Assistant Professor at Penn State University, United States
Dr. Rani Al-Senan, Ph.D., DABR, is an accomplished medical physicist with over two decades of experience in diagnostic imaging, research, teaching, and clinical service. Currently an Assistant Professor at Penn State University, she specializes in imaging quality assurance, CT protocol optimization, and patient dose assessment. Her research spans CT dosimetry, fluoroscopic imaging, and pediatric radiation safety, with numerous peer-reviewed publications and contributions to AAPM Task Groups shaping national guidelines. Dr. Al-Senan actively mentors radiology residents and medical physics students, blending her clinical expertise with research innovation. She serves as a reviewer for prestigious journals and has received multiple awards, including the RSNA Trainee Research Prize. Her global impact extends to volunteer work with RAD-AID International, where she supports imaging facilities in low-resource countries. Combining academic excellence, clinical leadership, and international outreach, Dr. Al-Senan’s career reflects a profound commitment to advancing medical imaging research and improving patient care worldwide.
Professional Profile
Education
Dr. Rani Al-Senan holds a Ph.D. in Medical Physics from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where her research focused on characterizing optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters and their application in estimating pediatric organ doses in CT imaging. She also earned a Master’s degree in Medical Physics from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, further strengthening her expertise in diagnostic imaging and radiation safety. Dr. Al-Senan’s educational foundation began with a Bachelor’s degree in Radiological Sciences from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, she pursued undergraduate coursework in Mathematics and Physics at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), expanding her analytical and technical skills. Her diverse educational background, blending advanced research training with practical clinical applications, has provided her with the strong scientific foundation needed to excel in her dual roles as a researcher and clinical medical physicist in diagnostic radiology.
Professional Experience
Dr. Rani Al-Senan, Ph.D., DABR, has built a distinguished career in medical physics, combining clinical excellence, research innovation, and teaching expertise. Currently serving as Assistant Professor and Diagnostic Medical Physicist at Penn State University, she oversees quality assurance, clinical protocol optimization, and patient dose assessments across multiple imaging modalities, while also mentoring radiology residents. Previously, she held academic and clinical roles at Columbia University, where she focused on CT dosimetry and imaging optimization, and at Landauer Medical Physics, where she conducted over 400 imaging equipment evaluations. Her career began in Saudi Arabia as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist and Radiation Safety Officer, laying the groundwork for her global perspective on imaging quality and patient safety. With extensive experience spanning academia, clinical service, and international volunteer work with RAD-AID, Dr. Al-Senan’s career reflects a deep commitment to advancing imaging science, optimizing clinical protocols, and enhancing patient safety both locally and globally.
Research Interest
Dr. Rani Al-Senan’s research interests lie at the intersection of medical imaging, radiation dosimetry, and patient safety, with a strong focus on optimizing imaging protocols and reducing radiation exposure. Her work in CT dosimetry explores methods to enhance dose estimation accuracy, particularly in pediatric imaging, ensuring safer diagnostic procedures. She is also deeply involved in fluoroscopic imaging research, aiming to improve image quality while minimizing radiation risks. Dr. Al-Senan has contributed to advancements in radiographic and interventional imaging protocols, investigating techniques to enhance contrast-to-noise ratios and optimize dose efficiency. Additionally, she has participated in national task groups shaping guidelines for radiation safety and quality control in diagnostic imaging. Her research extends globally through volunteer initiatives, where she evaluates imaging systems and educates healthcare professionals in low-resource settings. Through her work, Dr. Al-Senan continues to drive innovation in medical physics, balancing technological advancements with patient-centered safety and care.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Rani Al-Senan, Ph.D., DABR, has received several prestigious awards and honors throughout her distinguished career in medical physics. In 2010, she was honored with the RSNA Trainee Research Prize for her groundbreaking work on thyroid dosimetry methods for pediatric CT exams, highlighting her commitment to improving radiation safety in vulnerable populations. The same year, she also received the Julio C. Palmaz Academic Award in Radiology Research, recognizing her innovative contributions to imaging science. In addition to these individual honors, Dr. Al-Senan has been appointed to serve on multiple influential committees and task groups within the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), contributing to the development of national imaging standards and guidelines. Her selection as an ABR Core Exam writer and oral examiner further underscores her expertise and leadership in the field. These accolades reflect her dedication to advancing research, education, and clinical excellence in diagnostic imaging and patient safety.
Research Skills
Dr. Rani Al-Senan, Ph.D., DABR, possesses a comprehensive and versatile set of research skills that spans across multiple areas in medical physics and diagnostic imaging. Her expertise includes advanced radiation dosimetry techniques, particularly in CT imaging, with a focus on pediatric dose estimation and patient safety. She excels in imaging protocol optimization, applying her analytical skills to enhance image quality while minimizing radiation exposure in radiographic, CT, and fluoroscopic imaging. Dr. Al-Senan’s proficiency in data analysis, quantitative imaging evaluation, and quality control testing allows her to conduct rigorous studies that directly inform clinical practice. Her research skills also extend to the development and validation of new methodologies for dose estimation, image quality assessment, and artifact reduction. In addition to her technical abilities, she is adept at collaborative research, working closely with radiologists, medical physicists, and engineers, and contributing to multi-institutional research efforts and national task forces to advance diagnostic imaging standards and safety.
Conclusion
Dr. Al-Senan’s impressive blend of high-quality research publications, national-level leadership in medical physics task groups, clinical impact through protocol optimization, global outreach, and extensive teaching and mentoring make her a well-rounded and deserving nominee for the Best Researcher Award.
Her work has directly improved patient safety, imaging quality, and radiation dose optimization, aligning well with the core goals of impactful and translational research in medical physics and radiological sciences.
Publications Top Noted
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Al-Senan, R., & Newhouse, J. H. (2021). CT volumetry of convoluted objects—A simple method using volume averaging. Tomography, 7(2), 120-129. https://doi.org/10.3390/tomography7020011
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Al-Senan, R., Brown, K., Erdman, M., & King, S. (2020). The uncertainty of thyroid dose estimate in chest CT. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express, 6(6), 065012. https://doi.org/10.1088/2057-1976/abb8f3
