exhibit Silver Plaque Award, 1978
- Elected Member-at-Large, American Association of Physicists in Medicine Board of Directors, 1979-1981
- President, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, 1985
- Chairman of the Board, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, 1986
- Vice-Chairman, American Board of Medical Physics, 1988-1992
- Chairman of the Board of Chancellors, American College of Medical Physics, 1990
- Fellow, American College of Medical Physics, 1990
- Fellow, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, 1990
- Fellow, American College of Radiology (ACR), 1991
- R.S. Landauer Memorial Lecturer, Oakland, California, 1991
- First elected Physicist Member-at-Large, Board of Directors, American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), 1994-1997
- Teacher of the Year, MIR/BJH Radiation Oncology Residency Program, 1997
- First Annual Nagalingam Suntharalingam Lecturer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1998
- ACMP Marvin M.D. Williams Professional Achievement Award (Gold Medal Equiv), 1996
- AAPM William D. Coolidge Award for Distinguished Contributions to Medical Physics (Gold Medal), 1997
- ASTRO Gold Medal, 2000
- ACR Gold Medal, 2002
- Annual Named Lecture “The James A. Purdy Medical Physics Lecture” established by Washington University, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, 2003
- Keynote Speaker, RTOG Semi-Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, January 17, 2004
- Award for Best General Medical Physics Article in Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics (JACMP), co-author, 2006
- Fellow, inaugural group for American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), 2006
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Activities:
- President-Elect, 1984
- President, 1985
- Chairman of the Board, 1986
- Board of Directors, 1979-1981 (Member-at-Large), 1984-1986
- Member, Task Group 158 Measurements and Calculations of Out-of-Field Doses from External Beam Radiotherapy, 2007-present
- Member, Task Group 131 Medical Physics Training in Developing Countries in the Region, 2007-present
- Member, Work Group on Clinical Trials, 2007-present
- Member, Task Group113 Physics Practice Standards for Clinical Trials, 2005-present
- Member, Sub-committee QA Physics of Cooperative Group Trials, 1998 to 2005
- Chairman, Science Council, 1994 to 1996
- Member, Nominating Committee, 1998 to 1999
- Member, Commission on Accreditation of Education Programs for Medical Physicists, 1992-1995
- Director, Summer School (Advances in Radiation Oncology Physics), 1990
- Member, Task Group 45 (AAPM Code of Practice for Radiotherapy Accelerators), Radiation Therapy Committee, 1989-1994
- Chairman, Task Group 46 (Accelerator Beam Data), Radiation Therapy Committee, 1989-1995
- Member, Task Group 40 (Comprehensive QA), Radiation Therapy Committee, 1988-1994
- Representative of AAPM to AAAS, 1987-1989
- Chairman, Task Group 35 (Accelerator Safety), Radiation Therapy Committee, 1987-1991
- Member, Executive Committee, 1984-986
- Representative of AAPM to ACR Intersociety Commission, 1984-1987
- Member, Task Group 25 (Electron Beam Dosimetry), Radiation Therapy
- Committee, 1984-1990
- Member, Awards and Honors Committee, 1983, 1994-96
- Member, Task Group 24 (Physical Aspects of Quality Assurance in Radiation Therapy), Radiation Therapy Committee, 1982-1984
- Chairman, Radiation Therapy Committee, 1982-984
- Member, Science Council, 1982-984
- Member, Centers for Radiological Physics, Coordinating Committee, 1980-1982, 1985
- Member, Radiation Therapy Committee, 1977-979
- Member, Task Group 19 (Clinical Electron Beam), Radiation Therapy Committee, 1977-1979
Other Professional Organization Activities:
- American College of Medical Physics (ACMP) Activities:
- Chairman, Board of Chancellors, 1990
- Member, Board of Chancellor, 1985 to 1988, 1990
- Member, Ethics Committee, 1986-987
- Member, Executive Committee, 1989-991
- Chairman, Standards Committee, 1991-1994
- Member, Continuing Education Committee, 1991-1994
- Program Director and Faculty, ACMP Symposium on 3DRT, 1997
- Member, Awards and Honors Committee, 1998-2001
- American College of Radiology (ACR) Activities:
- Member, Committee on Awards and Honors, 2003 to present
