UCSF Radiation Oncologists Named as ASTRO Fellows

Three members of the UCSF Department of Radiation Oncology have been selected to become fellows of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), the society announced on June 28. The inaugural class of 75 top-rated radiation oncologists includes 13 honorees from California. They will receive their honorary designation at a special ceremony during the society's 48th annual meeting in November in Philadelphia, PA. "We created the ASTRO fellows program to honor and recognize those who have given so much to the specialty of radiation oncology, the society and the patients we all work together to cure," said Prabhakar Tripuraneni, MD, chair of ASTRO Board of Directors. The UCSF fellows are: * David A. Larson, MD, PhD, professor in residence in the departments of radiation oncology and neurological surgery, is an internationally recognized expert in all applications of ionizing radiation for benign and malignant central nervous system (CNS) tumors. He focuses his research on the treatment of CNS tumors, CNS radiosurgery, CNS brachytherapy and body radiosurgery. * Larson joined the UCSF faculty in Radiation Oncology in 1985. He currently serves as co-director of UCSF's Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Program, clinical director of Long Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology, co-director of UCSF's CyberKnife Spinal Radiosurgery Program and director of UCSF's CyberKnife Body Radiosurgery Program. * Theodore L. Phillips, MD, Wun-Kon Fu Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology, is a renowned expert in ocular melanoma, gamma knife radiosurgery and intraoperative radiotherapy. His long and distinguished career at UCSF started in 1960 as a radiation oncology resident. Since then, he has played an integral role in the growth of the radiation oncology program at UCSF and has served as president of various medical and scientific associations, including the Radiation Research Society, ASTRO and the North American Hyperthermia Society. * Lynn J. Verhey, PhD, is professor of radiation oncology, chief of the Division of Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology and vice chair of the department. Verhey joined UCSF in 1991. His research has included the development and implementation of new methods of radiation delivery that can increase the ratio of tumor dose to normal tissue dose, which involves the use of proton beams, stereotactic radiosurgery with gamma knife and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using linear accelerators. Fellows nominated for consideration were eligible if they had been a member of ASTRO for at least 20 years, served in a leadership role for the organization and made significant contributions to the field of radiation oncology. Nominations were reviewed by a nine-member Fellows Selection Committee, which made recommendations to the ASTRO Board of Directors for selection of the top 75 individuals. Founded in 1958, ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 8,500 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. ASTRO's members are made up of physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other scientists. Based in Fairfax, VA, ASTRO promotes scientific and technological advancements by sponsoring meetings for oncologists and other health care providers, publishing a research journal, and providing educational and professional development opportunities for its members.