Steering Committee

Dr. Jenghwa Chang is currently the Director of the MS in Medical Physics Graduate Program in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. In addition, he serves as a Senior Advisor in Radiation Physics at the Department of Radiation Medicine at Northwell Health, and as the Director of the Medical Physics Residency Program within the same department. Dr. Chang received his BS in Control Engineering and MS in Telecommunication Engineering from National Chiao Tung University, and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of New York (now NYU Tandon School of Engineering).

He is a board-certified medical physicist by both the American Board of Radiology (ABR) and the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP), and is actively involved in professional service. Dr. Chang has held numerous committee and leadership positions within the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the Radiological and Medical Physics Society (RAMPS). He is a Fellow of the AAPM and has delivered several SAM educational and professional lectures at various national and international conferences. He also serves as a site surveyor for the American College of Radiology's Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation (ROPA) program and is a reviewer for multiple international journals.

Dr. Chang's research interest lies in the application of engineering and physics principles to medicine. He was a pioneer in optical diffusion tomography for early breast cancer detection, EPID dosimetry, and onboard cone-beam CT for image-guided radiotherapy. His current research focuses on automation in radiotherapy, brachytherapy dosimetry, and treatment planning for FLASH radiotherapy.

Marissa Vaccarelli earned her Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics with concentrations in biomedical and mechanical engineering from Fordham University with honors. During her undergraduate studies, Marissa was a Clare Boothe Luce Fellow. In 2020, she received her Master of Science in Medical Physics from Hofstra University with distinction. Marissa is a graduate of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Radiation Physics Residency Program where she served as Chief Resident.

Ms. Vaccarelli returned to Northwell Health in 2022 and re-joined the Department of Radiation Medicine as a Clinical Medical Physicist. She is certified by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Medical Physics. Ms. Vaccarelli's research interests include clinical workflow optimization, failure modes and effects analysis, as well as quality improvement projects. She is involved with the implementation of adaptive radiotherapy delivery techniques regarding on-board imaging and treatment planning. Clinically, Ms. Vaccarelli is mainly responsible for external beam planning and review, along with linear accelerator quality assurance. She serves as a physicist in special brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery techniques. Additionally, Ms. Vaccarelli is very active in radiation oncology clinical trials focusing on radiation therapy data as well as machine and physics program credentialing for Northwell Health and its Cancer Institutes.

Ms. Vaccarelli is an Adjunct Instructor at the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Additionally, she serves as the Deputy Program Director of the Medical Physics Master's Program, facilitating graduate student involvement in clinical medical physics and research. Ms. Vaccarelli is a member of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) as well as the AAPM special interest group Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs. She is a member of AAPM Task Group 263U1 focusing on radiation oncology nomenclature standardization updates. Ms. Vaccarelli also serves as a reviewer for Medical Dosimetry.

Eugenio Silvestrini earned his Bachelor of Science in Theoretical Physics from the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez, where he also did graduate work in interferometry before moving to San Francisco to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Documentary Photography.  Moved to NY and after a successful career in photography, Mr. Silvestrini fell in love with nuclear medicine and became a NYS licensed technologist.

In 2011, Mr. Silvestrini was approached to join the Radiation Safety Program at Columbia University Medical Center, where he helped expand the program's reach, ultimately becoming a Sr. Health Physicist.

In 2017 he started his role working at North Shore University Hospital. In 2020 he completed his Master of Science in Medical Physics from Hofstra University, and in 2023 became the Radiation Safety Officer for the institution.

Dr. Christina Lacey received her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of New Mexico in 1997 and was a postdoctoral investigator at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City and a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory. After positions at other universities, Professor Lacey joined Hofstra University in 2008. Dr. Lacey's research interests include supernovae and supernova remnants in both our galaxy and nearby galaxies, jets from a nearby supermassive black hole in a nearby galaxy, and massive star formation. She is an expert in radio interferometry, imaging techniques, and multi-wavelength astronomy. Since 2022, Professor Lacey has been the chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Dr. Yijian Cao received his PhD in condensed matter physics from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Since then, he's accumulated over 20 years of experience in radiation oncology physics and is certified by the American Board of Medical Physics. Dr. Cao serves as chief physicist in the department of radiation medicine of Northwell Health. Besides overseeing all physics services and supports to clinics, he has been able to focus on integrations of clinical physics and research and creating opportunities for physicists and other clinical staff to engage in graduate education and resident training programs. His research interests are in the areas of radiation treatment planning, imaging analysis, and optimization of clinical operations. Dr. Cao has an appointment of assistant professor in the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and is adjunct associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Mr. Antony holds a master's degree from the City University of New York. He has over 34 years of experience in Radiation Safety, Diagnostic Radiological Physics, Medical Health Physics, Medical Nuclear Medicine Physics, Radiation Emergency Management, and Radiation Medicine Physics. He is certified by the American Board of Medical Physics, the American Board of Radiology, and the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine.

Mr. Antony serves as the Radiation Safety Officer at LIJMC and for the Department of Radiation Medicine at Northwell Health. In addition to overseeing all Radiation Safety services, he supports quality control for diagnostic services. His research interests include radiation health effects and improving quality control in imaging radiation medicine. He is also an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

An internationally renowned expert in the treatment of prostate cancer and a recognized leader in the field of radiation oncology, Louis Potters, MD, FASTRO, FABS, FACR holds a leadership role at the Northwell Cancer Institute and chair's Northwell's Radiation Medicine department, providing provide patients with the most advanced and high-quality cancer care available.

Dr. Potters has served as a past board member and in other leadership roles for the American Society of Radiation Oncology and other medical societies. He has authored several key national cancer treatment guideline documents for radiation oncology and has been a consultant to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He has served as a reviewer for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and as a member of the executive committee of the Commission on Cancer. Additionally, he has worked on several panels at the National Quality Forum (NQF) and has served on several committees at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Potters is a senior editor of Practical Radiation Oncology and on the editorial Board of Oncology and Brachytherapy as well as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society.

Dr. Potters has enjoyed over 32 years of clinical practice, treating thousands of men with prostate cancer. He oversees one of the largest radiation oncology departments with a faculty devoted to excellent patient care, research, and the education of tomorrow's oncologists. The Smarter Radiation Oncology program for standards, quality and patient experience is recognized nationally and internationally for the high level of care that Northwell's radiation medicine department provides.

Professor Steven R. Costenoble received his SB from MIT and his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Chicago. After teaching at MIT for two years he joined Hofstra's Mathematics Department in 1987, where he began a very successful research collaboration with Stefan Waner in algebraic topology; the two also have a textbook series on finite mathematics and applied calculus. He served in several positions in shared governance, including Chair of the Senate's Faculty Affairs Committee and Chair of the Senate Executive Committee. He joined the HCLAS Dean's Office in 2001 and served until 2021 as Associate Dean for Budget and Planning, interrupted by a stint as Associate Provost for Budget and Planning from 2007 through 2009. He returned to teaching mathematics in Spring 2022, then rejoined the HCLAS Dean's Office full time in Fall 2024 as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Planning and Program Evaluation.