Mission

Our mission is to provide comprehensive training in all aspects of clinical radiation oncology, medical physics, cancer biology and research.

We do this by caring for the diverse population in our immediate area and beyond through innovation in service, research and education.  

The radiation oncology residency program:

1. Educates residents to be clinically well prepared to practice radiation oncology in academic, hospital or community-based practices.
2. Provides residents a fundamental understanding of evidence-based medicine to prepare them for board exams. 
3. Develops proficient brachytherapy techniques that will prepare them for a career in procedural radiation oncology.
4. Expands residents’ understanding of research to develop skills that will allow for publication and presentation of results. 

Curriculum

Before beginning rotations, incoming PGY-2 residents will participate in the Introductory Radiation Oncology Curriculum (IROC) to prepare for clinical duties.

They remain under the guidance of our attendings during the entirety of their training, with gradually increasing expectations of responsibility.

Residents complete three-month block rotations in the following core disease sites:

• Head and Neck
• Gastrointestinal / Gynecological
• Breast
• Central Nervous System
• Pediatrics 
• Genitourinary / Prostate
• Thoracic

Additionally, each resident completes rotations at Central Virginia VA Health Care System.

Residents gain exposure to a broad spectrum of oncology patients and their treatments, including the following:

• Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
• Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT)
• Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
• Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT)
• Four-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (4D CRT)
• Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH)
• Total body irradiation (TBI) 
• Low-dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy for prostate malignancies
• High-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy for breast, gynecologic and prostate malignancies
• Brachytherapy for other malignancies including sarcoma, skin and gastrointestinal malignancies
• Pediatrics
• LDR brachytherapy for pancreatic cancer 

In addition to core rotations, residents have the opportunity to supplement their pediatrics training with a one-month rotation at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric malignancies.

Sample Rotation Schedule

Didactics

Resident training includes dedicated, structured and protected education time. Residents and faculty collaborate to present site specific didactic sessions which include hands-on workshops, case presentations and discussions, journal club, guest speakers and visiting professors.

Radiation physicists and radiation biologists teach formal curriculum throughout the year, and guest speakers from other departments and divisions bring interdisciplinary education to didactics.

Residents are also expected to attend specialty-specific tumor board reviews, journal club, morbidity and mortality conferences and quality assurance peer review chart rounds.  

Additionally, our residents prepare for the oral board exam with an annual mock version of the test. Each resident completes a simulated oral board day, going through various clinical cases in each of the core disease sites tested on the official oral exam. Residents have the chance to acclimate to the setting, and receive feedback and continual preparation leading up to oral boards. 

Research Opportunities

Under the guidance and supervision of the Resident Research Committee, residents will spend six months in a research rotation in clinical oncology, medical physics or radiobiology.

Residents spend six months on research rotations with the possibility to extend. Project results should be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed scholarly journals or presentations at scientific meetings and conferences.

Resident Recruitment

The Department of Radiation Oncology participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

Eligibility requirements are available in the GME Eligibility and Selection Policy document.  Applicants must submit materials through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), and interviews will be scheduled for November - January.

All residents must have completed a clinical PGY-1 in an accredited graduate medical education program.

Contract and benefit information