Rising Professional, College of Engineering, Letters, and Sciences

When Andrew Santoso ’13 came to Viterbo, he wasn’t sure where he was headed, other than he had a general interest in the healing arts.

“I stumbled into medical physics as a young person who was interested in medicine, but with little direction. My excellent undergraduate advisor (Anthony Gerig) took the time to listen to what my interests were and steered me towards medical physics,” Santoso said. “Given the opportunity for an academic medical physicist to provide clinical service, perform cutting edge research, and train the next generation of leaders in the field, I was immediately sold on it as a career path.”

Since graduating in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematical physics, the Onalaska native has been speeding along that career path. He’s now an assistant professor in medical physics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he’s the lead physicist at the UCHealth Long’s Peak Medical Center, tasked with ensuring high quality radiation therapy treatment.

He also is the primary rotation mentor there for joint radiation oncology/diagnostic radiology imaging physics rotation through therapeutic residency. On top of that, he does research to improve cancer therapy and serves as director of the Colorado Medical Physics Journal Club as well as reviewing submissions for publication in several journals, including Medical Physics, The Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, and The International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics.

After graduating from Viterbo, Santoso completed work in 2015 on a master’s degree in medical physics from Wayne State University, then completed his doctoral degree in medical physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019. His therapeutic medical physics residency was at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, completed in 2021.

While in Madison, he founded and co-chaired a medical physics graduate student outreach committee that focused primarily on providing hands-on medical physics activities for underrepresented groups. He also has been involved in projects for the American Association of Medical Physics, serving on the undergraduate summer fellowship and outreach subcommittee and on the AAPM’s working group on Science Council equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Santoso said his studies at Viterbo prepared him well for his graduate school studies as well as the work he now does.

“Viterbo fostered inclusive environments that allowed me to thrive. My degree had me working on challenging fundamental problems in physics that required not just mathematical rigor, but creative perspectives on solving problems,” Santoso said. “And plenty of times, the best solutions were found by working with others with diverse perspectives, which has been essential for working in such a multi-disciplinary team like radiation oncology.”

More than that, Viterbo also strengthened Santoso’s caring nature. “While I wasn’t aware of it at the time, the importance of community, taking care of others, and elevating everyone to their highest potential has been a through line in my life. Viterbo provided that to me,” he said. “I think my heart shines through, not just as a father and husband, but in all aspects of my life. I’m always tickled by friends and co-workers who’ve told me, ‘Wow! You really listened. I can’t believe you remember that.’ I care deeply about others and the community.”

Santoso and his wife, Chrissy (Nichols), who graduated from Viterbo in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in community medical dietetics, welcomed a daughter, Phoebe, into the family in January.

Being honored with a Viterbo alumni award has prompted Santoso to reflect on his academic and professional accomplishments, all of which, he realized, were made possible with support from family, friends, and mentors, for which he is deeply appreciative.

“I’ve been incredibly privileged in my academic and professional career. I would’ve never dreamed as a kid that I’d spend a month living in New York doing physiology experiments or that’d I’d have an opportunity to present at an international conference in Japan,” Santoso said. “I feel so grateful to those who’ve mentored me and have shown me my potential and the best parts of myself.”

2023 Viterbo University Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients main page