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THE PENN RADIATION ONCOLOGY SPOTLIGHT

A Message from Dr. Metz

It feels like we are back in full swing in Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology! It was great to see so many people at the Summer BBQ event. Getting back together and engaging across the department is so important for all of our teams. Our educational programs are busy with new students...and yes, recruitment for next year already starting! Thanks to everyone for welcoming our new team members to the department. Celebrations for upcoming openings of the LGH and Virtua proton centers have occurred in the past few weeks. It is so important we pause to acknowledge all the people that have contributed to these new centers bringing unique care to the community. ASTRO is starting this upcoming week and I am so proud to see all of the scheduled presentations from our residents, students, staff, and faculty. I want to take a moment to thank our team that works so hard to put together the Spotlight--So thank you Shelley Saunders, Mary Callahan, Christina Marchesani, and Fern Nibauer-Cohen!! We appreciate you keeping us all connected across our expansive regional footprint! And most importantly....Go Phillies!!! It is amazing to see how when our sports teams exceed expectations our patients and staff feel so much better about the day!

In the News

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Department Summer BBQ

On August 27, the entire department was invited to a Summer BBQ at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia to celebrate and recognize the hard work and dedication of our employees during two pandemic years, when we weren't able to gather in person in such large numbers. Although it was hot day, that didn't stop colleagues and their families from coming out to enjoy the food and the fun!

Lancaster Proton Center Ribbon Cutting

An opening ceremony for the new proton therapy center at Lancaster General Health was held on Friday, August 26th. The new facility is the only proton therapy center in Central Pennsylvania and represents a $48 million investment in innovative and essential patient care in Lancaster County and surrounding communities.

Lancaster's local NBC station reported on the opening celebration, and they spoke with Chuck Hurley, a patient from Lancaster area who traveled to the Perelman Center in Philadelphia for his proton therapy treatments. The opening of this new proton therapy center will help alleviate travel and related burdens that cancer patients like him experienced.

Penn Medicine | Virtua Proton Center Preview Celebration

Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Proton Center hosted a preview celebration of the new proton center on October 11. The new facility is the first proton therapy center in South Jersey. The celebration included tours of the new center, a light display, and the chance to hear from proton alumni patient Deb Harris who remarked on how important this new center will be for the community.

Top Photo (L-R): Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE, President and CEO, Virtua Health; Lori Gustave, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Penn Medicine; James Metz, MD, Chair of Radiation Oncology, Penn Medicine; Stephanie Fendrick, FACHE, MBA, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Virtua Health; Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO, Penn Medicine. Right Photo (L-R): Kevin B. Mahoney, Stephanie Fendrick, Lori Gustave, Dennis W. Pullin. Left Photo (L-R): Joseph Marascio, MD, Catherine Kim, MD, Graeme Williams, MD, MBA

Featured in the Media

The PhillyVoice wrote an article which features RadOnc physician Dr. Neha Vapiwala talking about our prostate cancer program. The Abramson Cancer Center offers comprehensive care for people diagnosed with prostate cancer, as well as those at risk of developing it. We offer a world-class active surveillance program to combined expertise in surgery, medical oncology, genetics, and radiation oncology, and patients in Penn’s prostate cancer program can have confidence that their care will be personalized to best fit their needs.

PhysicsWorld highlighted the Best in Physics presentation by Eric Diffenderfer, PhD at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine annual meeting. This presentation compared four FLASH proton delivery techniques.

The National Cancer Institute has awarded funding to conduct research into the use of telehealth for cancer care by creating four new "Telehealth Research Centers of Excellence", one of which is the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Justin Bekelman is one of the co-leaders of this newly established center.

Penn Radiation Oncology patient Chris Baccash shared his story through the documentary "Mountains We Climb" about his diagnosis and his love of cycling during treatment. Chris underwent seven weeks of proton radiation therapy at the Abramson Cancer Center’s Roberts Proton Therapy Center under the care of radiation oncologist Robert Lustig, MD.

For Pete's Sake - 10,000 Travelers Sent on Respite Trips

On September 29, For Pete's Sake celebrated a special milestone: 10,000 travelers (patients, their caregivers, and their children) sent on respite trips to "take a break from cancer"! Dr. Et-tsu Chen nominated one of her patients for a travel respite trip through the organization. Along with Dr. Chen and Dr. John Kosteva, several staff members at Valley Forge surprised their patient with the news she was receiving this milestone trip provided by For Pete's Sake, which sends cancer patients and their families to Woodloch Resort, where they can take a "break" from cancer and focus on spending time together. One of the unique aspects of For Pete's Sake's travel respite program is that several families will spend the same week at Woodloch Resort. While each family has private accommodations, For Pete's Sake facilitates special programing for patients and their families, which often leads to long-term relationships between the travelers. For Pete's Sake serves patients between the ages of 25 - 55 years.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We invite you to visit the site regularly, as we continue to update resources, add information on ongoing initiatives, and expand educational materials.

OER Program Visits Radiation Oncology

Students got to see a proton gantry, traditional radiation room, CT simulation, and a research lab on their tour.

This past July, 25 high school and first-year college students who are part of the Perelman School of Medicine's Outreach, Education, and Research (OER) pathway program visited the Radiation Oncology department and toured the clinic. These students completed 16 hours of research during the school year and are experiencing hands-on lab work, mentoring from faculty and trainees, and weekly workshops focused on college and career readiness with the goal of pursuing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career in the future.

