A residency in Radiation Oncology in our department exposes you to all contemporary treatment types and delivery modalities. A thorough, progressive approach to residency training embeds you with a faculty member concentrating on the treatment of specific oncologic sites.
Excellent technical training is available through constant exposure to, and a close collaboration with other the other specialties related to the treatment of cancer. With close medical physics, dosimetry and nursing support, residents are free to perform their task of patient care.
Residents graduating the program can expect to be employed in private practice or in an academic institution as a faculty member. Our program is pleased to offer both a clinical and a research pathway to prospective residents and benefits from a close relationship with the Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program.
Forbes has ranked the University of Iowa Health Care as the No. 7 employer in the health care industry and No. 48 across all industries in the US. This is the fourth year that UI Health Care has featured in the annual listing of top employers.
Educate the future generation of physicians and physician scientists in radiation oncology who are dedicated to the advancement of and improvement in the treatment of cancer.
Prepare residents for independent practice in any clinical or academic setting. Support and accommodate the individualization of training based on the resident’s future career plans.
Educate residents as leaders in radiation oncology involved in the future direction of cancer research by supporting investigator-initiated research and the Holman Pathway.
The program should emphasize training Holman Pathway candidates, and clinicians to serve the state of Iowa and the Midwest.
Continue to seek out exceptional residents who show qualities of empathy, dedication to the field, excellent communication skills, professionalism, and self-motivation. Promote the development of sound clinical skills and medical knowledge.
In order to train future practitioners of radiation oncology, we provide a comprehensive educational experience that will expose residents to all aspects of radiation oncology. We have designed a curriculum that is innovative, individualized and integrative. The residency experience entails clinical rotations, didactics (graduate level courses and several weekly conferences and tumor boards) dedicated research time, and pathways that allow residents to specialize and focus on areas of interest within the specialty. Residents finish the program with a deep understanding of cancer including the biology, pathology, natural history, work-up and treatment approaches with radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy. Residents become competent in the delivery of radiation therapy including techniques of external beam radiotherapy as well as interstitial and intracavitary radiotherapy. Through a variety of experiences and resources available, residents become well prepared for their board examinations.
In order to obtain the essential skills and knowledge, residents will spend a significant portion of their residency on the Radiation Oncology Clinical Services. Each physician faculty runs their own clinical service specializing in specific disease sites. Residents will rotate through each service at least three times throughout residency and potentially more if interested in a specific service/disease. Clinical rotations will vary in length each training year in order to meet the overall educational learning goals.
Department faculty clinical services include:
Faculty Clinical Service | Topics/Disease Sites | Special Procedures |
---|---|---|
Carryn Anderson, MD | Head and Neck, Melanoma, Sarcoma, Skin/Soft Tissues | Eye Plaque Brachytherapy, Spinal Stereotactic Radiosurgery |
John Buatti, MD | Pediatrics, Head and Neck, Skin, Central Nervous System | Extracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Craniospinal Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Radiation Therapy, and Eye Plaque Brachytherapy |
Bryan Allen, MD | Thoracic Cavity, Lung | Thoracic Malignancies, Eye Plaque Brachytherapy, Pancreatic/Esophageal Stereotactic Radiosurgery |
Margaret Kozak, MD | Pediatrics, Sarcoma | Craniospinal Stereotactic Radiosurgery |
Mark Smith, MD | Brain, Central Nervous System, Genitourinary, Lymphomas and Leukemias, Palliation | Prostate Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Brachytherapy, Cardiospinal Radiation, Total Body Irradiation Therapy, and Eye Plaque Brachytherapy |
Wenqing Sun, MD | Gynecology, Breast, Head and Neck | Gynecologic Brachytherapy, Breast Brachytherapy, and Eye Plaque Brachytherapy |
Joseph Caster, MD, PhD | Gastrointestinal, Gynecologic | Eye Plaque and Gynecologic Brachytherapy, Prostate Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Pancreatic/Esophageal Stereotactic Radiosurgery |
Kristin Plichta, MD, PhD | Thoracic Cavity, Breast | Breast and Eye Plaque Brachytherapy and Thoracic Malignancies |
These blocks are additional clinical experiences that are necessary to further enhance the understanding of Radiation Oncology.
