Virtual Reality Opens Patients’ Eyes to Their Own Cancerous Tumors
Former Resident Dr. Doug Holt showing VR images to patients
RadFlix
New technology allows cancer patients to watch movies during radiation
Now Open - Radiation Oncology at Cherry Creek Medical Center!
Running Up Mountains
Safety Sensation
Leah Schubert-led team takes the cake in IAEA Safety Culture Competition
Medical Physics Residency Program
Radiation Oncology
Quality, Performance, and Innovation in Cancer Care
Welcome to the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Our mission is to provide the highest quality care to patients with all types of cancers and certain benign tumors. The department aims to achieve excellence in professionalism and performance of our services. We seek to create a climate that fosters innovation and allows patients access to the newest cutting edge treatments.
The Department of Radiation Oncology is integrated within the award-winning, nationally celebrated University of Colorado Hospital, within the larger University of Colorado Health system. The University of Colorado Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.
– Brian D. Kavanagh, MD, MPH, FASTRO, Professor and Chair
In the News...
10/24/23 - First Annual Colorado Springs Witches, Warlocks, & Ghouls Bicycle Ride a huge success!
The First Annual Colorado Springs Witches, Warlocks, & Ghouls Bicycle Ride on Saturday was a huge success, raising over $10,000 to support the Memorial Hospital Circle of Hope, a fund that helps patients in need cover uncovered expenses such as daily transportation during their treatment course. Lead organizers Tecie Haller and Mackenzie Daly (third and fourth from left) are shown here alongside other faculty, family, and a furry friend. The event was a bike ride in costume along a beautiful parkway in Colorado Springs, and the weather was superb!
Here is a link to the event website: COS Witches, Warlocks, & Ghouls Ride (coswitchesride.com)
10/17/23 - Computer vision surface imaging breast DIBH project granted funding by Cancer Center
“In an ongoing cross-institutional collaboration with the Department of Computer Science at CU Boulder and the Department of Bioengineering at CU Anschutz, we are using artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision to improve real time patient alignment and tracking for breast cancer patients. This project, “Computer vision enhanced breast DIBH-RT “, will allow improved protection of the heart and lungs, lowering the risk of cardiac and lung toxicity and reducing the risk of heart disease and lung cancer.”
-Dr. David Thomas, PhD
9/7/23 - LPMC Radiation Oncology named FY23 UC Health System Annual Extraordinary Experience Award Ambulatory Top Performer!
The LPMC Radiation Oncology Clinic team, led by medical director Dr Rebekah Maymani (standing, right of center), achieved the highest patient satisfaction score of all clinics throughout the entire UC Health system! Medical Physics faculty member Dr. Andrew Santoso is missing from this photo but is an invaluable member of the team. Medical Physics faculty member Dr. Leah Schubert (standing, left of center) is also pictured here, along with other members of the team. This accomplishment is an extraordinary achievement that reflects the commitment to the highest-level of patient-centered, compassionate, state-of-the-art cancer care for patients seen at LPMC. Well done!
8/24/23 - Dr. Kavanagh and Dr. Rabinovitch named 5280 Top Docs!
Congratulations to Dr. Brian Kavanagh and Dr. Rachel Rabinovitch for being selected as Radiation Oncology Top Doctors by 5280 Magazine. Below is the full page announcement that is on page 94 of the 5280 Magazine, August 2023 issue:
8/22/23 - Dr. Shaquia Idlett-Ali recipient of prestigious 2023 SITC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Cancer Immunotherapy Fellowship
Congratulations to Dr. Shaquia Idlett-Ali, who is the recipient of the prestigious 2023 SITC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Cancer Immunotherapy Fellowship! She is a CU medical student and currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Sana Karam’s lab. Her background training includes a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University, and her fellowship project will focus on targeting nerve-mediated immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Dr. Shaquia Idlett-Ali
8/15/23 - Quality and Safety Committee becomes certified Collaborative Case Review
We are thrilled to announce that the diligent efforts of the Radiation Oncology Quality and Safety Committee have met the criteria set by University of Colorado Hospital’s Clinical Quality and Patient Safety Department to become a certified Collaborative Case Review. The certification highlights their exceptional dedication to patient safety and unwavering commitment to excellence. The Quality and Safety Committee has evolved over the years but began in 2013 and is celebrating its 10Th year dedicated to improving patient safety for the Department of Radiation Oncology. Congratulations to the entire team for this outstanding accomplishment!
7/28/23 - Patient Access and Patient Experience Scores in top 90th percentile
Celeste Trevino, Manager of Clinic Nursing, shared good news with the staff about the annual performance metrics for the Radiation Oncology Department at AMC. The patient experience results for April 2022-March 2023 have resulted and we are in the outstanding range (90th + percentile) with our patient access and patient experience scores. In fact, we had both the highest patient experience score and the highest patient access score of any department in the hospital! Our department could not have achieved these metrics without the each of the team members that make our department. From check in to check out, and through all the background work that is unseen, the patients that walk through our department encounter many different groups of people who make their treatment experience as seamless as possible. The positive experience we provide to our patients would not be possible without each Radiation Therapist, Nurse, Dosimetrist, Physicist, Provider, PAS team member, Administrative Staff Member, and Manager on this team. Thank you to all of you for your steadfast dedication to our patients; your efforts have been recognized and you should all be very proud!
Celeste Trevino, RN
7/11/23 - Dr. Moyed Miften named a fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology
Award recognizes exceptional service to the field of radiation oncology and cancer care
The world’s largest society for radiation oncology professionals recently voted to confer upon Dr. Miften the designation of Fellow ofthe American Society for Radiation Oncology (FASTRO). Dr. Miften will receive their FASTRO designation at an awards ceremony in San Diego on Tuesday, October 3, during ASTRO’s 65th Annual Meeting.
“Dr. Miften, the medical physics director at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, joins an elite group of just 29 physicians and medical physicists who are recognized this year for their far-reaching contributions to the field of radiation oncology and their progress in advancing cancer research, education and patient care,” said Geraldine M. Jacobson, MD, MBA, MPH, FASTRO, Chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors. “Congratulations to Dr. Miften for achieving the designation of ASTRO Fellow.”
Awarded annually since 2006, the ASTRO Fellows program recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to radiation oncology through research, education, patient care and/or service to the field. Since its inception, the FASTRO designation has been awarded to just 450 of ASTRO’s 10,000 members worldwide.
7/1/23 - Welcome, new residents!
We are thrilled to welcome Elie Nasr and Katya Strage to our residency program!
Elie Nasr, DO Katya Strage, MD
4/13/23 - Atharva Peshkar awarded "BEST IN PHYSICS" for his submission to AAPM
Atharva Peshkar, our CU Boulder Computer Science graduate student, has been awarded “BEST IN PHYSICS” for his very first submission to AAPM. Best in Physics is awarded to the top 15 abstracts (5 from each category) out of typically ~>2200 submissions, so Atharva’s abstract was scored in the top <1% of submissions.
1/28/22 - Dr. Leah Schubert attains AAPM Fellowship
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Dr. Leah Schubert was recently nominated and awarded the title of fellow for the AAPM. Leah also recently was elected as a Board Member at Large for the Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs (SDAMPP). Please join us in congratulating Dr. Schubert!
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