National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month (Sept 15 – Oct 15)

Throughout this month, we have recognized the contributions of the American Latino community to American history and culture. Instituted in 1968 as Spanish Heritage Week and expanded in 1988 to Spanish Heritage month, September 15th marks the beginning of this event because of its significance as the anniversary of independence for Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Together with the Rad Onc DEI Committees, ACES and the Wellness Committee, we have shared ideas of several ways to celebrate the American Latino community in Philadelphia.

Check out the Isocenter to see places to visit, eat, and shop in celebration of Philadelphia's Historic Culture. And check out books by Hispanic and Latinx authors. For more information and resources, please visit: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

Announcements

Have You Recognized Someone Today?

DON'T FORGET: You can recognize a colleague at any time by submitting the recognition form found at https://redcap.med.upenn.edu/surveys/?s=HPKUea (direct link is below). Bookmark this web page for easy access in the future!

If you would like a copy of the flyer with QR code for your work area, please email RadOnc_ACES@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Meet the Newest Members of Our Team!

Left to Right: Erica Bates, Caniesha Childs, Philomena Faia, Bobby George

Erica Bates

Erica joins the department as a Radiation Therapist. Previously, Erica worked as a radiation therapist at the VA Hospital in Seattle and SCCA Proton Therapy Center. She has her B.S in Radiation Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University and A.S in Radiology Technology from Drexel University. In her spare time, Erica enjoys traveling and hiking. Contact her at Erica.Bates@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Caniesha Childs

Caniesha joins the department as a Practice Manager at Chester County Hospital. Previously Caniesha worked as a clinical service associate in family medicine at Penn Family Care. She has her Bachelor of Science in Health Service Management from Thomas Jefferson University. In her spare time, Caniesha enjoys time with her family, customizing shoes/grad hats/ etc by "blinging" them out with rhinestones & pearls, and further developing her non-profit that is designed to assist the special needs community. Contact Caniesha at Caniesha.Childs@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Philomena Faia

Philomena joins the department as a Senior Financial Analyst. She graduated from St. Joseph's University with a Bachelor of Science and earned her MBA from Villanova University. In her spare time, Philomena enjoys reading, baking, hiking, and going to the gym. Contact Philomena at Philomena.Faia@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Bobby George

Bobby is the Data Manager/Data Analyst for the department’s Clinical Research Unit. He is a Computer Engineer with over 25 years of experience in many industries like Software, Construction, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, etc. Most recently, for the last 17 years, he has been working as the Systems Administrator for the Division of Neonatology at Penn Medicine and CHOP. He has great working experience and understanding of various databases and data collection methodologies, principles, and technologies. He was involved in various projects and initiatives at Neonatology and at many of the CHOP Network sites in the Tri-State area. He also played a key role in the design and development of a Data Registry for the Children’s Hospital National Consortium, which currently has close to 40 Children’s Hospitals participating in the data collection. Contact him at Bobby.George@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Left to Right: Jill Giorgio, Nicole Iezzi, Michell Kim

Jill Giorgio

Jill joins the department as a Radiation Therapist. Previously, Jill worked as an x-ray tech at CHOP. She has her degree from Saint Barnabas School of Radiation Therapy. In her free time, Jill enjoys traveling, reading books, and shopping. Contact Jill at Jill.Giorgio@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Nicole Iezzi

Nicole joins the department as a Radiation Therapist. Previously, Nicole worked as a secretary at Bryn Mawr Women's Health Associates & MRI Tech Aid at Main Line Health. She has her Bachelor of Science from Thomas Jefferson University. Contact Nicole at Nicole.Iezzi@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Michell Kim

Michell joins the department as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist. For the past six years, Michell has worked as a Regulatory Coordinator at Northwestern University, where she assisted study teams with IRB submissions and regulatory compliance. Michell has a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Northwestern University and recently completed a master's degree in Creative Writing. In her spare time, she is writing a novel. Contact her at Michell.Kim@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Left to Right: Janae Lincoln, Evan Loundas, Chloe Manzi, Elaine Ornedo

Janae Lincoln

Janae joins the department as a Radiation Therapist. She has her degree from Bellevue College in Radiation Therapy, and in her spare time, Janae enjoys painting and drawing, horseback riding, and is a plant-mom. Contact Janae at Janai.Lincoln@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Evan Loundas

Evan joins the department as the Practice Manager for PAH. Previously, he worked as a volunteer services coordinator at PPMC. Evan graduated from Duquesne University with a Bachelors in Health Sciences and is working towards his Masters in Health Administration. In his spare time, Evan enjoys riding his bike at the shore, watching Philadelphia sports, and trying new restaurants around the city. Contact Evan at Evan.Loundas@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Chloe Manzi

Chloe joins the department as a Medical Dosimetrist at Princeton. Previously she was working on her clinical training at Temple University Hospital. Chloe has her Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences from Thomas Jefferson University. In her spare time, Chloe enjoys writing, going for hikes with her dog, and watching Philadelphia sports. Contact her at Chloe.Manzi@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Elaine Ornedo

