Dr. Hyejoo Kang currently serves as President of the Midwest Chapter AAPM organization for the 2024-2025 term. She actively contributes to several national AAPM committees and is a member of the NRG Oncology Physics Subcommittee.

Dr. Kang is an Associate Professor and serves as the Associate Director of Medical Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Loyola University Chicago. She earned her PhD in high-energy experimental physics from Rutgers University and was a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University. Subsequently, she completed her research fellowship in medical physics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Prior to joining the medical physics group at Loyola University Chicago, she worked as a medical physicist at Northwestern Medicine and the University of Chicago.

Her expertise lies in technologies and clinical applications of Dual-energy (DE) CT and CBCT, focusing on developing synthetic medical imaging, automation, and deep-learning algorithms. Her research interests is centered on AI and deep-learning-driven medical imaging, knowledge-based treatment planning, automation of the treatment planning and quality assurance (QA) process, and the development of innovative imaging modalities.

A passionate advocate for mentorship, Dr. Kang has guided numerous undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, throughout her career.

Christopher Huff, M.S., DABR is the Chief Medical Physicist for Endeavor Health – Edward-Elmhurst, where he leads the south region physics team supporting two hospital-based radiation oncology centers. He has over a decade of clinical experience specializing in SRS/SBRT and quality assurance (QA).  Chris is board certified by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Medical Physics and has contributed to multiple conference presentations on radiosurgery and treatment planning. An active member of the AAPM, he has served the Midwest Chapter in multiple leadership roles and is currently the President-Elect, while also serving nationally as an Illinois State Champion.

Dr. Liao is an Associate Professor at Rush University Medical Center, where she has been actively involved in clinical, educational, and research initiatives since 2007. Dr. Liao has specialized expertise in radiation oncology, particularly in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). She currently serves as the Director of the Medical Physics Residency Program at Rush. Dr. Liao's extensive experience in both clinical practice and academic contributions is supported by numerous publications, invited presentations, and leadership roles within professional organizations such as AAPM and ASTRO. She is a Fellow of the AAPM (2025) and holds certification as a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Medical Physics.

Zachary is a radiation oncology physicist and the associate program directory of the therapeutic physics residency program at Rush University Medical Center. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Chicago and his residency training at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, so he is a superfan of the MWCAAPM. His research interests include brachytherapy physics, quality assurance, and image analysis, and he is passionate about clinical physics and education.

Cameron Kofler is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Diagnostic Physicist at the University of Chicago. He received his PhD in 2021 in Medical Sciences from the University of Florida where he focused on Monte Carlo CT Dosimetry and associated risks. His personal interests are radiation dosimetry, interventional radiology, computed tomography, and pediatric imaging, but he enjoys all aspects of diagnostic medical physics. He is a co-instructor for the radiation biology course in the UChicago medical physics graduate program and has recently begun research exploring the quantifiable benefits of medical imaging. Cameron’s goal as a board member of the MWAAPM is to provide encouragement and opportunities for the incoming generation of medical physicists to participate in AAPM and other professional societies, broadening connection within the field for everyone.

Judy Rose James, PhD, DABMP, DABR, is a board certified diagnostic medical physicist and Associate Professor at Loyola University Medical Center. She graduated from Purdue University, IN with a PhD in Medical Physics and completed her diagnostic physics residency at Indiana University School of Medicine, IN.  Dr. James's primary focus is in developing innovative and advanced imaging protocols for MRI and Nuclear Medicine, leading innovations in dosimetry and developing radiopharmaceutical therapy (Y-90, Lu-177, I-131) to transform clinical practice and patient care with safety. She has led several funded research and mentored dozens of future radiologists, medical students and physicists. Her leadership extends to committee services at Loyola and within professional societies, where she contributes to residency program development, medical school admissions, and early career initiatives.