Leonard Che Fru, Ph.D.
Department of Radiation Physics, Division of Radiation Oncology
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Physics, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Associate Member, Department of UTHealth Graduate school of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Assistant Professor, Department of 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 |
| 2005 | 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 |
Experience & Service
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Assistant Director for Math and Science, Department of Center for Academic Success, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Mankato, MN, 2012 - 2013
Other Professional Positions
Medical Physics Resident, Therapeutic Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, 2019 - 2021
ADCL Graduate Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, 2017 - 2019
Sun Nuclear Contractor, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, 2016 - 2019
IMRT QA Team member, Therapeutic Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, 2015 - 2017
Certified Tutor in Math, Physics and Chemistry, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Mankato, Minnesota, 2005 - 2008
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Academic Review Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - Present
Member, RO Physicist Liaison, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - Present
Member, MD Anderson Faculty Senate, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2022 - Present
Member, One RO Burnout/Wellness Committees in Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2021 - 2022
Member, Talent Search Steering Committee, Academic Affairs, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2013
Member, International Festival Planning Committee, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2007
President, International Students Association, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2007 - 2008
Senator for the College of Science, Engineering & Technology, Student Senate, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2006 - 2007
President, African Students Association, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2005 - 2006
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
Non-Voting Guest, Technical Exhibits Subcommittee (TES), The American Association of Physicists in Medicine, 2025 - Present
Member, Black and African American Medical Physics Subcommittee (BAASC), American Association of Medical Physicists, 2022 - Present
Member, QA Committee, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2021
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.
National Presentations
- 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. 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.
- 2024. Treatment Machine Performance Analysis and Data Trending Software. Conference. American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Los Angeles, California, US.
- 2024. The Journey to Becoming a Medical Physicist. Invited. NSBP-NSHP Joint Conference. Houston, Texas, 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.
- 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.
- 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. Poster. 2nd Annual Midwest Tumor Microenvironment Meeting. Minneapolis, MN, 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.
- 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
- 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. Corrigendum: Potential role of the glycolytic oscillator in acute hypoxia in tumors (2015 Phys. Med. Biol. 60 9215). Phys Med Biol 63(13), 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29873307.
- 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, 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.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified March 06, 2026