University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Radiation Oncology James P. Wilmot Cancer Center MedicineHighest
Information For:
Education
Overview,
Medical Student Teaching/Rotations,
Radiation Oncology Fellowship Program,
Residency Program

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Overview
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George Uschold, RT, EdD, ROCC, FASRT,
Director of Administration, Operations, and Education
Dr. Uschold is chief department administrator and oversees departmental operations and education programs at the University and three satellite centers. The clinical programs are uniquely intertwined with educational programs providing internships for radiation therapy, nursing and social work students in addition to postgraduate medical education opportunities.

The activities of this division involve both active teaching and the publication of a wide variety of material pertinent to the field of radiation oncology. The central programs include medical student instruction (both through courses and elective rotations), residency training, and continuing postgraduate education for fellows, faculty and practitioners.

The Education Division is uniquely designed to provide education for a broad range of health care practitioners and patients. Above all else, the University of Rochester is a teaching institution as well as a center for delivering patient care.


The Education Division strives to be comprehensive in its educational offerings by providing a diversity of programs serving a wide range of students, practitioners, and patients. Through flexibility, creativity, and variety, the Education Division meets the life-long educational needs of these individuals by keeping them abreast of the rapidly changing medical and scientific knowledge.

All departmental faculty members participate in the development and implementation of numerous educational programs, courses, and publications. Specific faculty members have been appointed by the Chairman to direct each of the specialized programs.

In addition, programs in postgraduate education, medical school courses, medical student elective rotations, dosimetry training, in-service lectures and courses, continuing medical education (CME) offerings, education grants, and publications and special projects are developed by this division. _______

Medical Student Teaching/Rotations
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Elective opportunities are offered to 3rd & 4th year University of Rochester medical students, as well as visiting students, international students, and visiting residents. The goal of these elective rotations is to provide students with an understanding of cancer management in a multidisciplinary setting with an emphasis on clinical radiation oncology.

If you are a medical student and would like to participate in a rotation in our department, please contact the Medical School Registrar's Office to arrange this - tel: (585) 275-4541.

If you are a resident and would like to participate in a rotation in our department, please contact Wendy Malorzo at RadOncResidency@Rochester.edu. Additional information regarding the requirements to participate in this rotation can be found at: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/gme/Resident_Manual/VisitingResidents.cfm.

Learning Objectives:
  1. Discuss the natural history of malignant disease.
  2. Describe standard work-up and diagnostic tests used in the evaluation of new patients and in follow-up clinic.
  3. Discuss staging of the disease and its relationship to development of a treatment plan.
  4. Explain indications for delivering radiation therapy.
  5. Discuss the process leading up to and including formulation of a treatment plan.
  6. Describe integration of other standard therapeutic modalities (surgery and chemotherapy) in cancer management.
  7. Identify various side effects associated with radiation therapy treatments and explain management techniques.
Schedule of Activities:
Students are assigned to several radiation oncology services during these rotations, to provide a good overview of different types of clinical care we provide. Students follow patients from consult through treatment, with emphasis on all aspects of patient care, particularly on diagnostic evaluation of new patients leading to accurate staging of disease and formulation of a treatment plan, often multidisciplinary in character.

Didactic Activities:
Students also participate in educational conferences and teaching rounds:
      New Patient Conference -- 1 hour once per week.
      Treatment Planning Chart Rounds -- 1 hour once per week.

Required Reading:
Clinical Oncology: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Physicians & Students, 8th Edition, by Philip Rubin MD -- major reference text.

Evaluation:
At the end of each rotation, the medical student is evaluated for his/her progress by the Course Director, with input from supervising Attendings with whom he/she was involved. These evaluations include assessments of the student's clinical, presentation, and research skills, as well as their enthusiasm for the specialty. They are submitted to the Medical School for the student's academic record.

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Radiation Oncology Fellowship Program
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The University of Rochester Radiation Oncology Fellowship Program is designed to foster both clinical and academic excellence in its trainees, providing a sophisticated understanding of our field. Fellows are thus trained in an environment that constantly exposes them to interdisciplinary approaches to cancer care and research. We believe that fellows who complete our program have developed expertise in select areas of radiation oncology, which will poise them to contribute to any future program they join and also to the field of radiation oncology.

