Defining an Undergraduate Radiation Oncology Microclerkship via the Delphi Method.

Purpose: Many medical students in the U.S. lack formal exposure to radiation oncology (RO).

Assessment of a Medical Student-Run Multidisciplinary Oncology Shadowing Program.

Clinical exposures during the first two years of medical school (MS1-2) provide students an opportunity for early networking, mentorship and career exploration. The feasibility and perceived value of an extracurricular, student-run multidisciplinary oncology shadowing program was evaluated in this study. At a single institution, an oncology interest group collaborated with oncologists to create a shadowing program for MS1-2 students.

Overview of Radiation Therapy in the Management of Localized and Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Purpose Of Review: The goal is to describe the evolution of radiation therapy (RT) utilization in the management of localized and metastatic prostate cancer.

Recent Findings: Long term data for a variety of hypofractionated definitive RT dose-fractionation schemes has matured, allowing patients and providers many standard-of-care options to choose from. Post-prostatectomy, adjuvant RT has largely been replaced by an early salvage approach.

A Phase I Trial of a Methionine Restricted Diet with Concurrent Radiation Therapy.

Methionine is an essential amino acid critical for cell growth and survival. Preclinical evidence suggests a methionine restricted diet (MRD) sensitizes cancer to radiation therapy (RT), without significant adverse effects. However, this has never been evaluated in humans.

Pilot Study Assessing Student Interest in Combined Residency Training Pathways With Radiation Oncology.

Purpose: Most medical students have limited exposure to radiation oncology (RO) before deciding which specialty to choose for residency. This may limit the number and diversity of RO applicants. The purpose of this study was to determine students' views on a combined pathway program of RO with internal medicine (IM), as well as other related medical specialties, as a potential means of overcoming barriers to interest in RO and the early decision point to solo training in a highly specialized field.

Characterization of Research Mentorship During Medical School for Future Radiation Oncology Trainees.

Purpose: Medical student access to radiation oncology (RO) research opportunities is important for stimulating interest in the specialty. The purpose of this study was to assess the publication record during medical school of students who ultimately matched in RO, to characterize the source(s) of their RO mentorship relative to other specialties.

Methods And Materials: We performed web-based searches to identify manuscripts published during medical school (defined as being published from January 2016 to December 2019) for all RO residents with postgraduate year 2 status in 2020 to 2021.

Femtosecond electron beam probe of ultrafast electronics.

The need for ever-faster information processing requires exceptionally small devices that operate at frequencies approaching the terahertz and petahertz regimes. For the diagnostics of such devices, researchers need a spatiotemporal tool that surpasses the device under test in speed and spatial resolution. Consequently, such a tool cannot be provided by electronics itself.

Assessment of Student Perceptions of Aspects of a Career in Radiation Oncology.

Purpose: To determine medical students' views of various aspects of a career in radiation oncology (RO) to identify areas that may benefit from reform and to guide initiatives to stimulate broader and more diverse student interest in the specialty.

Methods And Materials: An electronic survey was sent to student oncology interest group members at seven US medical schools. The survey asked students to rate 19 aspects of RO on a 5-point bipolar Likert-type scale.

Assessment of Medical Student Research Mentorship in Radiation Oncology.

Purpose: Mentored medical student (MS) research opportunities in radiation oncology (RO) provide in-depth exposure to the specialty and may promote greater interest in a career in RO. Many radiation oncologists conduct research; however, the extent to which they directly engage MSs in their research is unknown. The purpose of this study was to characterize MS authorship in American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) journals.

Quantitative Characterization of Ectopic Adrenal Gene Expression in Fetal Testes in 21-Hydroxylase Deficient Mice.

Testicular adrenal rest tumors (TART) are a frequent and fertility impairing long-term complication in males with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Due to lack of clear experimental data on their origin, they are hypothesized to be derived from ectopic adrenocortical cells within testicular tissue mainly growing upon stimulation by chronically elevated levels of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). Alternatively, a more totipotent embryological origin has been discussed as the potential source of these tumors.

Oncology Physician Workforce Diversity: Rationale, Trends, Barriers, and Solutions.

This chapter will discuss (1) the rationale for physician workforce diversity and inclusion in oncology; (2) current and historical physician workforce demographic trends in oncology, including workforce data at various training and career levels, such as graduate medical education and as academic faculty or practicing physicians; (3) reported barriers and challenges to diversity and inclusion in oncology, such as exposure, access, preparation, mentorship, socioeconomic burdens, and interpersonal, structural, systemic bias; and (4) potential interventions and evidence-based solutions to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion and mitigate bias in the oncology physician workforce.

Evaluation of a Radiation Oncology Microclerkship as a Component of Medical Student Education.

