UT Southwestern

[clintpark]

I am a new resident in a newly created Rad Onc program at UTSouthwestern. I would like to strongly recommend that you give us a look. We have a very strong, enthusiastic chairman, Dr Hak Choy, who recently moved from Vanderbilt and has single-handedly re-energized the program. We have a brand-new (ok, 2 yr old) building WITH WINDOWS and cutting-edge technology; 3 Linacs (one w/ OBI), HDR, mammosite, accuray (cyberknife), gamma knife and tomotherapy to come this year). The attendings are world renowned (esp. in the lung cancer and stereotactic surgery) and very enthusiastic about education. All but one of the attendings routinely participate in all teaching conferences and the atmosphere is very friendly. We do get pimped hard (in fact, we call one of our attendings Pimp-daddy) but without demeaning or condescending. And we get asked questions that will help with oral board, not some esoteric, irrelevant facts. The research, especially in radiobiology, is world-class already and promises to get even better.

Because of our affiliation with Parkland and Children's, we have the best of both worlds; state-of-the-art facility and indigent population that continue to supply us with all the zebras (Just in the last two weeks, I had an angiosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, Paget's dz of the groin, etc. as well as run-of-the mill lung ca) and more than enough pediatric cases.

The residents are very, very happy. 2 of the residents transferred from other programs and both agree that both in terms of quality of education and the atmosphere, we beat the previous programs hands-down. Dallas is easy-living although for me, a Californian, it was a bit too humid during summer. (most of the people who work here came from Texas and the South, so they think this is dry-heat, NO WAY!!!)

I do not claim that we are without our own shortcomings. For example, I don't know how the lack alumni in the field may affect my job placement in the future. Very important thing to consider indeed.

Having said all that, I am afraid that many of you may not know we exist because of our short history (I noticed we are not even listed at scutwork.com). I have no other agenda than to improve this program with very capable, enthusiastic colleagues who are not so hyper or overbearing... So, give us a look. We are selecting 2 residents for 2007.

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[clintpark]

Despite what FREIDA may say, we ARE participating in ERAS for 2007 (Unless you are from Tulane or LSU). I believe we are only selecting PGY-2s.

Here is the link to our program.

http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/home/pp/radonc/index.html

The PD is Dr Ann Spangler, [email protected]. You should contact her if you had any specific questions related to the application process.

 

[deleted4401]

I gotta say - rotated there, and almost matched (I'm the backup for 2006, in case one of the two decide they'd rather go fishing or become investment bankers), and I loved it.

Great faculty, the ancillary staff is fantastically nice. Dr. Choy is intense about wanting this to be an out of the ballparik program. Just the way he treated me, I think one would have to get used to how hard he is going to drive you to work your tail off. Never met a surgeon so hard core 🙂

As far as the rest of the staff, Dr. Spangler is very interested in resident education, as well as the sweetest woman - like mom! Dr Pistenmaa has become an advisor, mentor, and friend to me, and I know he will do the same for people that are young and interested in rad-onc. Dr. Timmerman is very into teaching, and can break things down so even simpletons like me can understand. They all are really genuinely nice people.

The cancer center is phenomenal, aesthetically. There is a dedicated Children's Hospital that is beautiful and new, and soon there will be a lot more peds patients (they were working out the kinks w/anesthesia, etc.) There are some community sites, but not sure where they are going with that, at least educationally.

It's just a happy place to work, and I'm sure residency will be a great experience there - I really enjoyed my month. As far as Dallas, not a big fan, but definitely do-able for 4 years, and maybe longer, if I got to work with a group as nice as them.

Later,
Simul

Despite what FREIDA may say, we ARE participating in ERAS for 2007 (Unless you are from Tulane or LSU). I believe we are only selecting PGY-2s.

Here is the link to our program.

http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/home/pp/radonc/index.html

The PD is Dr Ann Spangler, [email protected]. You should contact her if you had any specific questions related to the application process.

 

[brianchang]

Unfortunately scutwork.com has not added us to its website. So I thought I would just place a post using their format.

Schedule
The work hours vary depending on the service you are on, but in general the clinic runs from ~7-7:30 and ends around 5pm. Call is taken at home a week at a time, and we are only very rarely called in on weekends. Residents rotate with one attending for 3 month blocks. Given the large faculty to resident ratio at this point the resident is able to choose the staff they wish to work with. We have 8 clinical faculty and are planning to expand to at least 12 clinical faculty by next July. Research is optional for a self-motivated resident, but not mandatory. Both Dr. Choy and Timmerman are very approachable, and would be more than happy to help direct your research efforts. The clinic is very efficient with excellent ancillary staff (schedulers, dosimetry, nursing) so there isn’t a lot of wasted time spent performing scut work.

