Dr. Twyla Willoughby is a medical physicist and associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Florida, working at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. As a medical physicist, she assists the medical team in optimizing the treatment plans for each patient. She helps determine the best proton therapy delivery technique and patient positioning to ensure the most accurate and effective treatment option is used.

Dr. Willoughby has worked as a medical physicist for over 25 years and has several years of experience specifically as a proton therapy physicist. She received her PhD from the University of Florida’s medical physics graduate program after completing her Masters degree in Medical Physics at the University of Texas. Dr. Willoughby has published over 60 peer-reviewed publications and continues to contribute to the advancement of proton physics research through her work as a reviewer for prominent medical journals such as International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics and Physics in Medicine & Biology.

Dr. Willoughby is active in the Florida AAPM (American Association of Physicists in Medicine) and has served in leadership roles for the AAPM over the years as President of the FL AAPM and Chair of AAPM Task Group 147. She was honored as a Fellow of the AAPM in 2019 for dedication to advancements in the area of medical physics. Dr. Willoughby has two patents for devices and methods to improve radiation therapy treatment delivery. She also has a passion for teaching and has been an instructor for multiple radiation physics and radiation therapist training programs.