For her success, Jen Moroz, PhD, is thankful for the encouragement of her parents, who inspired her to become a scientist, and for her incredible support network. As a diagnostic medical physicist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, since 2021, she ensures that all the hospital’s equipment adheres to the guidelines of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other accrediting bodies. She also keeps track of patients’ respective doses as part of her critical responsibilities.
Dr. Moroz first became interested in diagnostic imaging early in life while completing a work experience program in high school. She was afforded the opportunity to work in a diagnostic imaging department and saw how the technologists were so passionate about what they were doing. Finding their excitement inspiring, she learned more about the various aspects of the work firsthand and was impressed by how powerful the technology could be for diagnosing patients. The invaluable assignment prompted her to launch into higher education in Canada at the University of Alberta, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in applied physics in 2007 and went on to graduate with a Master of Science in medical physics in 2010. In 2019, she concluded her academic journey at the University of British Columbia and completed her Doctor of Philosophy in physics. Throughout her doctoral studies, she served as a graduate teaching assistant.
In 2006, Dr. Moroz began her career at her alma mater, the University of Alberta, where she worked as a N’SERC summer researcher. From 2007 to 2010, she was a teaching assistant at the university, after which she entered the COMP Summer Student Exchange at McGill University in 2014. In 2016, she became a sales associate for Running Room Canada Inc. for three years and subsequently worked as an imaging physics resident at Yale New Haven Hospital from 2019 to 2021 before accepting her current role at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Among Dr. Moroz’s professional achievements, she is most proud of getting into the residency program because, at the time, only 14 university programs were offering diagnostic imaging. After trying to get in the year prior, she tried again, betting on herself, and was accepted. Respected in her sphere, she has given three oral presentations at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and was named a Marquis Who’s Who Top Scientist. To stay involved and informed in her field, Dr. Moroz has maintained membership in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and the American College of Radiology.
Adjacent to her primary roles, Dr. Moroz serves as a lecturer at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Massachusetts, and hopes to see teaching opportunities for her group grow in the future. Looking ahead, she wants to continue working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she has been helping students who are genuinely interested in advances in medical technology. Moreover, Dr. Moroz is interested in getting involved with other programs and research projects within the clinic. She also aims to expand her skill set by learning to conduct additional tests with CT scanners, increasing her knowledge about diagnostic technology, and continuing to branch out into new areas of the field.
A few years after embracing her current role, Dr. Moroz is excited about the ever-changing industry landscape and knows she must stay up to date to remain at the forefront of her discipline. Since she was a child, she has carried with her the familiar adage: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re always right.” Dr. Moroz advises aspiring diagnostic medical physicists to seize every opportunity they can, find their passion, and commit to pursuing their goals.