Curriculum/Schedule

Radiation Oncology residents will spend their first year creating a strong foundation in all areas of radiation oncology, with rotations in most specialties. The variety of patient care settings provides a wealth of experience with an outstanding case mix. It is upon this foundation that future years of education and growth are built.

The program is well balanced, with education in all areas of radiation oncology. We continually assess the educational needs of the residents as the specialty of radiation oncology evolves.

The educational structure of the residency is based upon learning through patient cases and didactic teaching, both in the formal conference setting and through patient care.

Rotations:

Rotations are 2-3 months in duration with one resident per attending. Residents travel with their attending to each clinical site. The following are representative rotations:

• Dr. William Barrett - Genitourinary, Head and Neck, Sarcoma, General radiation oncology
• Dr. Kevin Redmond - Thoracic, Head and Neck, Genitourinary, General radiation oncology
• Dr. John Breneman - CNS, Pediatrics, Skin
• Dr. Luke Pater - CNS, Pediatrics, Skin
• Dr. Emily Daugherty - Thoracic Oncology, Breast
• Dr. Jordan Kharofa - Gastrointestinal, Head and Neck
• Dr. Vinita Takiar - Head and Neck, VA
• Dr. Timothy Struve - Genitourinary, CNS, General radiation oncology
• Dr. Ralph Vatner - Pediatrics
• Dr. Teresa Meier - Breast, Gynecologic
• Dr. Sara Medek - Occular oncology, Head and and Neck, Breast
• Dr. Kyle Wang - CNS, Gastrointestinal, Lymphoma
• Dr. Sarah Sittenfeld - Gynecologic, Breast, Thoracic

Rotation Sites:

• University of Cincinnati Medical Center (Barrett Cancer Center)
• West Chester Hospital Radiotherapy Center
• Cincinnati VA clinic
• UC Health/Cincinnati Children's Proton Therapy Center

Elective Rotations:

Residents receive 8 months of elective time during the training. This time is clinically protected and intentionally flexible in order to foster pursuits in line with the resident's educational goals. Elective months can include the following:

• Clinical, translational, or basic science research
• Structured physics/dosimetry elective
• Rotation in multidisciplinary fields (radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, surgical oncology, gynecologic oncology, palliative care)
• Quality improvement
• Global health rotation. Residents may apply for global health experiences and may be funded through the UC Department of Radiation Oncology

Conferences and Lectures

• Grand Rounds Conference:Weekly conference, with great variety. Residents, faculty and visiting experts make presentations to the entire department staff.
• New Patient Conferences : Three weekly conferences given by our faculty members covering all core topics with radiation oncology (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
• Peer Review Conference:Weekly conference in which residents gain experience presenting current cases. Residents and faculty rate and comment on treatment plans.
• Radiation Safety Training:Annually.
• Morbidity & Mortality Conference:Quarterly.
• Medical Physics (Radiologic Sciences):Dedicated physics and radiobiology lecture series and review sessions to prepare for the physics board exam.
• Resident Seminar (Journal Club):Weekly conference in which residents present and discuss current research, peer-reviewed articles and key review chapters in Radiation Oncology textbooks under the guidance of the Residency Program Director.

In addition, residents are encouraged to attend all local multidisciplinary conferences, focusing on each of the subspecialty areas listed above.

Resources & Opportunities

Research
There are multiple research opportunities available at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the Vontz Center for Molecular Studies, the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and the University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children's Proton Therapy Center. Projects are presented at a yearly research grand rounds in the spring for all PGY3-PGY5 residents.

Resources
Course textbooks in physics and radiobiology are provided. All residents are provided a subscription to Radoncquestions.com during training and through oral board exams. Residents also receive a subscription to E-anatomy during the program.

Residents are provided with an educational fund of $4000.00 throughout their residency to be used for additional textbooks, meetings, virtual meeting, or any other educational resources approved by the program director. Twenty educational days are provided throughout the 4 year program. Reimbursement for additional meetings is provided for research presentations if manuscripts are submitted with no cap on number of meetings.

Library Resources
The residents have access to a number of libraries throughout the University of Cincinnati main campus and the Academic Health Center. Print and digital materials are available in the department’s library at the Barrett Cancer Center, Room 1072, which includes both journals and texts (see selected listing below).

Teaching files are available in film, videodisc and CD-ROM format. The Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library houses both print and electronic resources as follows: book titles: 108,736; of which 32,636 are e-books; and journal titles: 11,950; of which 10,568 are e-journals (as of May 14, 2010).

The library is directly connected to the hospital via the Medical Sciences Building. Electronic search services are available both in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library and in the department. Additional library resources are available through inter-library loan programs.