Learning Goals:
PGY2 | PGY3 | PGY4 | PGY5 | Total Weeks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clinical Radiation Oncology (Faculty Services) | 48 weeks 6 8-week blocks Exposure to all clinics |
40 weeks 4 10-week blocks 4 different faculty |
36 weeks 3 12-week blocks Remaining 2 faculty, Repeat area of interest |
40 weeks 4 10-week blocks Resident choice of faculty services |
164 weeks |
Selectives | 0 | 8 weeks Radiology |
12 weeks Physics and Dosimetry |
0 | 20 weeks |
Research is a vital component of the residency program. A curriculum has been established to hone resident research skills and knowledge with ample research opportunities and resources while providing residents with dedicated, protected time for their clinical research. The department has a research team that serves as mentors and resources for residents. Protected research time is tailored to resident needs and interests and is most often arranged during PGY3-PGY5. Every resident is expected to have submitted a manuscript for publication by the end of residency.
Residents in our department have been very productive and successful with their research endeavors. Each resident has one or more abstract acceptances to national conferences and many have manuscript submissions.
We are very proud of our resident research efforts, and want to showcase their projects! The Annual Resident Research Showcase is held during the annual ISTRO meeting. This allows residents to present their posters to meeting participants while also giving them experience and feedback on their presentation and poster before they present at ASTRO.
Some residents choose to continue their research endeavors more in-depth. Residents can select to do a Clinical Research Pathway or apply for the Holman Pathway for those who want a career as a physician investigator and are interested in basic science, clinical or translational research.
“The beauty of our clinical pathways, whether it be academics, research, or community medicine, is that they allow us to be well-rounded, competent clinicians while providing us the autonomy and initiative to fashion our unique niches in health care (medical education, innovation, public policy, global health, clinical trial initiation, etc.)."
-Sagar C. Patel, MD
In order to help residents meet the learning goal of focusing and specializing in areas of interest, residents will choose and/or develop a Pathway by mid-residency. Pathways are individualized learning experiences developed around specific areas that correlate to each resident’s personal career goals and interests. Approximately 16 weeks of residency will be devoted to a selected Pathway to be taken in PGY4 and PGY5. Currently, developed Pathways include, but certainly are not limited to:
“The Holman Pathway afforded me protected time to really focus on basic science research and provided me a foundation for a successful academic career as a physician-scientist.”
–Darrion Mitchell, MD, PhD
The Holman Pathway presents an alternative residency structure for selected residents in Radiation Oncology. It’s a special training program available for residents who are planning a career in basic science or clinical research. Residents become eligible for board certification after 21 months of research and 27 months of clinical training.
Holman Pathway residents are required to meet the same minimum requirements for special procedures (interstitial and intracaviatry brachtherapy and unsealed sources) as well as pediatric cases. HP residents are not required to take the curriculum selectives (Radiology, Physics, and Dosimetry and the PGY3 Research Curriculum). Additionally, the clinical rotations will be designed to meet the HP resident needs.
Learn more about the Holman Pathway.
The field of Radiation Oncology is a highly academic specialty in which residents need to continually and consistently on their own, study the vast amount of content. For successful completion of the residency program, passing boards and effectively integrating knowledge into patient care – it is expected that each resident begins this independent study process from day one of residency. Residents will develop their own Learning Plan each year and will be monitored for progress by the Program Director semi-annually.
In addition to independent study, the program offers several exams annually to help prepare residents for boards. Residents are required to take and perform at an expected level for the following exams: In-Service, RAPHEX (physics), and Mock Orals. In-Service and RAPHEX exam scores allow residents to compare and gauge their performance nationally against their peers. The goal of mock oral exams is to simulate the actual board exam so residents are not only prepared for the medical knowledge but for the test-taking skill itself. Residents also have the opportunity to take the RABEX (radiation biology).
Both conferences and courses are offered on a continual basis that residents are required to attend in order to be exposed to the full spectrum of content in Radiation Oncology.
Residents have the opportunity to learn from faculty, guest speakers, and peers in a myriad of venues, including several departmental as well as interdisciplinary conferences and tumor boards on a weekly basis. Residents also develop excellent presentation and speaking skills by frequently giving lectures and honing their teaching efforts.