- Member, ACR Editorial Review Board for Education Projects, Commission on Education, 2001-2002
- Liaison, Committee on Standards and Accreditation of the Commission on Physics and Radiation Safety, 1993-1994
- Co-Chairman, ACR/RTOG Image-Guided Therapy Committee, 1991 to present
- Member, ACR/RTOG Corporate Relations Committee, 1991-2000
- Member, Committee on Strategic Planning in Radiological Sciences for the National Cancer Program, Commission on Radiation Oncology, 1989-1993
- Member, Committee on Radiation Oncology Equipment, Commission on Radiation Oncology, 1988-1993
- Chairman, ACR/RTOG Medical Physics Committee, 1987-1990
- Member, Commission on Radiation Oncology, 1987-1993
- Member, ACR/RTOG Membership Evaluation Committee, 1987-1995
- Member, Committee on Radiotherapy Research and Development, 1983-1987
- Member, Committee on Radiation Therapy Physics, 1983-1987
- Chairman, Medical Physics Committee, 1980-1982
- Member, Medical Physics Advisory Committee, Patterns of Care Study, RTOG, 1978-981
- Member, ACR/RTOG Medical Physics Committee, 1977-present
- Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP) Activities
- Founder and Director of the Washington University Physics Residency Program in Radiation Oncology Physics, 1992-2002- first residency program to receive CAMPEP accreditation, October 1997
- Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Activities:
- Co-Director and Faculty, RSNA Categorical Course, Three-Dimensional Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning. Chicago, IL, 1994 and 1995
- The American Society For Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Activities:
- Member, Conflict of Interest, , 2007-present
- Member, Awards and Honors Committee, 2003-2004
- Co-chair & Faculty, 3DCRT/IMRT Practicum, 2000-2002
- Member, Web Site Working Group, 1999-2002
- Member, Corporate Working Group, 1999-2002
- Member, International Committee, 1998-2001
- Member, Communications & Public Policies Committee, 1998-1999
- Member, Strategic Planning Committee, 1998-1999
- Member, Clinical Practice Committee, 1998-1999
- Member, Finance Committee, 1996-1997
- Ex-Officio Member of the Radiation Physics Committee, 1996-1997
- Liaison, AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee of the Radiation Physics Committee, 1995-1997
- Member, Board of Directors, 1994-1997
- Member, Search Committee for Editor, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, 1992-993
- Member, Committee on Long Range Planning, 1991-1996
- Member, Committee on Scientific Program, 1991-1993
- Member, Committee on Radiation Physics, 1984-1990
- Member, Committee on Public and Professional Communications, 1984-1990
- Member, Committee on Education in Radiation Therapy, 1984-1990
- International Organization Medical Physics (IOMP) Activities:
- Lecturer in 7 AAPM International Scientific Exchange Programs Workshops on Radiation Oncology Physics
- American Board of Radiology (ABR) Activities:
- Member, Exam Committee for Radiation Oncology Residents, 1987-1993
- American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) Activities:
- Vice-Chairman, American Board of Medical Physics, 1988-1992
- Member, Board of Directors, 1988-1992
- Member, Exam Committee for Radiation Oncology Physics, 1989-1992, 1996-2000
- Chairman, Exam Committee for Radiation Oncology Physics, 1993-1995
- Oral Examiner, Radiation Oncology Physics, 1989-2000
- International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements
- Member, ICRU Report on IMRT Dose-Volume Writing Group,2000-present
- Member, ICRU Report 71 (Electron Beam Dose-Volume) Writing Group,1999- 2002
- Member, ICRU Report 62 (Supplement to Report 50) Writing Group, 1988-1999
- Member, ICRU Report 50 (Photon Beam Dose-Volume) Writing Group, 1988-1993
- National Council on Radiation Protections and Measurements
- Member, NCRP Scientific Committee 1-17: Second Cancers and Cardiovascular Effects after Radiotherapy, 2007-present
Avocations and Special Interests:
Travel, wine, photography, movies, bridge, history
Family:
Wife: Marilyn Janette Purdy
Daughter: Katherine Janette Purdy (public school teacher/artist)
Daughter: Laura Elizabeth Purdy (film-maker/artist)
Husband: Juan Devis (film-maker/artist)
Grand-Daughter: Eva Luna Devis
Grand-Son: Simon Devis