ABOUT ME
​Hi there! I’m Izabella. I was born in Brazil and immigrated to Orlando with my parents at the age of 3. I'm a proud #FirstGen student, and understand it's a challenging path!

During my 9 years in studying engineering, I prioritized self-love by focusing on things that made me happy: exercising, teaching salsa dance classes, pampering my rescue dog, and traveling the world with my husband. I strive to demonstrate  that it is possible to pursue a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) while maintaining a positive work-life balance.

Today, I'm an Associate Professor and Clinical Medical Physicist ​at the ​University of Florida's Department of Radiology, where I teach graduate students and medical residents and conduct radiological clinical duties and research. Check out this blog post to read more about what medical physics is. 

 I am also an advocate for women and minorities in STEM. I hope to encourage women to follow their dreams while breaking stereotypes and enjoying all aspects of life. I hope you'll join me as I share tips for excelling in academia while maintaining a positive work-life balance!

TYPICAL WORK DUTIES

RADIOLOGICAL
​EQUIPMENT TESTING

Regulatory compliance testing for radiography, fluoroscopy, CT, MRI, SPECT, PET, and ultrasound modalities

RADIATION BARRIER
​SHIELDING

Calculation, visual inspection, and survey meter measurements for lead shielding integrity verification

CLINICAL PROTOCOL
​OPTIMIZATION

Assessment of clinical image quality with radiologists for a variety of pediatric and adult CT protocols for protocol optimization

PATIENT DOSE
​ASSESSMENT

IRB-approved retrospective patient dose assessment for protocol evaluation and improvement

STUDENT
​TEACHING

I teach courses to medical physics graduate students and radiology residents

CLINICAL
RESEARCH

Evaluation and optimized integration of novel CT imaging technologies

STUDENT
​ADVISING

Advise undergraduate and graduate student research projects

INTERNSHIP
​DIRECTOR

Founder and director of a medical physics undergraduate internship program 

EDUCATION
PhD - Medical Physics 
University of Florida: 2014-2017
Clinical Researcher for the University's Department of Radiology, and graduate assistant for annual radiological equipment compliance testing
MS  - Medical Physics
​University of Florida: 2012-2014
​Conducted clinical research on assessing quantitative and subjective image quality of Toshiba's novel iterative reconstruction algorithm for reducing dose in CT imaging
BS - Biomedical Engineering
​University of Miami​​: 2008-2012
​Specialized in biomedical instrumentation, logic design, electronics, and programming. Created an ultrasound guided audible feedback system to guide the visually impaired.

Professional Activities