Nuclear Medicine Residency Program

The Nuclear Medicine Residency Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is a newly accredited, three-year ACGME training program based at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson. Our program offers a rigorous, comprehensive educational experience that prepares residents for independent practice and board certification in nuclear medicine, with a curriculum designed around the full spectrum of modern molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical therapy.

Situated within one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, residents train alongside subspecialty faculty in a high-volume, clinically diverse environment. The program integrates structured didactics, progressive clinical responsibility, protected research time and robust assessment frameworks — all grounded in the six ACGME core competencies. From the first year onward, residents are embedded in a culture of inquiry, patient safety and multidisciplinary collaboration that mirrors the demands of contemporary nuclear medicine practice.

As part of the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, our residency benefits from close collaboration with diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, endocrinology and cardiology — offering a breadth of interdisciplinary experience that few programs can match.

Clinical Training

Clinical training at our program is defined by genuine depth and breadth. Residents engage with a high volume of diagnostic and therapeutic cases across the full range of nuclear medicine subspecialties — general nuclear medicine, PET/CT oncology and infection imaging, nuclear cardiology, pediatric nuclear medicine and advanced theranostics. Studies are interpreted from multiple Banner campuses, ensuring exposure to a wide and varied patient population across both academic and community practice settings.

A defining feature of our program is its commitment to radiopharmaceutical therapy. Residents take an active, supervised role in managing complex treatments including Lutathera (Lu-177 DOTATATE), Pluvicto (Lu-177 PSMA), Radium-223, Yttrium-90 microspheres and high-dose I-131 for both benign and malignant thyroid disease. Weekly theranostics clinics provide longitudinal patient care experience — from initial consultation through treatment planning, administration, post-therapy imaging and follow-up — preparing residents for a practice landscape increasingly defined by theranostic approaches.

As residents advance through PGY levels, they assume increasing responsibility in protocol selection, case triage, report generation, and supervision of medical students and junior trainees. This graduated autonomy is intentional, fostering confidence and independent clinical judgment in parallel with knowledge acquisition.

Education and Scholarship

Our didactic curriculum is comprehensive and deliberately structured. Residents complete an 80-hour ASNC/SNMMI NRC-based radiation safety and physics course, providing the scientific foundation required for Authorized User training and board certification. Weekly educational conferences cover clinical nuclear medicine, basic science, instrumentation, radiopharmaceutical chemistry, radiation biology and radiation protection — spanning the full scope of ACGME program requirements.

Residents participate in journal clubs, morbidity and mortality conferences, interesting case conferences and multidisciplinary tumor boards in collaboration with oncology, endocrinology, cardiology and surgery teams. Each resident is expected to lead at least one formal didactic lecture per year under faculty mentorship, developing academic communication skills alongside clinical expertise. Participation in SNMMI and ACNM national meetings, webinars and institutional grand rounds is encouraged and supported.

Protected research time is integrated into every year of training. Residents are expected to contribute to an ongoing clinical trial, quality improvement initiative or original research project, culminating in a scholarly product — whether a peer-reviewed publication, conference presentation or institutional report. The program’s research-rich environment, with active clinical trials in molecular imaging and theranostics, provides a natural infrastructure for meaningful resident scholarship.

How To Apply

We are excited to invite motivated and passionate candidates to join the College of Medicine – Tucson Nuclear Medicine Residency Program. We support a dynamic training environment, and our program is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in radiology. Watch this space for the information you need to navigate the application process seamlessly. Three PGY-2 positions are currently open for NRMP match for the year following the clinical year.

Residency Programs

Program Director

Bital Savir-Baruch, MD, MBA, FACNM

Professor, Radiology and Imaging Sciences

Associate Chair, Clinical Research

Chief, Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics

Program Director, Nuclear Medicine Residency and Nuclear Radiology Fellowship Programs

bsavirbaruch@arizona.edu

Clinical Specialties

Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear Oncology/Theranostics

Nuclear Cardiology

PET/CT

SPECT/CT

Teaching Faculty

Tina Buehner, PhD

Visiting Scholar, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Nuclear Radiology and Theranostics

tmbuehner@arizona.edu

Holly Thompson, MD, MPH

Associate Professor, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Nuclear Radiology and Theranostics

hollythompson@arizona.edu

Clinical Specialties

Nuclear Oncology