Elaine joins the department as the Practice Administrator for Valley Forge and Radnor. Previously, she worked as the practice manager in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology. Elaine has her Bacherlor's Degree in Health Sciences, and is working on her MBA. In her spare time, she enjoys organizing and hosting parties, upcycling old furniture, and spending time with family. Contact Elaine at Elaine.Ornedo@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Left to Right: Amanda Snyder, Herald Stephens

Zach Pittman

Zack joins the department as a Radiation Therapist. Previously, he worked as a radiation therapist at Ohio State University Medical Center. Zack has his degree in radiation therapy from the University of Michigan. Contact him at Zackary.Pittman@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Amanda Snyder

Amanda joins the department as a Research Division Coordinator. Previously, Amanda worked as judicial staff for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. She has her degree from the University of Delaware/ Swiss School of Hotel and Tourism Management in Hotel Restaurant Management. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys reading, fishing, and traveling. Contact Amanda at Amanda.Snyder@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Herald Stephens

Herald joins the department as a Radiation Therapist. Previously, he worked as an administrative manager at NYU Langone Health, and has his MBA in Healthcare Administration. Contact Herald at Herald.Stephens@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Left to Right: Adam Strogis, Cheng Wang, Rachael Ward

Adam Strogis

Adam joins the department as a Radiation Therapist. Previously, Adam worked as a radiation therapist at Lehigh Valley Health Network. He has his Bachelor's degree in Medical Imaging from Misericordia University and Radiation Therapy certificate from Washburn University. In his free time, Adam loves Philadelphia sports games, snowboarding, and is a movie buff. Contact Adam at Adam.Strogis@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Chang Wang

Chang joins the department as a Photon Dosimetrist. Chang has her Bachelor of Science in Medical Dosimetry. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and listening to music. Contact her at chang.wang@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Rachael Ward

Rachael joins the department as a Patient Service Associate at CCH. Previously, she worked at CCH as a Red Coat Ambassador. Rachel earned her Bachelor of Arts in English at Millersville University. In her spare time, she enjoys Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), creative writing, and drawing/animation. Contact Rachael at Rachael.Ward@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Employee Recognition

Congratulations to our colleagues on their achievements!

Appointments

Cordelia Baffic

Cordy Baffic has been promoted to Director of Education Programs for our Department, where she will provide oversight of the Medical and Medical Physics Residency Programs, the Medical Student Clerkship, and the Medical Physics Graduate Programs. Cordy started her career as Executive Assistant to Dr. Robert Goodman, the inaugural Chair of Penn’s Department of Radiation Oncology, and as Program Coordinator for the Medical Residency. In 1992, she was promoted to Director of Departmental Services, where she continued to administer the Office of the Chair and to grow the educational programs. In 2008, Cordy was promoted to the role of Associate Director of Medical Education, a position specifically created to recognize her notable impact on and leadership in our educational mission. It was during this time that Cordy founded the national Association of Radiation Oncology Program Coordinators (AROPC), and served as its President until 2018.

In her remarkably distinguished 38+ year career, Cordy has graduated over 300 distinguished radiation oncologists who are currently practicing in both academic and community settings, and over 47 prominent medical physicists. She has served under four departmental Chairs, five Designated Institutional Officials and five University Deans. Moreover, Cordy’s ongoing focus and passion has been to cultivate a foundation of excellence in our specialty’s educational programs locally, nationally, and internationally. Her love for people and her unwavering desire to see others succeed guides her, and her professional reputation and personal integrity have allowed her to build an endless network within the radiation oncology world that is quite honestly unparalleled. Cordy was the first UPenn employee to ever receive an ACGME Award of Excellence, and the only one thus far to serve on the ACGME Advisory Coordinator Council. She has been the recipient of 3 UPenn CARE Grant Awards, and has helped to establish our medical and medical physics residency programs as amongst the top in the country.

Erin Davis, MSN, CRNP, AOCNP

Erin Davis, MSN, CRNP, AOCNP was promoted to the position of Manager of Advanced Practice for our Department. Her new role reflects the growth of our APP Program over the past two years from 5 to 14 APPs across PCAM and our regional sites.

Erin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with her BSN in 1995, her MSN in 1999, and Post-Masters Certificate in Adult Oncology in 2015. Following 17 years as a nurse and then as a nurse practitioner in Cardiothoracic Surgery, she joined the department in 2012 where she has been aligned with the GI/Heme team at PCAM providing acute and long-term management of patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers and Lymphoma. She assumed the role of Lead Nurse Practitioner in 2015 and APP Coordinator in 2020. In those roles, her responsibilities included the creation and implementation of APP practice models enabling improved patient access, assuring the delivery of quality care, optimizing APP role utilization, improving patient and provider satisfaction, and the expansion of APP-driven survivorship programs.

Megan Kassick, MD, MPH

Megan Kassick, MD, MPH, is joining us as an Assistant Professor in the Clinician Educator Track. She is a graduate from Northeastern University, where she was awarded a B.S. in biology. Dr. Kassick went on to earn both an MD and MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. She completed her preliminary internship year in Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, NY, followed by a residency in Radiation Oncology at Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Therapeutic Radiology, where she served as chief resident. Dr. Kassick is currently a member of the American Brachytherapy Society and the American Society for Radiation Oncology, where she received a Global Health Scholar Program award in 2021. Her clinical interests include treating patients with gynecologic and breast malignancies, and she is an active member of the Society for Women in Radiation Oncology. Dr. Kassick’s academic interests include global oncology, and she is particularly passionate about addressing global disparities in cervical cancer treatment.