Teaching
Overall the teaching is outstanding. We have 2 hourly new patient conferences on Monday and Thursday every week where each of the residents present an interesting case, and often the faculty will present cases as well. It is an open forum for discussion, with a lot of high yield pimping (benign) that bring up key topics for the oral boards. Wednesday afternoons are completely blocked off for an hour long resident case
presentation, one and a half hour faculty lecture, one and a half hour radbio/physics lecture, and chart rounds. The physics course is still a work in progress, but strong efforts are being made to improve it. There is a combined modality conference on Friday mornings where the medical oncology fellows present 3-4 interesting cases and a review of the literature on Friday mornings for 1½ hours. Of course there are all the standard tumor boards scattered throughout the week. We see an excellent variety of cases ranging from the indigent population (Parkland Hospital) to private referrals coming here for a second opinion. Unlike the majority of programs in the country we have an abundance of pediatrics cases so you will have no trouble reaching the requirements for graduation. We have unparalleled educational materials here with all of the landmark trials past and present neatly organized in pdf format on our sharedrive as well as concise notes for physics, radiation biology, and the oral boards. I do not know of any other programs with this wealth of information organized in this manner. We have a visiting professorship where 8 world renowned radiation oncologists are invited to spend an afternoon with the residents.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere is very benign. All of the ancillary staff and faculty are pleasant to work with. The dialogue between faculty and residents is open, and resident recommendations/requests are always welcome. All residents are provided a book fund of $500/yr their first year and $400 every year thereafter. Every resident is given a brand new lap top with remote access to the hospital record system (including diagnostic films) and radiation oncology electronic chart system (IMPAC). Port films can be viewed and approved from home! Presently we have a CT sim, 3 linacs (one with OBI), and a cyberknife. You will be very proficient with IMRT and SRS after leaving this program. We will have a tomotherapy unit, a 4th linac, Gamma knife, and 4D CT scanner installed by this early winter.

Conclusion
This is an outstanding young program that I would give my highest recommendation. I would strongly urge anyone interested to rotate here, and take a closer look.

 

[hmm]

So how many residents is UT Southwestern approved for? Is the program still looking for transfer residents?

hmm

Unfortunately scutwork.com has not added us to its website. So I thought I would just place a post using their format.

Schedule
The work hours vary depending on the service you are on, but in general the clinic runs from ~7-7:30 and ends around 5pm. Call is taken at home a week at a time, and we are only very rarely called in on weekends. Residents rotate with one attending for 3 month blocks. Given the large faculty to resident ratio at this point the resident is able to choose the staff they wish to work with. We have 8 clinical faculty and are planning to expand to at least 12 clinical faculty by next July. Research is optional for a self-motivated resident, but not mandatory. Both Dr. Choy and Timmerman are very approachable, and would be more than happy to help direct your research efforts. The clinic is very efficient with excellent ancillary staff (schedulers, dosimetry, nursing) so there isn’t a lot of wasted time spent performing scut work.

Teaching
Overall the teaching is outstanding. We have 2 hourly new patient conferences on Monday and Thursday every week where each of the residents present an interesting case, and often the faculty will present cases as well. It is an open forum for discussion, with a lot of high yield pimping (benign) that bring up key topics for the oral boards. Wednesday afternoons are completely blocked off for an hour long resident case
presentation, one and a half hour faculty lecture, one and a half hour radbio/physics lecture, and chart rounds. The physics course is still a work in progress, but strong efforts are being made to improve it. There is a combined modality conference on Friday mornings where the medical oncology fellows present 3-4 interesting cases and a review of the literature on Friday mornings for 1½ hours. Of course there are all the standard tumor boards scattered throughout the week. We see an excellent variety of cases ranging from the indigent population (Parkland Hospital) to private referrals coming here for a second opinion. Unlike the majority of programs in the country we have an abundance of pediatrics cases so you will have no trouble reaching the requirements for graduation. We have unparalleled educational materials here with all of the landmark trials past and present neatly organized in pdf format on our sharedrive as well as concise notes for physics, radiation biology, and the oral boards. I do not know of any other programs with this wealth of information organized in this manner. We have a visiting professorship where 8 world renowned radiation oncologists are invited to spend an afternoon with the residents.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere is very benign. All of the ancillary staff and faculty are pleasant to work with. The dialogue between faculty and residents is open, and resident recommendations/requests are always welcome. All residents are provided a book fund of $500/yr their first year and $400 every year thereafter. Every resident is given a brand new lap top with remote access to the hospital record system (including diagnostic films) and radiation oncology electronic chart system (IMPAC). Port films can be viewed and approved from home! Presently we have a CT sim, 3 linacs (one with OBI), and a cyberknife. You will be very proficient with IMRT and SRS after leaving this program. We will have a tomotherapy unit, a 4th linac, Gamma knife, and 4D CT scanner installed by this early winter.