Twice a week, residents and faculty present Case Conferences that pertain to specified disease sites and relevant patient cases. Residents present ½ hour, concise power point presentations on a disease site, while faculty facilitate discussion and present patient cases to engage all learners in this interactive learning session. Both residents and faculty come prepared to teach and learn! Topics are presented in a longitudinal curricular approach so residents are exposed to all topics throughout the year rather than one month at a time.
The following elements are included in each Case Conference pertaining to the disease site:
Chart Rounds occur once a week and focus on our clinic patients starting treatment. Residents briefly present the patient’s diagnosis, stage, brief history, and a description of the treatment plan. Input is provided from faculty, physicists, dosimetrists, and staff.
Residents become very familiar with the patient’s treatment plan by displaying and describing relevant treatment fields and dosimetry, understanding how the GTVs, CTVs, and PTVs were constructed, and awareness of the goal doses to each PTV along with the doses to each dose-limiting structure.
Journal Club meets at least six times a year to focus on Practice-Based Learning and Improvement skills. The curriculum prepares residents to effectively investigate and evaluate their patient care practices, and appraise/ assimilate scientific evidence by utilizing an Evidence Based Medicine approach. Residents will increase their EBM skills, effectively be able to facilitate a Journal Club discussion and ultimately apply their knowledge to improve their own patient care.
Residents are required to attend specific disease-site Tumor Boards. Medical and allied professionals from a variety of departments attend tumor board conferences and focus on the interdisciplinary nature of patient care. The following Tumor Boards are scheduled 2-4 times a month.
To help residents grow personally, professionally, and healthfully, the Department offers this series to cover a variety of issues relevant to a resident’s life, practice and health. Residents meet with a variety of in-house guest speakers and discuss topics listed below. Additionally, every other year the department sponsors a Resident Retreat that focuses on resident wellness, team building and special topic issues.
The residency curriculum includes teaching of basic sciences essential to training in radiation oncology, including radiation biology and Medical Physics. These courses are taught by our own medical physics and Free Radical and Radiation Biology faculty. Residents are relieved of all clinical duties during course meeting times. Courses are required and taken the first two years of residency. PGY4 and PGY5 residents have the option of repeating the courses to further their understanding and learning. Departmental courses offered include:
Course | Students | Offered |
---|---|---|
Medical Physics* | RTT Students Rad Onc Residents FRRRB Graduate Students Dental Residents/Fellows |
Every Spring and Fall Semester |
Radiation Biology* | Rad Onc Residents FRRB Graduate Students Other Graduate Students |
Fall Semester, Odd Years |
Biostatistics | Rad Onc Residents | Fall Semester, Even Years |
* Graduate level course
Since moving to our present location in 2008, the Center for Excellence in Image Guided Radiation Therapy has provided exceptional care to patients seen in our clinic. Through constant innovation we have provided our patients access to the best imaging modalities and state-of-the-art treatments.
Patients benefit from being imaged on a 3T MRI, PET-CT and cone-beam CT before treatment. State-of-the-art treatments and devices including IORT, SBRT, HDR-brachytherapy, 4-D gating, TSE therapy, and MR-Linac complement the more traditional treatments available using linear accelerators.
Our staff are devoted to the patients they care for, which is evident in the highest patient satisfaction ratings within the hospital unit. Each is committed to improving patient care through education, research and a "patient-first" ethos.
The Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI) accredited cancer center in the state of Iowa designated as "comprehensive". This is a five-year designation (2011). A truly interdisciplinary Clinic means that patients may be seen by physicians of several specialties during the same appointment. The space occupied by the Clinic includes a pharmacy and a laboratory as well as ample provision for families accompanying their loved ones to treatment.
The Radiation Oncology Residency Program at UI Hospitals & Clinics is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Information specific to program requirements for a radiation oncology training program may be found at the ACGME.
The American Board of Radiology (ABR) conducts initial qualifying and certifying examinations to ascertain the qualifications of those who have completed training in radiation oncology. Information regarding ABR Certification is available on the board's website.
Our four-year radiation oncology residency is available to those who have completed their first post-graduate year in internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery or surgical specialties, pediatrics, or a transitional year program, which must include at least nine months of direct patient care in medical and/or surgical specialties other than radiation oncology.
