Outgoing ASTRO president reflects on progress, challenges
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As only the fifth female president of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, or ASTRO, Laura Dawson, MD, FRCPC, FASTRO, is aware that she is part of important change within the organization.
“The first female president was Sarah S. Donaldson, MD, in 1991 and, for years, there were few or no women on the board of directors,” Dawson said in an interview with Healio. “Now, after me, the president-elect is Geraldine M. Jacobson, MD, MPH, MBA, FACR, FASTRO. So, it does appear that times are changing and, obviously, such positive change is long overdue. We still have more work to do, however, to increase the number of underrepresented minorities as well as women in our field and in leadership positions.”
As her presidency comes to a close, Dawson spoke with Healio about challenges she faced during her tenure and how flexibility helped her overcome them, what she has learned about conducting clinical trials and how being present when at home has helped her achieve some semblance of work-life integration.
Unusual times
Dawson, who became ASTRO president-elect in 2019, acknowledged that her time serving in this role has been unusual.
“It’s been more challenging than I expected, and I think a lot of that has to do with the pandemic,” she said.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, ASTRO transitioned its in-person annual meeting last fall to a virtual format. Day-to-day planning for the 2021 meeting and other ASTRO programs also occurred almost entirely online.
“All of my communication with ASTRO staff about preparation for the annual meeting occurred virtually,” Dawson said, adding that the organization also held its board of directors meeting online last year. “It’s been a little bit more challenging to get to know my colleagues and board of directors volunteers as well as we might have if were meeting in person.”
Nevertheless, Dawson praised her colleagues’ willingness to work together in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve gotten to know some fantastic people quite well,” Dawson said. “I’m very thankful for how the ASTRO staff and the volunteers have been working so hard and are so nimble despite the challenges that COVID-19 dealt us.”
This year’s meeting, which will be held in Chicago Oct. 24-27, is a return to the in-person format for ASTRO, although there also will be a digital complement to the Chicago programming.
The need to be nimble
This ability to make changes and adjust to new information has been essential to Dawson’s presidency, she said. With the story of COVID-19 regularly evolving and changing, she has had to show flexibility in ASTRO’s plans for the annual meeting.
“Safety rules can change quickly with new directives from federal, state and local governments, and we have to be much more flexible than we have been in the past,” Dawson said. “We planned upfront for a virtual component to the meeting because we knew we had to be flexible for faculty or attendees who couldn’t physically attend but still wanted to participate.”
Dawson said although the pandemic has given rise to concerns about travel and large groups, she has found that most medical professionals are looking forward to getting together.
“I’ve heard that so many people are looking forward to an in-person meeting, even if it might be somewhat different than the meetings they have attended in the past. And we also are doing all we can to ensure a safe experience for our attendees,” she said, adding that COVID-19 vaccination is required for all participants of this year’s in-person ASTRO meeting, and masks will be required in the convention center.
Research priorities
In addition to her responsibilities as ASTRO president, Dawson is very involved with conducting research on gastrointestinal cancers and radiation technology, especially through the NRG Oncology national clinical trials network.
Dawson’s first NRG Oncology (formerly the Radiation Therapy Oncology group) trial, RTOG-0438, evaluated the use of highly conformal radiation therapy for liver metastases.
“The trial I’ve spent most of my time on is RTOG-1112,” said Dawson, who is the trial’s principal investigator. “This study compares sorafenib [Nexavar, Bayer] to stereotactic body radiation therapy followed by sorafenib for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer.”
Dawson said RTOG-1112 is the first randomized phase 3 study to address whether SBRT can improve survival among patients with HCC.
“I learned quite a bit leading this trial. For example, we overestimated how many patients would be accrued to the study and had to adjust recruitment protocols in response,” she said. “I learned that conducting trials is challenging and requires patience, effort, grit and teamwork. The results will tell us whether SBRT provides an additional treatment option for people with liver cancer.”
Dawson said she is committed to continuing her research into HCC.
“It’s been one of the more neglected types of liver cancer,” she said. “Our understanding of how to treat HCC has improved quite a bit in recent years, but research in this area is still underfunded given how common this cancer is around the world.”
Work-life integration
Dawson said for her, finding a balance between work and life is a continual work in progress.
“It might appear that many of us are balanced, but that’s not always how it is, and there have been challenges along the way,” she said. “Early in my career, a mentor of mine, who also is a mom and an internationally renowned leader in radiation oncology, reminded me that it’s OK to prioritize family and personal life over career at times. I‘ve learned to leave work behind at the end of the day. So, when I’m home with my family, I don’t feel obliged to look at work emails. I really try to be present with my family when I am with them.”
She said having a supportive partner has certainly helped in terms of achieving balance between her demanding career and spending time with her three sons.
“Having a very supportive husband is incredibly helpful to me,” she said. “From day 1, my husband has been supportive of my career and has played a huge role in household and family responsibilities.”
Dawson said she hopes her sons learn the importance of cooperation and shared responsibilities that their parents model at home.
“I wouldn't mind them considering careers in radiation oncology, either,” she said.
For more information:
Laura Dawson, MD, FRCPC, FASTRO, can be reached at laura.dawson@rmp.uhn.ca.
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