Karishma Khullar, MD

Karishma Khullar, MD was hired as an Assistant Professor (AC Track) with a discipline in GI at the Perelman Center. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Health and Societies. Dr. Khullar went on to earn her medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She completed her transitional year internship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI followed by residency in radiation oncology at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, where she served as Chief Resident. Dr. Khullar’s clinical research interests include understanding and mitigating cancer care disparities, and her research has resulted in several publications and oral presentations at national radiation oncology conferences. She has been a member of the American Society of Radiation Oncology since 2018.

Marlene Kromchad

Marlene Kromchad has been promoted to Associate Director for the Medical and Medical Physics Residency Programs, and the Medical Student Clerkship. Marlene joined our Department in 2019 as a Faculty Affairs Coordinator. In March of 2021, given her 31 years of experience working in Graduate Medical Education, Marlene was recruited to the Radiation Oncology Educational Division to offer program administration support to our Medical and Medical Physics Residencies. She proved to be an exceptional addition and helped us streamline processes, enhance programming, and build strong partnerships across the Department, Penn Medicine, and nationally. She is currently the President of the Association of Radiation Oncology Program Coordinators (AROPC), where she has been instrumental in introducing advanced training and online courses, and collaborating with new partners all across the country. In addition, Marlene is a member of the Association of Directors of Radiation Oncology Programs (ADROP) Executive Committee, where her input has been invaluable in representing and highlighting Penn and our educational programs as a model for all other programs to follow.

Mandy Munter, RN, BSN, OCN

Mandy Munter (Pulaski), RN, BSN, OCN was promoted into the Clinical Practice Leader for Radiation Oncology Research.

Mandy graduated from nursing school from Towson University with her BSN in Nursing in 2008. She started her nursing career at the Medical University of South Carolina on a hematology-oncology floor. She later moved to Colorado and continued her career in bone marrow transplant. She expanded her nursing knowledge by becoming ICU trained, permanent charge nurse, and mega charge nurse for all oncology floors. Mandy moved to Pennsylvania in 2014 starting her career at Penn with the clinical research unit, primary focus on Leukemia. Following her passion for patient care, she accepted a position in Radiation Oncology. She has worked with the GI/Lymphoma team for the past seven years along with becoming a member of the Unit Council and Unit Council Chair-Elect. Mandy is looking forward to combining both her interests in research as well as radiation oncology as the new Clinical Practice Lead for Radiation Oncology Research.

In Mandy’s new role she will be supporting the PCAM nursing team on the CN to advance clinical practice, identify areas for improvement, and supporting the mission of Radiation Oncology and UPHS. Mandy will also be bridging the nursing team within the RadOnc Clinical Research Division. In this area of her role, she will be working to support the Clinical Research Division by coordinating care, educating, and supporting the nursing team and research study team on clinical trials. This new unique role to our department is an exciting step to building the Nursing Leadership Team in our department which currently consists of Michelle Clark-Halligan, Nurse Manager at PCAM, led by Kate Gray.

Suneel Nagda, MD

Suneel Nagda, MD has been appointed as the Department’s first Vice Chair for Quality and Safety, effective Sept 1, 2022. Dr. Nagda joined the Department in 2012 and was promoted to Associate Professor (Associated Faculty-Academic Clinician) in 2018. He was appointed as Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement Advisor for the Network Practices in 2015 and more recently became co-Director of QA/QI.

Suneel is a long-standing and integral leader of our quality and safety initiatives. He recently took on additional leadership over quality initiatives across PCAM and our regional sites and has demonstrated a strong commitment to our Department’s mantra of “Excellence is Standard.” As our Department continues to grow in size and complexity, establishing a Vice Chair role exemplifies the importance of our continued commitment to excellence in these areas. Suneel is particularly well-positioned to lead our efforts!

As the new Vice Chair of Quality and Safety, Dr. Nagda will oversee and lead quality improvement and assurance efforts across the Department, both at the main Perelman Center site and across the regional practices. He will be responsible for representing the Department at meetings regarding quality assurance and ensuring consistency in all processes and policies and implementing discrete continuous quality improvement (CQI) projects across the Department and regional sites. Dr. Nagda will also continue to work with Patrick Tripp, MD, in his ongoing role as Director of QA/QI.

Abigail Neff, BSN, RN

Abigail Neff, BSN, RN was promoted to the position of Clinical Practice Leader for the Network. In this role she will support the Network Nurses to advance clinical practice, identify areas for improvement, and supporting the mission of Radiation Oncology and UPHS.

Abby graduated from Villanova University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. At Villanova, she was a four-year varsity member and captain of the field hockey team and one-year varsity member of the track and field team. She achieved her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Gwynedd Mercy University in 2017 through their accelerated BSN program in Philadelphia. While in school, she took a job at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a patient sitter and also worked as a Fitness Instructor at RippedPHL. Abby began her career as a nurse at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on the oncology floor, caring for kids with liquid, solid and neuro-oncologic malignancies. While at CHOP, she took a per diem nurse role at Penn in the department of Radiation Oncology. After a few months in the department she decided to make the switch from the pediatric to the adult oncology population and joined Penn full time. She has worked as a primary nurse on the thoracic team the past three years. She is a current a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society. She also works closely with OncoLink and our EPIC team. Her interest in technology and process improvement continues to help expand her knowledge in the field of Radiation Oncology. She is passionate about patient care, process improvement and the overall oncology population. Abby is currently enrolled as a Master of Nursing Health Leadership student at the University of Pennsylvania and is excited to bring her enthusiasm for this field to her new role. Abby will be a part of the growing the Nursing Leadership Team with Mandy Munter and Michelle Clark-Halligan led by Kate Gray.