Compared to most oncologic subspecialties, radiation oncology (RO) lacks a natural pathway for incorporation into the clinical clerkships, and few students ever complete a formal rotation in RO. The feasibility, and perceived value, of a 1-day "microclerkship" exposure in RO during other related clerkships was evaluated in this study. At a single institution, the RO clerkship director partnered with clerkship directors in medical oncology, palliative care, and radiology so that every 3rd or 4th year student would spend 1 day in RO during those clerkships.

Geographic diffusion of digital mammography in the United States.

Background: Examining temporal and spatial diffusion of a new technology, such as digital mammography, can provide important insights into potential disparities associated with access to new medical technologies and how quickly these technologies are adopted. Although digital mammography is currently a standard technology in the United States for breast cancer screening, its adoption and geographic diffusion, as medical facilities transitioned from film to digital units, has not been explored well.

Methods: This study evaluated the geographic diffusion of digital mammography facilities from 2001 to 2014 in the contiguous United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and estimated the geographic accessibility to this new technology for women aged ≥45 years at the census tract level within a 20-minute drivetime by population density, rural/urban residence, and race/ethnicity.

Pilot Study Evaluating Cross-Disciplinary Educational Material to Improve Patients' Knowledge of Palliative Radiation Therapy.

Palliative radiation therapy (PRT) is underutilized, partially due to misconceptions about its risks, benefits, and indications. The objective of this pilot study was to determine if patients with metastatic cancer would gain knowledge from educational material describing PRT and perceive it as useful in their care. A one-page handout conveying information about the purpose, logistics, benefits, risks, and common indications for PRT was offered to patients undergoing treatment for incurable, metastatic solid tumors in one palliative care clinic and four medical oncology clinics.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology Workforce Taskforce Review of the United States Radiation Oncology Workforce Analysis.

Over the past decade, concerns have arisen in radiation oncology regarding potential workforce supply and demand imbalance. The American Society for Radiation Oncology commissioned an independent analysis in 2022, looking at supply and demand in the United States radiation oncology workforce and projecting future trends for 2025 and 2030. The final report, titled Projected Supply and Demand for Radiation Oncologists in the U.

Predictors of Interest in Radiation Oncology: The Effect of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Other Diversity Measures.

Purpose: The presence of women and people underrepresented in medicine (URiM) continues to be lower in radiation oncology (RO) than within the United States population, medical school graduates, and oncology fellowship applicants. The objective of this study was to identify demographics of matriculating medical students who are inclined to consider pursuing a residency in RO and identify barriers to entry that students may perceive before medical school training.

Methods And Materials: A survey of incoming medical students at New York Medical College was distributed via e-mail and assessed demographic background information, interest in and awareness of oncologic subspecialties, and perceived barriers to RO.

Pilot Study Exploring the Feasibility of Incorporating Radiation Oncology Into Pre-existing Early Pathway Programs for Diverse Premedical Students.

Purpose: Many medical schools in the United States have affiliated pathway, preparatory, and/or prematriculation programs that enroll a high percentage of students historically underrepresented in medicine (URiM). The purpose of this pilot study was to better characterize exposures to radiation oncology (RO) among students in these programs and determine the feasibility of incorporating a radiation oncologist within their pre-existing format if nonexistent.

Methods And Materials: During the summers of 2021 and 2022, a radiation oncologist gave a presentation about basic principles of cancer care to 18 unique student groups in 12 premedical programs affiliated with 8 medical schools.

Increasing Diversity of Patients in Radiation Oncology Clinical Trials.

Radiation oncology clinical trials lack full representation of the ethnic and racial diversity present in the general United States and in the cancer patient population. There are low rates of both recruitment and enrollment of individuals from underrepresented ethnic and racial backgrounds, especially Black and Hispanic patients, people with disabilities, and patients from underrepresented sexual and gender groups. Even if approached for enrollment, barriers such as mistrust in medical research stemming from historical abuse and contemporary biased systems, low socioeconomic status, and lack of awareness prohibit historically marginalized populations from participating in clinical trials.

Impact of a Virtual Introduction to Radiation Oncology Presentation on Stimulating Interest in the Specialty Among Diverse Medical Students at Multiple Institutions.

Purpose: Many US medical students lack access to radiation oncology (RO). The authors' hypothesis was that a virtual, cross-institutional presentation introducing students to a career in RO would be valuable in exposing students to RO who are less likely to access it otherwise and would increase students' interest in a career in RO regardless of their gender, race, or ethnicity.

Methods: A 1-hour, live, virtual, extracurricular presentation was offered to deans of US medical schools lacking affiliated RO departments and/or having high enrollments of students underrepresented in medicine (UIM) and also student groups composed primarily of UIM students.