Oct. 25, 2021

ASTRO meeting features Winship radiation oncology contributions

Photo of ASTRO meeting features Winship radiation oncology contributions

Winship clinical and research teams from Emory's Department of Radiation Oncology will present research at the 63rd annual American Society for Radiation Oncology meeting, taking place in Chicago October 24 -27, 2021.

Winship Cancer Institute clinical and research teams from Emory's Department of Radiation Oncology will present research at the 63rd annual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting, taking place in Chicago October 24 -27, 2021. The year's conference will feature top science and education related to the field of radiation oncology and organized around the theme, "embracing change, advancing person-centered care."

Winship faculty, trainees, and a record number of staff members will moderate sessions, serve as expert speakers for educational programs, and share original research as presenters of oral abstracts, quick pitches, and scientific posters.

Jeffrey Bradley, MD, FASTRO, interim chair and professor of radiation oncology, will moderate a Presidential Symposium debate, "Randomized Clinical Trials vs. Real World Data," on October 24. He will also present at a panel discussion during the debate.

Kristin Higgins, MD, associate professor and medical director of radiation oncology for The Emory Clinic, will be a discussant for the oral scientific session, "Integration of Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer," on October 24. She will also present during an education session, "Radiation in the Multidisciplinary Management of Thymic Malignancies," on October 25.

An October 26 panel discussion with Mylin Torres, MD, will review the results of an ASTRO mental health and wellness survey evaluating the pandemic's impact on its members. Torres, a professor and radiation oncologist with the Glenn Family Breast Center, will present, "Institutional Approaches to Promoting Wellness During COVID-19 and Beyond."

Key sessions will address patient reported outcomes (PROs), a critical component of patient-centered care and aligned with the meeting's theme. Deborah Bruner, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and Robert W. Woodruff Chair in Nursing and Emory’s senior vice president of research, will present, "Successes and pitfalls of PROs in research and practice – perspectives and discussion," during an educational session on October 27.

Aparna H. Kesarwala, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiation oncology, will be a presenter and panelist for the Digital XP Grant Writing Workshop on October 23. On October 26, she will moderate an oral scientific session on "Experimental Therapeutics" and present at an education session, "Hypoxia: Back in the Spotlight."

James E. Bates, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology, will deliver an overview on re-irradiation during the Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO) Program on October 23. He and colleagues from an international collaboration of the PENTEC (Pediatric Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic) group will present task force findings on October 25. Additionally, Bates will deliver an oral presentation on the "Impact of Cardiac Substructure Dosimetry on Late Cardiac Risk: A Report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS)," at a scientific session on October 27.

Several ASTRO scientific sessions on October 25 will feature Winship oral presentations. Physician resident James Janopaul-Naylor, MD, will present "Phase I Dose Escalation Trial of Hypofractionated Radiosurgery for Large Intact or Resected Brain Metastases." Medical physics resident Joseph Harms, PhD, whose abstract earned him an ASTRO Travel Award, will present "Sparing Functional Lung Using Optimized Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy in Thoracic Radiation for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer" as part of the "Best of Physics” scientific session.

Quick pitch sessions, taking place October 24-27, will include presentations from Sibo Tian, MD ("Feasibility of Using FDG in the Stereotactic Ablative Setting for Tracked Dose Delivery With BgRT: Results from a Prospective Study of Serial Inter-Fraction PET/CTs"); David C. Qian, MD, PhD ("Outcomes Stratification of Head and Neck Cancer Using Pre- and Post-Treatment DNA Methylation in Peripheral Blood"); and Beth Ghavidel, MS ("Optimizing Safety in a Radiation Oncology Department Through Improving Timeliness of Treatment Planning Care Path").

Starting on October 22, ASTRO poster sessions will provide in-person and virtual access to the latest clinical case studies, practice innovations, and research developments. Winship authors will present scientific posters covering a range of disease types and topic areas:

  • Abdominal Cancer – Tian Liu, PhD
  • Breast Cancer – Mylin Torres, MD, Jolinta Lin, MD, Joshua Lorenz, MD, and Ashley Schlafstein, MD
  • Central Nervous System – James Janopaul-Naylor, MD
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Healthcare – Emily Engstrom Voigt, RN, BSN, OCN
  • Genitourinary Cancer – Vishal Dhere MD, and Pretesh Patel, MD
  • Gynecological Cancer – Neal S. McCall, MD
  • Head and Neck Cancer – Mark McDonald, MD, David C. Qian, MD, PhD, Nabil Saba, MD, and Ashley Schlafstein, MD
  • Health Services Research/Global Oncology – James E. Bates, MD
  • Lung Cancer/Thoracic Malignancies – Kristin Higgins, MD, and Sarah Westergaard, MD
  • Nonmalignant Disease – David C. Qian, MD, PhD
  • Nursing and Supportive Care – Erika Armstrong, MSN, RN, CRN, and Emily Engstrom Voigt, RN, BSN, OCN
  • Palliative Care – Naba Ali, MD
  • Patient Safety – Walter Gerald Chin, Beth Ghavidel, MS, Aaron L. Preston, RN, BSN, CIC, and Maxine Washington, MBA, RT
  • Pediatric Cancer – James E. Bates, MD
  • Radiation and Cancer Biology – Aparna H. Kesarwala, MD, PhD, Lisa J. Sudmeier, MD, PhD and Rachel Tobillo, MD
  • Radiation and Cancer Physics – Joseph Harms, PhD, Sibo Tian, MD and James Janopaul-Naylor, MD
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