Stanford Radiation Oncology

08/20/2025

Happy National Dosimetrist Day! 🎉 Today, we celebrate the skilled experts who turn treatment plans into life-saving precision. Thank you, dosimetrists, for your dedication, accuracy, and commitment to patient care. 💙

08/06/2025

We are thrilled to share that Everett Moding, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, has received a Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) R37 Award from the National Institute of Health! This award is a long-term grant for investigators with outstanding research accomplishments and high productivity. Congratulations, Dr. Moding!

08/05/2025

We are incredibly proud to announce that Yuyan Jiang, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in our department, has received the NIH Pathways to Independence Award for her project
“Lysosome-targeting chimeras degrading immune checkpoint proteins to enhance immunoradiotherapy of head and neck cancer.” Congratulations, Dr. Jiang!

07/31/2025

📣 We're proud to share that Dr. Nataliya Kovalchuk and the team behind the collaborative project “Large Scale Deployment of a Tailored and Hybrid Educational Strategy for Wartime Capacity Building” have received the 2025 AAPM Arthur Boyer Award for Innovation in Medical Physics Education! 🏅

Named in honor of Arthur Boyer, former Director of Radiation Physics at Stanford Radiation Oncology, the AAPM award celebrates educational innovation in medical physics—a mission we’re honored to continue.

This AAPM/HUG/UAMP year-long initiative supported Ukraine’s transition from Co-60 to IMRT through a comprehensive training program for medical physicists—combining virtual lectures, AI-assisted translation, and in-person practical sessions.

👏 This award is a testament to the dedication of the course organizers, 50 outstanding AAPM and UAMP educators, and the resilience and commitment of Ukrainian medical physicists participating in the program.

The course sets a powerful precedent for how academic societies and humanitarian efforts can sustain healthcare systems in crisis by investing in people and knowledge.

07/23/2025

In recent years, integrating predictive models and machine learning into cancer care has revolutionized how healthcare providers approach patient treatment and management. Michael Gensheimer, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, is a leading researcher in this field. He has been focusing on developing and implementing predictive models that optimize patient care, particularly for those with metastatic cancer:

A New Era of Personalized Treatment In recent years, integrating predictive models and machine learning into cancer care has revolutionized how healthcare providers approach patient treatment and management. Michael Gensheimer, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, is a leading res

07/16/2025

Pre-register now for Modern Proton Radiation Oncology! Early bird pricing will end on July 25. Held on Sat. 9/27, the symposium will focus on contemporary topics in proton therapy. A tour and reception will be held at the Stanford Medicine Cancer Center. Pre-register here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/43272b67cb084165b43140913ddd44df
Learn more:
https://radonc.stanford.edu/about/events/modern-proton-radiation-oncology.html

07/16/2025

Pre-register now for our Symposium on AI Medicine! Early bird pricing will end on July 25. Beginning on Fri. 9/26, the symposium will focus on AI Foundation Models and Agentic AI for Radiation Oncology and Healthcare.
Pre-register here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/43272b67cb084165b43140913ddd44df
Program link:
https://radonc.stanford.edu/about/events/ai-medicine.html

07/16/2025

In the ever-evolving landscape of medical innovation, the Audio Video Assisted Therapeutic Ambiance for Radiotherapy (AVATAR) project has provided comfort and relief for pediatric patients undergoing radiotherapy. Launched as part of the Stanford Medicine Catalyst program in May 2024, AVATAR has quickly made a significant global impact by easing treatment sessions and minimizing the need for general anesthesia.

Read more about the amazing work being conducted by our own Susan Hiniker, Bill Loo, and Lawrie Skinner!

https://pulse.stanfordmedicine.org/contents/40636187

07/15/2025

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Jason Sheltzer to our department!
Dr. Sheltzer comes to us from Yale, and will continue his research in our Division of Cancer Biology.
The Sheltzer Lab, which focuses on understanding the genetic changes that drive cancer progression and developmental disabilities, particularly through the study of aneuploidy—the gain or loss of whole chromosomes. The lab employs advanced technologies, including CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis and single-cell sequencing, to model aneuploidy and explore its cellular consequences.

07/14/2025

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Beth Neilsen, Clinical Assistant Professor, to our department!

Dr. Beth Neilsen received her bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and M.D./Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Dr. Neilsen then completed the ABR Holman Research Pathway as part of her Radiation Oncology Residency at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her prior research included using bioinformatic approaches to identify novel therapeutic targets in Ras-mutated cancers (under the guidance of Dr. Robert Lewis, UNMC) as well as utilizing genomic profiling techniques to better understand radiation resistance in prostate cancer (under the guidance of Dr. Paul Boutros and Dr. Amar Kishan, UCLA) with research support from various sources including the National Cancer Institute (T32, F30), National Library of Medicine (T15), and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO YIA).

She now serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Radiation Oncology at Stanford University with specific interest in leveraging computational approaches to further personalized cancer treatments through advancing our understanding of cancer evolution particularly in response to radiation therapy.

07/11/2025

We are excited to share that Nataliya Kovalchuk, PhD, Clinical Professor of Radiation Oncology in the Division of Medical Physics, has been named Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)!

The Fellow designation honors members who have made significant contributions through service to AAPM, advancements in medical physics knowledge via original research or development, impactful educational activities in training medical physicists and allied health personnel, and leadership in the practice of medical physics.
Congratulations, Dr. Kovalchuk, on this well-deserved honor! 🎉👏

07/10/2025

We are thrilled to announce that Kathleen Horst, MD, and Elizabeth Kidd, MD, have been named Fellows of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). The ASTRO Fellow designation, or FASTRO, honors members who have given significant volunteer service to the Society and contributed to the field of radiation oncology in the areas of research, education, patient care, or leadership. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Horst and Dr. Kidd for this incredible achievement!

We are proud to have such talented individuals in our community, and we look forward to their continued contributions to the field!