Seung Seol, MD, PhD

Seung Seol, MD, PhD is joining us as an Assistant Professor in the Academic Clinician Track. She is a graduate from Yonsei University in South Korea, double majoring in both Psychology and Sociology. Following the completion of her undergraduate studies, Dr. Seol received her medical degree at Gachon University School of Medicine in Incheon, South Korea and PhD degree at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. She completed her preliminary year residency at Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai based in Bronx, NY, followed by residency in radiation oncology at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago, IL where she served as a chief resident. After completing her medical degree, Dr. Seol became a member of both the Korean Society for Radiation Oncology (KOSRO) and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Her clinical research interests include breast and gynecologic malignancies, and she has given oral presentations and published on these topics. Dr. Seol also dedicated time in residency to actively serve on the quality assurance committee and the resident wellness committee.

Graeme Williams, MD

Graeme Williams, MD was hired as a Penn Medicine Clinician for our Virtua location, where he will play a key role in bring up one of our first single-room Proton centers. Graeme completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated Cum Laude with a BS in Systems Science and Engineering and also a BA in Economics. Dr. Williams also spent time as part of the US Air Force, first as part of the ROTC and then as a Captain deployed across the county. Dr. Williams went on to earn his medical degree at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, followed by an MBA from the University of Nebraska. He completed his residency in radiation oncology here at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. During his residency, Dr. Williams has conducted research activities with both Drs. Jones and Ben-Josef, as well as held the role of Education Officer for Trainees in our Department.

Conferences and Speakers

2022 Global Health Catalyst Summit

Left to Right: Stephen Avery, Calvin Johnson, Cordy Baffic

July 7-9, 2022

The Global Health Catalyst (GHC) Summit is an annual worldwide event dedicated to catalyzing high impact international collaborations and initiatives to eliminate disparities both in the U.S. and around the world. The main focus of the summit is on the rising rates of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular issues, and mental health, which severely impact global health and economic development. This year's conference took place at Johns Hopkins University. Stephen Avery is one of the co-leaders of the GHC, and Cordelia Baffic represents UPenn in an administrative capacity, helping to organize the yearly events. The CHC Summit presented former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson with an award to acknowledge his support of their initiatives.

Premier Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Education Course and Planning Event

July 8 - September 3, 2022

Presented in collaboration with the Global Health Catalyst Summit, the Premier Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Education Course & Planning Event is an education and training course in hypofractionated radiotherapy that featured several Radiation Oncology faculty and staff members as speakers: Stephen Avery, Dr. Surbhi Grover, Dr. Neil Taunk, Shibu Anamalayil, and Dexter Wilson.

Medical Physics Resident Julia Pakela, PhD - PGY1 gave an oral presentation at the 2022 AAPM Annual Meeting. Title: Design and Optimization of a Patient-Specific Ridge Filter for FLASH Proton PBS Delivery.

Medical Physics Resident Yushi Chang, PhD - PGY2 gave an oral presentation at the 2022 AAPM Annual Meeting. Title: An Investigation of the Transferability of Deep-Learning Dose Prediction Model Among Different Institutions

Medical Resident Cole Friedes, MD - PGY2 had an abstract accepted at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. Title: EP08.01-018 Patterns of Failure in Metastatic NSCLC Treated with First Line Pembrolizumab and Impact of Local Therapy in Patients with Oligoprogression.

Medical Physics Resident Barbara Garcia, MS - PGY1 had an interactive poster presentation at the 2022 AAPM Annual Meeting. Title: A Dosimetric Comparison of Linac-Based SRS and Gamma Knife Plans for Arteriovenous Malformations.

Awards & Grants

Congratulations to Dr. Alexander Lin, MD on being chosen by The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) for the honor of fellow designation for your significant contributions to the society and radiation oncology. This esteemed honor has been given to only 448 of ASTRO’s 10,000-plus members around the world since this designation was established in 2006.

Congratulations to Ioannis Verginadis, PhD for receiving the Early Career Investigator (ECI) Travel Award at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Radiation Research Society (RRS).

PCAM Brachy Center

Our brachytherapy center and Arun Goel, MD have been named a SpaceOAR Center of Excellence! We are the first and only in the Philadelphia region. This designation indicates that we have met a minimum (high) threshold of case volume and case quality (measured by separation achieved). Kudos to the entire Spaceoar team particularly Anna and Kuei who have been instrumental in helping us build a high quality procedural team, and of course Dr. Goel who runs the SpaceOAR program.

In August 2022, OncoLink had the most documents ever created in PennChart in a month. Since we launched 2 years ago, over 23,000 documents have been created! A BIG portion of these documents were created by radiation oncology nurses across all locations. Thank you for all you do to educate patients – keep it up!

