Leonard Che Fru, Ph.D.
Department of Radiation Physics, Division of Radiation Oncology
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Associate Member, UTHealth Graduate school of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Assistant Professor, Medical Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2019 | University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, US, Ph.D. in Medical Physics |
| 2015 | University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, US, M.S. in Medical Physics |
| 2012 | Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota, US, M.S. in Physics |
| 2008 | Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota, US, BS in Biochemistry |
Postgraduate Training
| 2019-2021 | Clinical Residency, Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2023 | Texas Medical Board License |
| 2023 | Diplomate, American Board of Radiology |
Honors & Awards
| 2025 | Golden Glove QS Award Winner, Radiation Oncology Quality and Safety |
| 2019 | Radiological Science Training Grant Award, Minnesota State University - Mankato |
| 2016 | Standard Imaging Travel Award |
| 2008 | Chemistry Scholarship Award |
| 2008 | MSSA Leadership Scholarship |
| 2007 | Thin Film Technology/Mankato Area Foundation Scholarship |
| 2006 | Golden Key International Honour Societyship |
| 2006 | International Student Endowment Scholarship |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2026. SGRT and Motion Management. Invited. Medical Physics Seminar. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Converging Lens X-ray Beam Radiotherapy Treatment Plan Comparison with Linear Accelator-and a Proton Beam-Based Plans. Invited. Medical Physics Seminar. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Characterization of the MedScint HS-RP200 system with orthovoltage beams. Invited. Medical Physics Seminar. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Characterization of the MedScint HS-RP200 System with Orthovoltage Beams. Invited. Medical Physics Seminar. Houston, Texas, US.
National Presentations
- 2026. The Breast Radiotherapy Toolbox: Practical Approaches to Planning and Delivery. Poster. AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting 2026. Orlando, FL, US.
- 2026. Evolving Approaches in Breast Radiation. Poster. AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting 2026. Orlando, Florida, US.
- 2025. Evaluating the Performance and Limitations of an Automated Treatment Planning Tool for Intact Breast Radiotherapy across Diverse Patient Populations. Poster. 67th AAPM Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Washington, DC, US.
- 2025. Modeling of Novel Converging Beam Radiotherapy System in Geant4 Montel Carlo Simulation. Poster. 67th AAPM Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Washington, DC, US.
- 2024. The Journey to Becoming a Medical Physicist. Invited. NSBP-NSHP Joint Conference. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Treatment Machine Performance Analysis and Data Trending Software. Conference. American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Los Angeles, California, US.
- 2024. Use of the Medscint HS-RP200 Scintillator Detector for Dosimetry in a Convergent Monoenergetic Photon Beam. Poster. American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Los Angeles, California, US.
- 2023. Relative Biological Effectiveness of an x-Ray Lens Converging Beam Radiotherapy System. Poster. American Association of Physicists in Medicine Conference. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Pitfalls of Multi Institutional Training Dataset to Predict Radiotherapy Treatment Response: The Influence of Treatment Planning System. Poster. American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Monte Carlo Energy and Volume Correction Factor Calculation for Plane-Parallel Ion Chamber in a Convergent Monoenergetic Photon Beam. Conference. American Association of Physicists in Medicine Conference. Houston, TX, US.
- 2022. Orthovoltage to Monoenergetic Photon Beam Energy Correction Factor for HyperScint Scintillation Dosimeter. Poster. American Association of Physicists in Medicine Conference. Washington, DC, US.
- 2021. Longitudinal Shift Limitation for Long-Field Delta4 Measurements. Poster. American Association of Physicists in Medicine Conference, US.
- 2020. An Inexpensive Approach in the Construction of Custom Molds for the Treatment of Lesions on Curved Surfaces in Brachytherapy. Poster. American Association of Physicists in Medicine Conference. Vancouver, BC, CA.
- 2018. Measuring the effects of radiation on hemodynamics in a tumor using optical fiber spectroscopy. Poster. RRS 64th Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2018. Interstitial Diffuse Optical Probe with Optical Fiber Spectroscopy to Measure Dynamic Tumor Hypoxia. Conference. AAPM 60th Annual Meeting & Exhibition Medicine. Nashville, TN, US.
- 2017. Investigation of the Glycolytic Oscillator in Cancer Cells. Conference. AAPM 59th Annual Meeting & Exhibition Medicine. Denver, CO, US.
- 2016. Potential Role Of The Glycolytic Oscillator In Acute Hypoxia In Tumors. Conference. ISOTT 44th International Conference on Medicine. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2016. Potential Role Of The Glycolytic Oscillator In Acute Hypoxia In Tumors. Conference. AAPM 58th Annual Meeting & Exhibition Medicine. Washington, DC, US.
- 2016. Potential Role Of The Glycolytic Oscillator In Acute Hypoxia In Tumors. Poster. 2nd Annual Midwest Tumor Microenvironment Meeting. Minneapolis, MN, US.