Conclusion
This is an outstanding young program that I would give my highest recommendation. I would strongly urge anyone interested to rotate here, and take a closer look.

 

[clintpark]

So how many residents is UT Southwestern approved for? Is the program still looking for transfer residents?

hmm

We are approved for six spots with plans to expand to 8 in near future. We have three residents right now and have signed two for '06. I do not believe we are taking transfers, but you can ask Dr Spangler, [email protected], our PD to be sure.

We are still taking applications on ERAS for two '07 spots. I really believe UTSW is a hidden gem and I dare say it'll be one of top 10-15 programs in just a few years, if not already. You are welcome to contact me if you have any questions.

 

[stephew]

please contact clintpark directly for the contact info. Publishing the private contact info of others publically is not permitted for privacy reasons. thanks.

 

[clintpark]

A few of you have sent me private messages regarding research opportunities at UTSW. Instead of trying to summarize them with my limited knowledge, I will just give you some blurbs and give you links where you can find out more.

Clinical: The big guys on campus are Dr. Hak Choy and Dr Bob Timmerman. Dr Choy (recently from Vanderbilt) is the PI of a number of phase III RTOG trials. He is well known for combining chemo and radiation for lung and H+N cancers. Dr Timmerman (from Indiana) is one of "the" guys for stereotactic body radiotherapy, and is doing multiple phase I and II trials.

Radiobiology: The two big guys are Dr David Chen and Dr Michael Story. I will just give you their research links. http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/research/0,2357,69357,00.html
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/research/0,2357,69356,00.html

Physics: The head physicist is Dr Ken Forster. He came from MD Anderson recently and did lots of imaging-related research.

Thanks.

 

[drcoke]

How feasible is it to venture into academic medicine after residency at UTSW.. say at MDACC or other large institutions?

 

[clintpark]

How feasible is it to venture into academic medicine after residency at UTSW.. say at MDACC or other large institutions?

If I'm reading between the lines correctly, I think you are asking if UTSW has enough name value in the academic Rad Onc community. It should be no problem as there are plenty of big names and research opportunities here. I guess it's possible I'm misguided by euphoria and optimism, but if you look at the facts, I think you'll agree.

Dr Choy is very well known in the academic community; in fact, he's the chair of the RTOG lung committee. As far as having connections in the academic community that can pull strings for you, there aren't that many who can surpass him. He's a very, very energetic guy (we call him Tigger), always bouncy and hyper... yet, he's very approachable and often drops in on the residents to give us fresh ideas for research. I understand that at some institutions, chairperson may be too removed from the trenches, that's not Choy. You will get to know him very well, and vise versa. If you are the type to look at resume (I too am partly guilty of that), you may not be too impressed by the schools he went to. That's not at all a reflection of his accomplishments; remember this guy came to the US after he graduated from high school.

Dr Timmerman literally wrote the book on Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy. As more and more interests are directed to IGRT, his prominence in the field is bound to increase even more. He's the best teacher I've seen and also very approachable (although very busy).

Dr David Chen (and to a less extent Michael Story) is a world-premier radiobiologist. I'm not a bio guy, so I won't comment too much on his accomplishments, but you can follow their research links in one of my earlier posts. In fact, UTSW in general is a very research-oriented institution with 4 Nobel prize winners in the faculty.

We are attracting many chief residents from well known institutions who are very research oriented. So, there may be some other opportunities on the horizon.

We have all the toys you'll want. In additions to regular LINAC, we have LINAC w/ OBI, Synergy IGRT system, gamma knife, cyberknife (to be replaced by tomo in a couple of months), mammosite, 4D CT (in a couple of months), etc.