A few reminders:

  • With the help of a few of RADONC’s seasoned nurses, we have created standard packets for various disease types. These are a great starting point to cut down on searching and clicking. You can easily add more or remove things to meet your current patient’s needs.
  • Type the cancer type in the codes box to see the possible codes – the radiation codes have “RADS” in them. Pick one, use the “Lookup” button to see what is included, and “Apply” to select them. You can add more or scroll to the bottom of the page to remove anything you don’t want.
  • Need a code made? Choose your articles and take a picture or screencap of the selections (bottom of the page) and send to us at help@oncolink.org
  • Wish we had an article on x, y, or z? Send us an email at help@oncolink.org

Social Scene

Thank you Linda Jefferson for all of your decorations, for holiday celebrations and season changes! In this newsletter we are highlighting Linda's decorations for Fall. Be sure to stop by and admire Linda's hard work the next time you are on the second floor of PCAM!

Kits for a Cause - Ronald McDonald House Charity

The Pennsylvania Hospital Radiation Oncology team donated kits for the Ronald McDonald House Charity.

Media 5 Miler - Team "Totally Rad"

June 17

Congrats to the RadOnc Nursing Team member who participated in the Media 5 miler in June 17th:

• Tiffany Thompson, Lauren Nangle, Deana Potts, Erin Ciccarelli, Michelle Clark-Halligan

Team “Totally Rad” was sponsored by Tomorrow’s Utilities, Inc. and raise $1085 for the Patient Assistance Fund through participation in the race and sale of t-shirts. Patient Assistance Fund helps our patients with gas, medication co-pays, food, and personal items. Thank you to all who participated, donated, and purchased t-shirts. Hoping to grow our team for next year!

National Employee Wellness Month

August was National Employee Wellness Month. We asked managers to “donate time” from regularly occurring meetings to have a staff wellness activity. Here is some of the activities that were done and feedback we received:

  • PCAM social workers joined dieticians and went to Cira Green after work and enjoyed a gorgeous August evening. They played 2 truths and a lie and really learned a lot about each other’s backgrounds, interests and youthful adventures. Some beverages and snacks helped too! It was such an enjoyable occasion that they hope to do something like this again.
  • The project management office received VR Headsets from the Patient Engagement team to try out a session for 30-minutes during our team meeting. See picture below!
  • Radnor did a walk after their monthly meeting and went rock climbing. See picture below!
  • Dosimetry did a 10 min stretch routine since they sit all day.
  • CCH introduced walking with a co-worker at two during lunch time.
  • The residents held a happy hour and included visiting medical students.
  • Doylestown took a walk together after their staff meeting.
  • PPMC grabbed acai bowls and sat together outside at the Lawn in University City.
  • Chestnut Hill went on a wellness walk. The ended their scenic stroll at the top of the parking garage where you can see the whole valley – see picture below!
  • PAH therapists took a walk around Washington Square Park.
Top Left: Radnor rock climbing (L-R: Talita Oliveira, Jessica Eufrasio, Monica Te, Elaine Ornedo, Ross Green), Top Right: Chestnut Hill wellness walk (L-R: Cate Macfarland, Niki Marcino, Mimi Perlingiero, Sean McCloud) Bottom: PCAM Project Managers (L-R: Ashley Cifarelli, Sara Schultze)

The Breakthrough Challenge bike ride was held on Sunday, September 18. The Radiation Oncology Beam of Life team was made up of 30 virtual and in-person participants and lead by co-captains Bill Barbour, Chris Laskey, and Christina Marchesani. This year, the Beam of Life Team surpassed our fundraising goal reaching $16,436.04! This has been the highest amount raised in our team’s history. We would like to thank everyone for their generous donations! Special shout out to Dr. John Plastaras, who rode in the 25-mile route and came in 1st place for the men’s King of the Mountain (KoM) race! Overall, the Breakthrough Challenge raised over $310,000, which brings the 9 year total to over $2.25 million. The Breakthrough Challenge donates 100% of participant-raised funds to support breakthrough cancer research at the Abramson Cancer Center.

Save the Date: Next year's Breakthrough Challenge will be on Sunday, September 10, 2023

Join our Facebook Group: Breakthrough Bike Challenge Beam of Life Team https://www.facebook.com/groups/826233537487908/about

Follow us on Instagram: BBCBeamOfLife

Bourbon, Brews, & Blues

Thursday, October 13

The annual Bourbon, Brews, & Blues event was held at Loch Aerie Mansion and raised money to support the Stephen Tuttle Fund for Oncology Research & Education. The Fund was set up to fund educational and research opportunities for the next generation of scientists, with the hope of getting closer each year to the cure.

Three Questions With...

Lauren Nangle

Nurse at Radnor

1. What is a typical work day like for you?

A typical day at Radnor starts with popping my head into the treatment console to say good morning to our therapist. I enjoy reminding them what day of the week it is. We then have our huddle followed by meeting with Dr. Green to formulate a game plan about how to conquer the day. Most days we have several consults which means running up and down the steps from the ground floor, where the clinic is located, to the second floor where consults are seen. Sharing the second floor space with medical oncology cultivates the relationship between rad onc and med onc. In between consults I check in with patients on treatment, answer MPM messages, and navigate patient care needs from recent consults and those who have completed treatment still needing side effect management.