Our program is not participating in ERAS 2024 season, but will be accepting applications for 2 vacancies in ERAS season 2025.
Applications will be accepted through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS).
All applicants must also register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). The NRMP number for our programs is: 1203430A0
International medical graduates should contact the ECFMG. An ECFMG certificate must accompany the ERAS application.
*Applicants are responsible for applying for a separate PGY-1 intern year in an ACGME-accredited program.
The American Board of Radiology (ABR) conducts initial qualifying and certifying examinations to ascertain the qualification of those who have completed training in radiation oncology.
Information regarding ABR Certification may be viewed on the Board’s website
Thank you for your interest in our program. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Shawn Reynolds
Interim Residency Program Coordinator
shawn-reynolds@uihc.edu
(319) 384-6135
Applications will be accepted through October 15 for PGY2 positions. Applicants are responsible for applying for transitional year residency separately.
The Department of Radiation Oncology encourages couples match applications. If an applicant is selected to interview with us, we will work in conjunction with the corresponding department to attempt to streamline interview dates and times for both applications. More information on couples matching can be found on the NRMP website.
Our program will be recruiting two PGY-2 positions in ERAS 2025 season. Selected candidates will be notified of selection for an interview via Thalamus. Interviews will take place from November through January.
Candidates can anticipate the interview day to span from 8am (CST) until 2pm (CST)
The interview day will begin with a forty-minute Informational Presentation, led by Residency Program Director, Kristin Plichta, MD and Department Chair, Bryan Allen, MD commencing at roughly 8am (CST).
Following the introduction, candidates will have a short break, with an option to join a casual virtual waiting room.
Following breaks, interviews will commence in 20-minute panel style sessions composed of 2-3 faculty members in each treatment area (i.e., Head & Neck, Pediatrics, Breast, Gynecology, etc.), as well as individuals from our Med Physics team and Free Radical/Rad Biology teams.
Candidates will have 10 minutes to break in-between sessions (again, with an option to join the virtual waiting room).
All candidates will have a casual meeting with current residents over the lunch hour and commence with additional afternoon interview sessions
The interview day will end with a 30-minute Meet and Greet session with our Free Radical/Rad Biology Team, which will include information regarding research opportunities
It is the goal of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Iowa to produce quality radiation oncologists who pursue either an academic or private practice career. To do this, we feel that it is necessary to choose high quality residents from the pool of applicants each year. Future residents are selected based on academic achievement, personal qualities, and the faculty's assessment of their potential to excel in the residency program. In general, most successful applicants are in the top third of their medical school class and graduate from LCGME schools that provide superior undergraduate medical education.
Our department is patient centered and the attitude shared by staff reflects this. Faculty compose a good blend of clinical and research skill sets with a broad knowledge of all the treatment modalities, yet with a profound depth of knowledge in their specialty area.
Many of the clinical-track graduating physicians begin careers in private practice with the balance entering academic medicine.
Each of our Faculty members is board certified in Radiation Therapy and accredited. Owing to the interdisciplinary nature of Radiation Therapy many share joint appointments in other disciplines.
