News Release

ASTRO awards 17 Advocacy Day travel grants

Grant and Award Announcement

American Society for Radiation Oncology

Advocacy Day allows members of the radiation oncology treatment team to learn about important healthcare legislative issues from experienced Washington policymakers. Participants in this annual event also visit Capitol Hill to advocate policies that protect the future of radiation oncology.

ASTRO recognizes that radiation oncology residents and nurses play vital roles in the present and future of the specialty but also may face financial constraints. So, this year the Society began awarding grants in amounts of up to $400 to offset travel costs for attending Advocacy Day. This year’s recipients are:

  • Ahmed Ali, M.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
  • Arif Ali, M.D., Emory University, Atlanta
  • Michael Burdick, M.D., Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Eric Donnelly, M.D., Northwestern University, Chicago
  • Ralph Ermoian, M.D., University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
  • Abhay Gokhale, M.D., University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh
  • Pam Hall, A.S.N., B.S.N., O.C.N., R.N., Welch Cancer Center, Sheridan, Wyo.
  • Eric Kielhorn, M.D., Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Ill.
  • Shannon Offerman, M.D., University of Cincinnati, Cincinatti
  • Krisha Opfermann, M.D., Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C.
  • Rahul Parikh, M.D., UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Edison, N.J.
  • Simul Parikh, M.D., University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh
  • Amar Rewari, M.D., M.B.A., UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, N.J.
  • Sagus Sampath, M.D., University of Utah, Salt Lake City
  • Amish Shah, M.D., Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
  • Neha Sharma, M.D., Cornell University Medical Center, New York
  • Hadley Sharp, M.D., University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
  • Waseet Vance, M.D., Columbia University, New York
  • Tony Wang, M.D., Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital

“Advocating for our specialty is very important for not just the medical professionals involved in radiation therapy treatments but also for the cancer patients who depend on this life-saving treatment,” Tim R. Williams, chairman of the ASTRO Board of Directors and a radiation oncologist at Boca Raton Community Hospital in Boca Raton, Fla., said. “For these residents and nurses to take time out of their busy schedules to come to speak to their representatives and senators on behalf of their patients and all ASTRO members is very generous; I’m happy to congratulate them on their grants.”

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ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org


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