School of Health Sciences - Charles W. Coffey, II
/> 2005 Distinguished Alumnus

Charles W. Coffey, II upon graduation from Purdue was employed as a Clinical Medical Physicist in the Radiation Medicine Department at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. In 1977 he became Acting Chief Clinical Physicist and in 1978 was named Chief Clinical Physicist. He was also appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Radiation Medicine Department and promoted to Associate Professor in 1982. Dr. Coffey was an active faculty member in the University of Kentucky MS Medical Physics Program.

In 1993, he became the Chief Clinical Medical Physicist and Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was promoted to Professor rank in 2001. He assumed additional duties as Director of the Radiotherapy Medical Physics Residency Program in 1996 and Director of the MS Medical Physics Graduate Program in 1998. These programs are now both accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs. Dr. Coffey also has served on various committees at Vanderbilt University including the Radiation Safety Committee, Department of Radiation Oncology Quality Assurance Committee, and the Medical Physics Education Committee. He is also active in professional societies: American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) (Fellow, 1999), American College of Medical Physics, American College of Radiology (Physics Fellow, 1992), and the Health Physics Society.

Dr. Coffey served on the Board of Directors of the AAPM from 1987-89 and served as the secretary from 1994-96. Ultimately, he was President-elect of the AAPM in 2000, President in 2001, and Chairman of the Board in 2002. He has served as a reviewer for the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics and the journal Medical Physics. Additionally he has been involved in committee work on the AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group #60 - Intravascular Brachytherapy Physics, Task Group #61 -A Protocol for Kilovoltage X-Ray Beam Dosimetry in Radiotherapy.

He has over 40 publications in scientific and professional journals on topics such as dosimetry, radiotherapy, and quality assurance. He has also authored nearly 60 abstracts and proceedings and written 5 book chapters. Other activities include a number of book reviews and invited presentations. Dr. Coffey also holds a patent entitled "Quality Control Phantom for Use in Computed Tomographic Imaging Instruments and Method of Use."

Dr. Coffey is married to Susan Hagaman Coffey and they have a son (Morgan, age 23) and a daughter (Ellen, age 18). They reside in Brentwood, TN. He is active in his local church and presently serves as deacon. Dr. Coffey enjoys softball, running, and "gentleman" farming.