Our Fellowship Program is a non-accredited program. Fellowships are offered for 1-2 years, strengthening the fellow's proficiency in patient management while developing skills in clinical investigation. In addition, the Fellow receives instruction in biostatistics, epidemiology, computer data management and analysis, ethical considerations in investigation, biomedical writing, and the development of new technologies.

We accept residency graduates, who wish to gain additional experience in a specific aspect of Radiation Oncology, as well as foreign medical graduates, who are certified radiation oncologists in their own country. Thus, these 'trainees' come to us already very highly skilled, and enhance to the quality of our educational environment.

If you would like to apply to our Fellowship Program, please send an e-mail to RadOncResidency@Rochester.edu. Please include a cover letter outlining the areas of specialty training and research in which you are interested, and an up-to-date CV

Fellowship Program Objectives
The goal of the Fellowship training program is to provide the trainee with a solid foundation for continuing to develop proficiency in select areas of radiation oncology. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of sound clinical judgment, a formal knowledge and experience base to continue clinical research, and an enthusiasm for perpetual self-education in the chosen area of interest. Ideally the Fellow will develop a more thorough perspective of the complexities of the field and the potentials to initiate progress. A clinical investigation performed by the Fellow is an implicit aspect of this training.

Clinical Objectives
Five areas within the subspeciality of Radiation Oncology, all requiring an expertise beyond that which can be acquired in the years of residency training, are available for study. These include l) pediatric radiation oncology, 2) bone marrow transplantation oncology, 3) high dose rate brachytherapy, 4) stereotactic radiosurgery, and 5) the chronic adverse effects of cytotoxic therapy. The Fellow should choose two, or possibly three of these areas for a focused learning experience. The educational objectives for the Fellow will then, broadly, be twofold:

(A) The clinical training of the Fellow will be directed toward providing a firm understanding of the following:
  1. The natural history of the relevant cancer
  2. Indications for radiation therapy
  3. Special considerations unique to each cancer type and modality of therapy
  4. Creative treatment planning to optimize the administration of radiation therapy
  5. Normal tissue radiosensitivity in order to make informed decisions relevant to the indications and administration of therapy
(B) The academic training of the Fellow will foster investigation in the clinic relevant to any of the selected areas of clinical training, or into the morbid effects of cytotoxic therapy. Investigations in the latter area are oriented toward the following:
  1. To describe the characteristics of these effects.
  2. To understand the pathogenesis of these effects.
  3. To discern interventions in their development.
  4. To devise strategies to overcome established normal tissue damage
Educational Objectives
In the first year, the Fellow participates in patient management and relevant conferences in the Department of Radiation Oncology, the Division of Pediatric Oncology, the Bone Marrow Transplantation unit, or select surgical divisions. A major emphasis is involvement in the Long-term Survivors Clinic. Several specific protocols are followed in this clinic and the associated Clinical Research Center, devised to study the morbid effects of cytotoxic therapy on several organ systems. The Fellow also begins training in highly technical areas, as well as undertaking a clinical research project.

The second year is primarily devoted to completing specialized training in select subspecialties and scientific investigation, prompted by the clinical experience gained in the first year. The goal is to teach the Fellow the principles and methods by which new knowledge is obtained. The relative percentages of time in these efforts will be individually determined by the Fellow and his/her mentor.

The Fellow also participates in an academic training program designed to teach the fundamentals of manuscript and grant preparation. It is the goal of the Fellowship Program that the individual will be provided a foundation in clinical and academic medicine that will allow him/her to continue a self-supporting career in radiation oncology. Beyond this, the fellow gains experience in the following: biostatistics, epidemiology, computer data management and analysis, ethical considerations in investigation, biomedical writing, and the development of new technologies.

Research Objectives
The specific investigational project is chosen by the Fellow. Research supervision is close and continuous, primarily by the leader of the clinical service or laboratory in which the Fellow works.

Evaluation
Throughout the two years of training, the Fellow is evaluated for his/her progress by the Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology, other Attendings with whom he/she is involved, and the laboratory scientists who oversee his/her investigational work. These evaluations include assessments of the Fellow's clinical, teaching, and research skills, and are intended to educate the Fellow toward improving his/her quality of work.