The atmosphere here is to strive for quality and not quantity. You won't write 20 retrospective reviews if you come here. You are more likely to end up with 3 prospective trials.

Sorry about the long-winded answer to your question. Take care.

 

[clintpark]

Some 30 excellent applicants have been at UTSouthwestern this interview season. Good luck to y'all. As this is the first time we are participating in the Match, I'm very curious to find out what you guys thought and if there was anything we could have done to make it a better experience for you. I know your impression may not be a totally accurate reflection of the reality as it is limited to half-a-day of staged presentations and nerve-wrecking interviews, but it's still very valuable, I think, to see what kind of first impression we make.

I know giving honest feedbacks during the Match season is not the easiest thing, especially if it's constructive. I created an email account where you can log in anonymously and give me a feedback. The account name is "[email protected]" with password "utswdallastx". There will be no personal information there, Stephew. If you can log on to that account and fire me a feedback at [email protected], it will be very helpful. Although I won't know who started the thread, we can even get a healthy 'conversation' going, too. (those who use gmail will know what i'm talking about.)

Again, good luck to everyone who's going through the Match. You guys were all great!

 

[clintpark]

Oh, and if you don't mind,

I may forward some of your comments to our PD and Chief. Of course, it'll be anonymous coz I won't know who you are.

 

[RADio goo goo]

🙂

If I'm reading between the lines correctly, I think you are asking if UTSW has enough name value in the academic Rad Onc community. It should be no problem as there are plenty of big names and research opportunities here. I guess it's possible I'm misguided by euphoria and optimism, but if you look at the facts, I think you'll agree.

I agree with clintpark. I don't know much about much... but if you look at the speed at which UTSW's program has changed, it's quite remarkable.. within two years, they have a residency program, created an incredible radiobiology group, and recruited two big dogs in two of the most promising fields within our field (namely combined modality therapy, and stereotactic radiotherapy). Even if UTSW continues to grow at half or third of the rate it's been growing at, I would be very surprised if it isn't considered a top tier program very soon. But since much has already been said about the department, perhaps one ought to consider the overall institution :
UTSW is one of the top powerhouse research institutions in the world (4 nobel laureates).
They have also made it very clear that they are pumping in MUCHO into the clinical enterprise, and specifically the cancer center. They have successfully recruited James KV Willson who is an expert in creating Comprehensive Cancer Centers - already did it once at Case Western. He is bound to do it again, in a big way at UTSW. Don't forget the philanthropy and the resources that this institution has behind the creation of a world class cancer center - just recently, if you search their webpages, they have garnered millions of dollars in support toward this goal!

Based on my humble review of the programs around the country, it would be a mistake to not take this place seriously ... I do not think Clintpark is misguided by his euphoria... His euphoria is well grounded... I believe UTSW is a GIANT in the making.

 

[RadOncMan]

I'm also impressed with what Hak Choy has done with the program at UT Southwestern.

Don't know about clinical prowess, but UT Southwestern ranks sixth in impact of molecular biology research in the world by Science Watch. Where's MD Anderson?

Institutions Ranked by Percentage of Highly Cited
Molecular Biology & Genetics Papers, 1992-2002
(Of those institutions with >50,000 citations during the period)
Rank
Institution Papers, Highly Cited Papers, % Highly Cited Papers
1 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 729 57 7.82
2 Salk Institute for Biological Studies 778 58 7.46
3 Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center 998 74 7.41
4 MIT 1681 108 6.42
5 Massachusetts General Hospital 1338 60 4.48
6 UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 1436 60 4.18
7 Harvard University 6801 273 4.01
8 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 906 35 3.86
9 Stanford University 2508 95 3.79
10 Rockefeller University 1232 46 3.73
11 University of California, San Diego 2178 76 3.49
12 Scripps Research Institute 1158 40 3.45
13 European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL) 1573 52 3.31
14 Imperial Cancer Research Fund 1372 42 3.06
15 University of California, San Francisco 3101 93 3.00

 

[Doctor&Geek]

I'm not sure if that's even close to the best metric when judging biomedical research, especially when it doesn't capture translational and clinical discovery. Most people would also consider UTSW to have an ultrastrong basic neuroscience program, but not in cancer (as alluded to above).

