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American Society for Radiation Oncology announces president-elect, new board members
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Laura Dawson, MD, FASTRO, has been chosen as president-elect of American Society for Radiation Oncology.
Dawson leads a multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists in upper gastrointestinal cancers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She also is professor of radiation oncology at University of Toronto and directs the palliative radiation oncology program.
“I am honored to be elected as ASTRO’s president-elect,” Dawson said in a press release. “Radiation oncology is a highly effective intervention that most [patients with cancer] benefit from at some point during the course of their disease. Unfortunately, not all patients have access to radiation therapy, and there is a need for improved public awareness about its benefits.”
Dawson will serve a 1-year term as president-elect, followed by a 1-year term as president and a 1-yaer term as chair of the ASTRO board. Issues she plans to address include workforce diversity, physician burnout and restrictive prior authorization practices.
Three other new officers will join ASTRO’s board of directors in September.
N eha Vapiwala, MD, will serve as secretary/treasurer-elect. Vapiwala — recognized for her expertise in genitourinary cancers — is associate professor and vice chair of education in the department of radiation oncology, as well as dean of admissions at Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania.
Vapiwala will serve a 1-year term as secretary/treasurer-elect, followed by a 3-year term as secretary/treasurer.
Constantine “Connie” Mantz, MD, will be the new Health Policy Council vice chair. Mantz — chief policy officer and radiation oncologist at 21st Century Oncology in Fort Myers, Florida — has been involved in key administrative projects related to revenue cycle management, payer contracting, business intelligence and compliance.
Brian Marples, PhD, will be the new Science Council vice chair. Marples — research professor and director of radiobiology in the department of radiation oncology at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine — is senior biology editor for International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, ASTRO’s flagship journal.
Mantz and Marples will serve 2-year terms of vice chair of their respective councils, followed by 2-year terms as council chairs.