2. What led you to work at Penn Radiation Oncology?

I started my nursing career at Chester County Hospital in the ICU/CVU. When my girls were young I had the opportunity to work from home. It was during this time I realized I missed direct patient care. I was also ready to change service lines having had oncology experience caring for my mom who battled multiple myeloma. She had all of her care at PCAM and the entire staff there opened my eyes to a new level of compassion. It was not a coincidence that shortly after my mom passed a position opened at CCH in Radiation Oncology. Thanks for the interview Rodel! I stayed in the Rad Onc department but moved to the Radnor location when it opened in June 2020.

3. Where’s your favorite place, either locally or anywhere in the world?

My favorite place to be is in Wildwood Crest, NJ. Preferably on the beach surrounded by family and friends. My family has had a home there since I was very young and it has been a retreat for us. It quick and easy to get to and really is the best local beach. I love beach games and dipping in the ocean!

Where in the World Is Penn Radiation Oncology?

Global Education

Onsite global education has continued with more visitors from Singapore and we have been meeting with colleagues from LGH and Virtua as they prepare for the opening of their proton centers in the fall. We also welcomed a group of visitors from the University of Arkansas Medical Center.

Education

Medical Physics Graduate Program

Welcome New Students

We warmly welcome 13 new students to the Master of Science in Medical Physics, Certificate in Medical Physics, and PhD in Bioengineering - Medical Physics Track Coordinated Degree programs. Students have joined the MPGP from Iran and ten U.S. states. Please join us in welcoming these talented students to our programs!

New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation and Clinic Orientation sessions were held throughout September. New MPGP students learned about the Department of Radiation Oncology, met our medical physics community, and acquired tools to prepare for academic, research, clinical, and professional success. Highlights included an evening of bowling & billiards at Lucky Strike, cross-cultural communication workshop to help students develop intercultural competence, networking event with the physics division, tour of the PCAM clinic, panel discussion of clinical roles, and CT simulation demonstration.

Student Awards & Achievements

Four new $10,000 Medical Physics Graduate Programs Scholarships, awarded annually, have been established to support students who enroll full-time in the Master of Science in Medical Physics degree program. We are excited to offer these awards to outstanding students who matriculate in Fall 2023.

The $30,000 Master of Science in Medical Physics Underrepresented Minority Scholarship, awarded annually, is given over two years to support a student from an underrepresented background who enrolls full-time in the MSMP degree program. Congratulations to Mario Gallardo, the 2022 recipient. Mario, from Toms River, New Jersey, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from The College of New Jersey in 2022. He is pursuing a clinical career in radiation therapy.

The Department of Radiation Oncology Chair’s Summer Research Grant is a $4,000 award to students who complete research projects over the summer and submit a manuscript for publication. Congratulations to Ivy Cornelison, Lian Duan, Odalis Reyes, Melissa Vila, and Yifeng Zhu, the 2022 Chair’s Summer Research Grant recipients.

Jiayi Liu, MSMP student, was awarded Best Abstract for “Using Thin-Gap Transmission Ion Chamber and Faraday Cup to Characterize Ion Recombination Effect Under Ultra-High Dose Rate Electron, Pulsed Proton and Quasi-Continuous Proton Beams.” She will present it at the Flash Radiotherapy and Particle Therapy Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Hai Siong Tan, MSMP student, will present his paper, “Modeling ultra-high dose rate electron and proton FLASH effect with the physicochemical approach” at the Asia-Oceania Congress on Medical Physics in Taipei, Taiwan.

Publications

Distinct cell adhesion signature defines glioblastoma myeloid-derived suppressor cell subsets. Bayik D, Bartels CF, Lovrenert K, Watson DC, Zhang D, Kay K, Lee J, Lauko A, Johnson S, Lo A, Silver DJ, McGraw M, Grabowski MM, Mohammadi AM, Veglia F, Fan Y, Vogelbaum MA, Scacheri PC, Lathia JD. Cancer Res. 2022 Sep 20:CAN-21-3840. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-3840. PMID: 36126163

Skin dose distributions between Stanford and rotational techniques in total skin electron therapy (TSET). Ding GX, Chen ZJ, Zhong W, Zhu TC. Med Phys. 2022 Aug 16. doi: 10.1002/mp.15907. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35972019

Use of Glucocorticoids in Patients with Cancer: Potential Benefits, Harms, and Practical Considerations for Clinical Practice Kristine Kim, Michael LaRiviere, Emily Macduffie, Caitlin A White, Mary M Jordan-Luft, Eleanor Anderson, Matthew Ziegler, Jacob Radcliff, Joshua Jones Practical Radiation Oncology

Severe acute radiation dermatitis after palbociclib therapy in the setting of palliative radiotherapy Kristine N Kim, Michael Salerno, Payal D Shah

Loss of AID exacerbates the malignant progression of CLL. Lee AC, Pingali SR, Pinilla-Ibarz JA, Atchison ML, Koumenis C, Argon Y, Thomas-Tikhonenko A, De Trez C, Hu CA, Tang CA. Leukemia. 2022 Aug 30. doi: 10.1038/s41375-022-01663-5. PMID: 36042317

Improving the efficiency of small animal 3D-printed compensator IMRT with beamlet intensity total variation regularization. Liu X, Van Slyke AL, Pearson E, Shoniyozov K, Redler G, Wiersma RD. Med Phys. 2022 Aug;49(8):5400-5408. doi: 10.1002/mp.15764. Epub 2022 Jun 6. PMID: 35608256