 

[RADio goo goo]

I'm not sure if that's even close to the best metric when judging biomedical research, especially when it doesn't capture translational and clinical discovery. Most people would also consider UTSW to have an ultrastrong basic neuroscience program, but not in cancer (as alluded to above).

I think the key issue is where UTSW is headed in the field of cancer (both clinical and bench research) and what is the likelihood that it'll get there.
If I was a betting man, I would bet my half dollar on UTSW's cancer center being a top 10-15 ranked center nationally in 3-10 years.

 

[RadOncMan]

I'm not sure if that's even close to the best metric when judging biomedical research, especially when it doesn't capture translational and clinical discovery. Most people would also consider UTSW to have an ultrastrong basic neuroscience program, but not in cancer (as alluded to above).

You have a better measure of IMPACT of research? Cancer research encompasses so much more than having the words "cancer" in it, particularly in regard to basic science research, which the ranking alludes to: DNA repair, cell cycle, signal transduction, angiogenesis, genetics, immunology, structural biology. 15 members of the NAS working in the biomedical sciences, with at least half in fields relevant to cancer is nothing to laught at.

Like I said, I can't comment on clinical strength and those at UTSW probably can provide a better perspective. I imagine that clinical strength is in large part determined by sheer volume of cancer patients seen.

 

[Michael Spiker]

It's hard to imagine important translational discoveries coming from a place that doesn't have a strong basic science production.

No doubt that UTSW is one of the top research institutions, INCLUDING in field of cancer. I am just not 100% convinced that the rad onc dept would be a top place to train for a resident now or for another 10 years.

 

[Doctor&Geek]

Eh, I apologize if I was badmouthing another school (an outstanding one at that). Rather I think we should not put too much credence in artificial impact factor ratings, and especially equate that into future success. I don't claim to have better answers other than to say that I'm a cynic when it comes to promises made, and that is they are most certainly not better than promises proven. I'm especially leery when it comes to predictions of "will be top-ranked in cancer within XX years".

We all know that Southwestern has an outstanding history in basic neuroscience research and signal transduction, but as far as this poster is concerned, I can only point out the lack of a NIH-funded Cancer Center (of any kind, not even a planning grant), that the initative to form one is only recently the making, that they only have 1/2 of a SPORE grant, and that their overall reputation for medical oncology I have heard is not as highly regarded as MDAnderson. They already have an outstanding basis from which to branch into both basic and translational research (e.g. Willson, Minna, Xiaodong Wang, and the aforementioned RadOnc group). Ten years from now with outstanding financial support they might be elite, but as Michael Spiker points out above, that time certainly isn't right now and even may not be realistically achieved within three years.

EDIT: I'd like to answer some criticisms and point out that obtaining cancer center designation requires a focus not only in basic sciences, but also proven excellence in translational, epidemiological, and clinical research. Having observed the process at two institutions, I can guarantee you its not as easy as lining up your heavies from the basic science fields, having presentations about how many Cell and Science papers they have (in addiction research), and demanding money.

 

[clintpark]

I come back from a vacation and this thread has exploded. Thank you very much for your frank inputs and please keep them coming, both the optimistic and the suspicious.

Thanks.

 

[RADio goo goo]

Eh, I apologize if I was badmouthing another school (an outstanding one at that). Rather I think we should not put too much credence in artificial impact factor ratings, and especially equate that into future success. I don't claim to have better answers other than to say that I'm a cynic when it comes to promises made, and that is they are most certainly not better than promises proven. I'm especially leery when it comes to predictions of "will be top-ranked in cancer within XX years".

Perhaps, and only time will tell.
However, I was never implying that UTSW is planning to become a comprehensive cancer center just by flexing their basic science prowess.
I believe there is significant push to expand the clinical enterprise in Oncology, with significant capital campaign funds to help make this happen. They also seem to be recruiting all the right people for leadership toward this goal, to complement some of the prominent figures that are already there.
Furthermore, I never implied that the rad onc residency there is currently tops in the country at the moment.... In fact, I've never even done a rotation there or set foot in their clinics, so I was pretty careful not to comment on this.... However, after seeing several cancer centers around the country, I do not doubt that UTSW will have a comprehensive cance center of significant stature very quickly.

 

[RadOncMan]

Another medical institution which surprisingly doesn't have Comprehensive Cancer Center status - Stanford.