Transitional Year: University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences - Grand Forks, ND
MD - Sanford School of Medicine - Vermillion, SD
BA (Biology) - Augustana University - Sioux Falls, SD
Transitional Year: Saint Francis Hospital - Evanston, IL
MD - University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health - Madison, WI
BS (Biology and Environmental Science) - University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI
Transitional Year: University of Texas Southwestern - Dallas, TX
MD - University of Alabama School of Medicine - Birmingham, AL
Transitional Year: Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center - Athens, GA
MD - University of Ibadan College of Medicine - Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
MPH - Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University - Boston, MA
Transitional Year: University of Iowa Department of Internal Medicine - Iowa City, IA
MBBS - Mu'tah University - Mu'tah, Karak Governorate, Jordan
Transitional Year: Campbell University - Buies Creek, NC
MD - Oakland University William Beaumont School Of Medicine - Auburn Hills, MI
MPH - University of Miami - Coral Gables, FL
Transitional Year: Baylor College of Medicine Dept of Surgery - Houston, TX
MD - Ross University School of Medicine - Bridgetown, Barbados
MPH - Chamberlain University - Downers Grove, IL
Graduated | Resident | Last Known Employment |
---|---|---|
2023 | Jordan Gainey, MD | Radiation Oncologist, Palmetto Radiation Oncology, Florence, South Carolina |
2023 | Calvin Lewis, MD, PhD | Instructor in Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Louis, Missouri |
2023 | Jonathan Van Wickle, MD | Radiation Oncologist, Coastal Radiation Oncology, Mission Hope Cancer Center, Santa Maria, California |
2022 | Quentin Adams, MD |
Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Iowa City, Iowa |
2022 | Cameron Callaghan, MD, MPH | Radiation Oncologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota |
2020 | Steven Seyedin, MD | Assistant Clinical Professor, University of California, Irvine-Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Orange, California |
2020 | Addison Willett, MD, JD | Radiation Oncologist, Mobile Infirmary Cancer Center, Mobile, Alabama |
2019 | Michael Marquardt, MD, MPH | Radiation Oncologist, Mercy Medical Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
2019 | Imran Mohiuddin, MD, PhD | Radiation Oncologist, AdventHealth, Orlando, Florida |
2019 | Jessica Parkhurst, MD | Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa City, Iowa |
2018 | Kristin Plichta, MD, PhD | Assistant Professor, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Iowa City, Iowa |
2018 | Amir Zahra, DO | Radiation Oncologist, Hematology and Oncology Consultants, Omaha, Nebraska |
2016 | Darrion Mitchell MD, PhD | Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Columbus, Ohio |
2016 | Sagar Patel, MD | Radiation Oncologist, The Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, Wisconsin |
2015 | Andrew Hoover, MD | Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Kansas City, Kansas |
2015 | Hualei Li, MD, PhD | Radiation Oncologist, Central Ohio Radiation Oncology, Newark Radiation Oncology, Newark, Ohio |
2014 | Ann Morris, MD | Assistant Professor, West Virginia University, Department of Radiation Oncology, Morgantown, West Virginia |
2014 | Arshin Sheybani, MD | Radiation Oncologist, John Stoddard Cancer Center, Des Moines, Iowa |
2013 | Bryan Allen, MD, PhD | Assistant Professor, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Iowa City, Iowa |
2012 | Chuck Murphy, MD | Assistant Professor, Marshall University, Department of Radiation Oncology, Huntington, West Virginia |
2012 | Bill Rockey, MD | Assistant Professor, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Iowa City, Iowa |
2011 | Joni Buechler-Price, MD | Radiation Oncologist, Frontier Cancer Center, Billings, Montana |
2011 | Wenqing Sun, MD | Assistant Professor, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Iowa City, Iowa |
2010 | Samuel Andrews, MD | Radiation Oncologist, Swedish American Regional Cancer Center, Rockford, Illinois |
2010 | Anna Olson, MD | Radiation Oncologist and Medical Director, University of Wisconsin Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin |
2009 | Casey Duncan, MD | Radiation Oncologist, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas |
2008 | David Mattson, MD, PhD | Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Medicine and Director, Breast Radiation Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer Center Institute, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York |
2007 | Joel Simmons, MD | Medical Director, Alton Memorial Hospital Cancer Care Center, Alton, Illinois |
The University of Iowa is the only institution in the world to offer a graduate degree in Free Radical and Radiation Biology FRRBP. Emphasizing the multi-disciplinary nature of the program, students have access to 5 primary and 21 adjunct faculty covering a wide gamut of scientific endeavor. One of the central purposes of the FRRBP is to study the effects of radio response of cancer cells in order to improve the treatment of cancer.
Learn more about the Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program and faculty.
The Department of Radiation Oncology is committed to education and the development of the next generation of leaders in our field. To help accomplish our educational goals, continually improve and deliver the best residency education, a Residency Education Team has been created. Each member on this team has a complement area of expertise in graduate medical education.
Kristin Plichta, MD, PhD
Program Director
kristin-plichta@uiowa.edu
Shawn Reynolds
Interim Residency Program Coordinator
shawn-reynolds@uiowa.edu
Residency Program Director, Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
Associate Professor, Chair and DEO of Radiation Oncology
Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
Clinical Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
Professor of Radiation Oncology
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology - Ottumwa Partner Site
Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology - Iowa City CTC Partner Site
Clinical Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology - Burlington Partner Site
Clinical Professor of Radiation Oncology
Clinical Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology