OhioHealth physicist earns national fellowship, one of profession's highest honors

At OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, the medical physicist helping oversee radiation treatment has received one of his profession's highest national honors — a distinction with immediate meaning for local cancer patients.

Peter Sandwall, PhD, has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. The AAPM grants the honorary designation to members who have made exceptional contributions to medical physics through service to the association, independent research or development, educational activities, or leadership in the practice of medical physics. It is a peer-recognized distinction requiring at least 10 years of Full or Full-Lifetime AAPM membership, including the two years immediately preceding election as a Fellow.

Medical physicists largely work behind the scenes of radiation treatment, but their role is essential. They work with radiation oncologists and therapists to ensure radiation therapy is planned, calibrated and delivered safely and accurately, allowing prescribed doses to hit tumors while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue. Their responsibilities include treatment planning, quality assurance, calibration and dosimetry, safety monitoring, and support for advanced treatments such as stereotactic radiosurgery and brachytherapy.

Sandwall is OhioHealth Mansfield's sole medical physicist and has nearly two decades of experience in radiation oncology. The fellowship recognizes his work in clinical service, education, research and global health across that career.

He is a board-certified physicist and the founder and president of Precision Physics, Inc., which was founded in 2012. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at North Central State College. He earned his bachelor's degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College and his master's degree and PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Before joining OhioHealth Mansfield, Sandwall served as a medical physicist at TriHealth Cancer Institute from 2013 to 2017 and as adjunct faculty at the University of Cincinnati from 2016 to 2017. His work has also included global health training and nonprofit efforts through organizations such as Rayos Contra Cancer and Radiating Hope.

For Mansfield patients, having that level of expertise locally means cancer treatment overseen by an expert of the same caliber as those at major metro hospitals in Cleveland or Columbus, without the burden of long-distance travel. In a city of 47,663 people with a median household income of $42,605, access to top-tier specialized care close to home reduces costs and logistical strain for working families.

Sandwall's recognition also adds to the specialized-care credentials of OhioHealth Mansfield, a 326-bed short-term acute care hospital described as north central Ohio's only full-service hospital. The hospital performs more than 7,000 surgical procedures annually, treats more than 52,000 emergency patients and admits more than 10,000 patients. Its nationally accredited cancer services include advanced diagnostics, personalized treatment, infusion and chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The hospital is also a certified member of MD Anderson Cancer Network, a program that provides access to MD Anderson Cancer Center treatment guidelines and best practices.

For families facing a cancer diagnosis, the Fellow designation offers tangible assurance that the physicist overseeing their radiation treatment stands among the profession's elite — and that top-tier specialized medical care is not exclusive to large metropolitan areas.