Anna Vella

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT ANNA VELLA

Dr Anna Vella is a Senior Radiotherapy Physicist at Royal Berkshire Hospital, previously worked at Oxford University Hospital as Senior Radiotherapy Physicist and Principal Scientist Practice Educator - Radiotherapy, previously a Postdoctoral Researcher (Medical Physics) with the Radiation Therapy Medical Physics Group at the University of Oxford’s Department of Oncology. Anna’s current research is focused on treatment planning automation with Eclipse Scripting ESAPI for different treatment sites including breast and prostate, AI based auto-contouring, and clinical margin assessment. Anna’s postdoctoral research was focused on assessing proton/particle beam range and developing a medical imaging device for proton/particle induced prompt-gamma imaging for in-vivo range verification, and Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence induced by photonuclear reactions of bremsstrahlung MeV beams (used for material characterisation – particularly soft tissue, and oxygen). Her postdoctoral project was part of the CRUK ART-NET WP5 focused on in-silico validation of protocol of determination of proton range. Anna has experience in teaching and leading tutorials as demonstrator in the Nuclear Physics Laboratory, and is co-lead on Module 1 for the MSc in Radiation Biology course at the University of Oxford, Dept of Oncology. Anna is an expert in Monte Carlo modelling X-ray and gamma-ray detectors, as well as radiation transport through matter. She is proficient in PENELOPE and FLUKA radiation transport codes. Anna is also an expert in C#/ESAPI Eclipse scripting for Varian Eclipse Treatment Planning system. Anna has presented her clinical and postdoctoral research at ESTRO, ASTRO, AAPM, BIR, IPEM, Varian Users Meeting.Anna undertook her PhD at Cranfield University in Defence and Security and was awarded for the Best thesis in July 2019.