 

[clintpark]

http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept37389/files/255454.html

So take this for what it is... a propaganda from UTSouthwestern news release. But, I think it illustrates some good points about Dr Wilson's plans to get Southwestern to join the ranks of NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. We are not just saying that we'll be just as good as one of them. This is the specifically stated goal of recruiting him to Dallas.

I must say that we have been pretty successful with recruiting faculty. I won't name names since I don't think it has been announced publically, but just recently, another very prominent chest medical oncologist decided to come here to be the head of the medical oncology division.

 

[Zap]

Another medical institution which surprisingly doesn't have Comprehensive Cancer Center status - Stanford.

http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2005/05/30/smallb3.html
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/may4/med-bid-050405.html

Looks like that may be about to change. I wonder if the recent stagnation of NIH funding (and gloomy predictions of future NIH budgets) have convinced them to get their act together. From what I have heard, the application to get this designation is extraordinarily painful and takes years to put together...

 

[radonc777]

Everything has already been said...UT Southwestern is uniquely poised to become the next radiation oncology GIANT (to quote the euphoria) along with its Texas kin at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Plus, the rad onc residents at UT Southwestern seem 😀 very happy 😀 & enthusiastic about their leadership and positive direction in Dallas!!! 🙂
...This post quickly follows up on my previous note contrasting/comparing UT Southwestern and San Antonio. I called up the interim Chair at San Antonio just last month to hear it straight from him about their situation and department's direction...no such luck, he was on 'military leave' so I asked to speak to the San Antonio residency coordinator. Basically, I just wanted to know if they are actually accepting residents this year (since UT HSC San Antonio was not even initially on ERAS this year) and to inquire about whether or not San Antonio will be getting their ACGME approval. She finally got back to me and told me she too is leaving and retiring this year so she does not know the future of the San Antonio 🙁 rad onc residency program and can't really prognosticate on their trajectory/ACGME status.

 

[clintpark]

Everything has already been said...UT Southwestern is uniquely poised to become the next radiation oncology GIANT (to quote the euphoria) along with its Texas kin at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Plus, the rad onc residents at UT Southwestern seem 😀 very happy 😀 & enthusiastic about their leadership and positive direction in Dallas!!! 🙂

Thanks radonc777 for having such high regards for my program. I think much of what you said can be echoed; yes, we do have a very good program in the making and the residents are happy and enthusiastic... However, it would be disingenuous for me to suggest that we are going to be shoulder-to-shoulder with truly outstanding programs such as MD Anderson. Not now or anytime soon (certainly not before I graduate...).

Having said that, we have a very strong program already with outstanding, highly-regarded attendings who care about resident education, incredible rad bio research opportunities and unprecedented technical support for such a new program. I think we should be considered more along the "Next Tier" programs, below "Top Tier" or "Top-10" per RadOncMan's list on the Rad onc rankings sticky

Next Tier:
Mayo
Hopkins
Duke
Vanderbilt - focused on basic research
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Yale
Thomas Jefferson - strong tradition and track record, very clinical, weaker institutionally
U of Washington
Florida
Wisconsin
Cleveland Clinic Foundation - very clinical
UCLA - No/New Chairman
Maryland
Beaumont
UNC

Some of these programs are admittedly better than ours; some are not. But, we are closer to these programs than the MDACC's, I think.

 

[clintpark]

I just wanted to pitch my program, again, to raise awareness in the current applicant pool. The residency program is new (just 2nd year) but the department has exploded since Dr Hak Choy took reins some three years ago.

You will get a really good balance of clinical (Dr Choy is the RTOG lung cancer committee chair and one of the world-leading authorities in combined modality therapy, i.e. chemoradiation. Dr Timmerman has by far the most experience with SBRT in the U.S.), physics and tech (good ole LINACS, Trilogy/OBI, Synergy/Cone beam CT, Gamma Knife, Cyberknife, HDR, mammosite --- we don't do whole lot of LDR, however), and biology (One of the strongest radbio groups anywhere with 25 PhDs I'm told). The department continues to expand, and the residency program will only get better.

I think it's one of the best programs around and is still not very well known. As I stated above, I would (biased, of course) put this program right there with the "second tier" group. Definitively not top 10, but, not far behind. I strongly encourage you to come find out for yourselves.

I think we have just one spot this year. No invitation has gone out, and actually I am told we have not started seriously reviewing applicants. So, it's not too late to click that one more box. Saturday interviews, once in December and once in January, are planned.

Good Luck, y'all.