Smart Medicine Podcast | Issam El-Naqa — AI, Medical Physics, and the Future of Radiation Oncology

🎙️ Smart Medicine Podcast — Full EpisodeGuest: Dr. Issam El-NaqaMedical Physicist | Chair of Machine Learning, Moffitt Cancer CenterIn this episode of the Smart Medicine Podcast, Dr. Ali Fatemi is joined by Dr. Issam El-Naqa, a leading figure in medical physics, artificial intelligence, and radiation oncology.Dr. El-Naqa’s career spans academia, clinical practice, and AI leadership. He began as an Assistant Professor at Washington University, spent nearly a decade at McGill University working across medical physics, biomedical engineering, and clinical systems, and then moved to the University of Michigan as Professor of Medical Physics and Radiation Oncology. He is now the Chair of Machine Learning at Moffitt Cancer Center, where he leads one of the most advanced and clinically integrated AI programs in oncology.In this full-length conversation, they discuss:His path into AI and radiation oncologyThe early days of machine learning—before the hypeAdaptive therapy and quantitative modelingBringing AI into real clinical workflowsAccess, scalability, and global equity in AI-driven careHow the role of the medical physicist is evolvingWhat the next 5–10 years may hold for the fieldThis episode offers a grounded, experience-based discussion on how AI, physics, and clinical insight can come together to meaningfully improve patient care.🎧 Smart Medicine PodcastHosted by Dr. Ali FatemiClinical Medical Physicist | Founder of SpinTecx | Entrepreneur