Distinguished Alumni Courtney Knaup
Courtney Knaup
Dr. Courtney J. Knaup of Las Vegas, Nevada, turned an exceptional career as a student into an exceptional career as chief medical physicist at the Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada in Las Vegas. He is responsible for regulatory compliance, manages patient data systems, provides technical guidance to clinical staff, and oversees clinical activities to ensure safe and effective treatments for 2000 cancer patients annually. He graduated in 2009 with a BS in physics and minors in chemistry and math. Knaup was one of two chosen from more than 100 applicants to participate in the doctoral program in radiological sciences at the University of Texas Health Center in San Antonio. He was the sole recipient of an AAPM graduate fellowship in medical physics in 2009-2011 and completed the doctoral program in three years.
He is certified in therapeutic medical physics by the American Board of Radiology. As an undergraduate, Knaup was a member of Kappa Mu Epsilon math honors society, a Shepherd Scholar, an Endly Scholar and a four-year NASA Space Grant award winner. He was one of 14 applicants to receive American Association of Physicists in Medicine internships to study radiation sciences at healthcare sites.
Former ESU Professor Dr. DeWayne Backhus, who nominated Knaup for Distinguished Alumni recognition, related an anecdote to illustrate Knaup’s exceptional performance even as an undergraduate. “When he visited the University of Texas and was walking through their facilities, he came upon a group of students in the program who were in a clinical setting,” Backhus wrote. The professor asked a question but received no response. “… Courtney blurted out the answer, based on his Wesley [Medical Center] internship. Everyone turned and looked at him, recognizing that he was a prospective student candidate. This may have clinched his selection as one of two admitted.”