Induction of the activating transcription factor-4 in the intratumoral CD8+ T cells sustains their viability and anti-tumor activities. Lu Z, Bae EA, Verginadis II, Zhang H, Cho C, McBrearty N, George SS, Diehl JA, Koumenis C, Bradley LM, Fuchs SY. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2022 Sep 5. doi: 10.1007/s00262-022-03286-2. PMID: 36063172

ATF3 and CH25H regulate effector trogocytosis and anti-tumor activities of endogenous and immunotherapeutic cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Lu Z, McBrearty N, Chen J, Tomar VS, Zhang H, De Rosa G, Tan A, Weljie AM, Beiting DP, Miao Z, George SS, Berger A, Saggu G, Diehl JA, Koumenis C, Fuchs SY. Cell Metab. 2022 Sep 6;34(9):1342-1358.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.08.007. PMID: 36070682

Shining a FLASHlight on ultrahigh dose rate radiation and possible late toxicity. Maity A, Koumenis C. Clin Cancer Res. 2022 Jun 23: clincanres.1255.2022-5-10 22:17:03.080. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-1255. PMID: 35736814

Renally Excretable Silver Telluride Nanoparticles as Contrast Agents for X-ray Imaging. Nieves LM, Dong YC, Rosario-Berríos DN, Mossburg K, Hsu JC, Cramer GM, Busch TM, Maidment ADA, Cormode DP. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 Aug 3;14(30):34354-34364. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c06190. Epub 2022 Jul 22. PMID: 35867906

Evaluation Of Detector Position and Light Fluence Distribution Using an Infrared Navigation System during Pleural Photodynamic Therapy. Sun H, Kim MM, Ong YH, Dimoft A, Singhal S, Busch TM, Cengel KA, Zhu TC. Photochem Photobiol. 2022 Aug 23. doi: 10.1111/php.13697. PMID: 35996976

Oxygen Monitoring in Model Solutions and In Vivo in Mice During Proton Irradiation at Conventional and FLASH Dose Rates. Van Slyke AL, El Khatib M, Velalopoulou A, Diffenderfer E, Shoniyozov K, Kim MM, Karagounis IV, Busch TM, Vinogradov SA, Koch CJ, Wiersma RD. Radiat Res. 2022 Aug 1;198(2):181-189. doi: 10.1667/RADE-21-00232.1. PMID: 35640166

A stromal Integrated Stress Response activates perivascular cancer-associated fibroblasts to drive angiogenesis and tumour progression. Verginadis II, Avgousti H, Monslow J, Skoufos G, Chinga F, Kim K, Leli NM, Karagounis IV, Bell BI, Velalopoulou A, Salinas CS, Wu VS, Li Y, Ye J, Scott DA, Osterman AL, Sengupta A, Weljie A, Huang M, Zhang D, Fan Y, Radaelli E, Tobias JW, Rambow F, Karras P, Marine JC, Xu X, Hatzigeorgiou AG, Ryeom S, Diehl JA, Fuchs SY, Puré E, Koumenis C. Nat Cell Biol. 2022 Jun;24(6):940-953. doi: 10.1038/s41556-022-00918-8. Epub 2022 Jun 2. PMID: 35654839

A single-center retrospective cohort study of perioperative systemic chemotherapy in diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Wang X, Katz S, Miura J, Karakousis G, Roshkovan L, Walker S, McNulty S, Ciunci C, Cengel K, Langer CJ, Marmarelis ME. PLoS One. 2022 Sep 29;17(9):e0275187. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275187. eCollection 2022. PMID: 36174024

Erratum: "Report of AAPM Task Group 219 on independent calculation-based dose/MU verification for IMRT". Zhu TC, Stathakis S, Clark JR, Feng W, Georg D, Holmes SM, Kry SF, Charlie Ma CM, Miften M, Mihailidis D, Moran JM, Papanikolaou N, Poppe B, Xiao Y. Med Phys. 2022 Jul 14. doi: 10.1002/mp.15772. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35833598

Sylvia S. Rhodes, Eva Berlin, Nikhil Yegya-Raman, Abigail Doucette, Michelle Gentile, Gary M. Freedman, Neil K. Taunk; Factors Associated With Travel Distance in the Receipt of Proton Breast Radiation Therapy. Int J Part Ther 2022; doi: https://doi.org/10.14338/IJPT-22-00018.1

Anstadt EJ, Chu B, Yegya-Raman N, Han X, Doucette A, Poirier K, Mohiuddin JJ, Maity A, Facciabene A, Amaravadi RK, Karakousis GC, Cohen JV, Mitchell TC, Schuchter LM, Lukens JN. Moderate Colitis Not Requiring Intravenous Steroids Is Associated with Improved Survival in Stage IV Melanoma after Anti-CTLA4 Monotherapy, But Not Combination Therapy. Oncologist. 2022 Sep 2;27(9):799-808. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyac108. PMID: 35666292; PMCID: PMC9438915.

Verma V, Yegya-Raman N, Sprave T, Han G, Kantarjian HM, Welsh JW, Chang JY, Lin SH. A Systematic Review of the Cost-Effectiveness of Stereotactic Radiation Therapy for Cancer Oligometastases. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2022 Jun 5:S0360-3016(22)00549-1. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2022.05.042. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35675852.

Credits:

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