- 2015. Development of a radiation monitoring device using a low-cost CCD camera following radionuclide therapy. Conference. 57th Annual American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Anaheim, CA, US.
- 2008. Extraction and Identification of Compounds in Bitter Leaf (Vernonia amygdalina). Poster. St Paul, MN, US.
Formal Peers
- 2021. Radiotherapy, US.
- 2020. IMRT Lecture. Madison, WI, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2024 - Present |
| Title: | Expanded Research Program |
| Funding Source: | Convergent R.N.R. Ltd |
| Role: | PI |
| ID: | FP00020646 |
| Date: | 2023 - 2025 |
| Title: | Amplifying the efficacy of low energy photons by modulating tumor metabolism |
| Funding Source: | Convergent R.N.R. Ltd |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | FP00020640 |
| Date: | 2023 - 2025 |
| Title: | Amplifying the efficacy of low energy photons using nanoparticles |
| Funding Source: | Convergent R.N.R. Ltd |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | FP00020645 |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Rai Y, Hoseini-Ghahfarokhi M, Bright SJ, Brito WADS, Lee DL, Freitas Reis MT, Wasley M, Che Fru L, Salehpour M, Schori A, Alfassi A, Gebert E, Sawakuchi GO. Radiobiological characterization of 60 keV quasi-monoenergetic convergent photons. International journal. e-Pub 2026.
- Che Fru L, Insley BA, Lee D, Bartkoski DA, Reiazi R, Schori A, Tailor R, Salehpour M. Characterization of the Medscint HS-RP200 system with orthovoltage photon beams and a novel quasi monoenergetic beam. Physics in medicine and biology 70(20), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 41038251.
- Baroudi H, Che Fru L, Schofield DL, Nguyen C, Afifi S, Evans SB, Gifford KA, Netherton T, Niedzielski JS, Melancon A, Mohamad I, Muruganandham M, Shaitelman SF, Shaw W, Shete S, Shulman A, Smith B, Murina P, Thengumpallil S, Venencia CD, Vrieling C, Mitchell MP, Court LE. Evaluating the Performance and Limitations of an Automated Treatment Planning Tool for Intact Breast Radiotherapy Across Diverse Patient Population. Practica Radiation Oncology, 2025.
- Reiazi R, Prajapati S, Che Fru L, Lee D, Salehpour M. Do We Need to Add the Type of Treatment Planning System, Dose Calculation Grid Size, and CT Density Curve to Predictive Models?. Diagnostics (Basel) 15(6):786, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40150128.
- Baroudi H, Che Fru L, Schofield D, Roniger DL, Nguyen C, Hancock D, Chung C, Beadle BM, Gifford KA, Netherton T, Niedzielski JS, Melancon A, Muruganandham M, Khan M, Shaitelman SF, Shete S, Murina P, Venencia D, Thengumpallil S, Vrieling C, Zhang J, Mitchell MP, Court LE. An automated treatment planning portfolio for whole breast radiotherapy. Med Phys 52(3):1779-1788, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39699058.
- Che Fru, L, Jacques, SL, Nickel, KP, Varghese, T, Kissick, MW, DeWerd, LA, Kimple, RJ. Interstitial diffuse optical probe with spectral fitting to measure dynamic tumor hypoxia. Biomedical Physics and Engineering Express 6(1), 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32095273.
- Che Fru, L, Adamson, EB, Campos, DD, Fain, SB, Jacques, SL, Van Der Kogel, AJ, Nickel, KP, Song, C, Kimple, RJ, Kissick, MW. Potential role of the glycolytic oscillator in acute hypoxia in tumors. Physics in medicine and biology 60(24):9215-9225, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26576743.
- Che Fru L, Clymer J, Compton N, Cotter J, Dam H, Lesko Z, Pautzke J, Prokop C, Swanson L, Roberts A. Student research with 400keV beams: 13N radioisotope production target development. AIP Conf. Proc 1525(1):731-735, 2013. e-Pub 2013.
- Che Fru L, Melancon AD, Reiazi,R, Court, L, Muruganandham,M, Salehpour, MR, Zhao,Y, Gifford, K, Schofield,D, Schueler, E, Mitchell, M. Tissue Equivalence of Brass Mesh Bolus and Its Efficacy In Mitigating Loss of Skin Dose In the Presence of Skin–Bolus Air Gaps.
- Che Fru L, Alfassi A, Alezra D, Amin M, Gebert E, Chung C, Salehpour M. Converging lens X-ray beam radiotherapy treatment plan comparison with linear accelerator– and a proton beam–based plans in a case of ocular melanoma. Advances in Radiation Oncology.
Other Articles
- Sawakuchi, G, Rai, Y, Bright, SJ, Lee, D, Wasley, M, Salehpour, MR, Alfassi, A, Hoseini-Ghahfarokhi, M, Da Silva Brito, WA, Freitas Reis, MT, Che Fru, L, Schori, A, Gebert, E Biological Efficacy of Quasi-Monoenergetic Convergent Photons.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified July 28, 2026