Department of Radiation Oncology North Carolina Clinical Cancer Center 101 Manning Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (919) 966-1101 Clinic (919) 966-7700 Administration (919) 966-7704 Physics and Computing (919) 966-7710 Radiation Biology (919) 966-7681 FAX

Background

The clinical specialty of radiation oncology is a multi-disciplinary field requiring a cooperative effort between radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and oncology nurses.

Radiation therapists are integral members of the patient treatment team, whose duties include patient positioning during simulated and actual radiation treatments, the handling of radioactive materials, the recording and verification of doses, the fabrication of special radiation shields, filters and immobilization devices, and the monitoring of patients' general medical condition based on a knowledge of basic nursing care and the nature of radiation-induced side effects. In addition, close interpersonal relationships that often develop between patients and their therapists demand that the therapist also be a sympathetic caregiver and patient advocate.

The medical dosimetrist also plays an important role as a member of the cancer treatment team by specializing in the calculation of the radiation dose given to patients, and the planning of optimal treatment techniques using sophisticated computer hardware and software. As such, the medical dosimetrist must be able to apply the knowledge and skills of mathematics, medical physics, computer science, clinical oncology and cancer and radiation biology on a daily basis.

Students in these programs receive clinical training in both existing and emerging radiation therapy practices and procedures, including treatment planning (2-, 2.5- and 3-dimensional planning, plus IMRT), simulation, quality assurance, high and low dose rate brachytherapy, external beam therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, intraoperative radiation therapy, and total body irradiation.

Overview of Programs

UNC Hospitals offers two, one year post-radiologic technology training programs in radiation therapy and medical dosimetry. Candidates for the medical dosimetry program often have already completed training in radiation therapy; more detailed descriptions, specific prerequisites, and application deadlines for each program are outlined on the pages below.

 Radiation Therapy Program Details and Application Procedures - next deadline: January 30, 2007

 Medical Dosimetry Program Details and Application Procedures - next deadline: March 1, 2007

The Radiation Therapy certificate program is designed to prepare men and women for professional practice as radiation therapists in the health care specialty of radiation oncology. Upon completion of the one year radiation therapy program, graduates are eligible for national certification by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) in radiation therapy.

Graduates of the medical dosimetry program are eligible for national certification by the Medical Dosimetry Certification Board after six months of clinical experience.

The radiation therapy program has been accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) since 1969. The medical dosimetry program is formally recognized by the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) and is one of only two fully-accredited programs nationally.

For additional information about our certificate training programs beyond that provided on the "program details" pages (above), please contact:

Robert D. Adams, RT(R)(T), CMD, MPH, EdD
Program Director, Radiation Therapy and Medical Dosimetry Programs
Department of Radiation Oncology
UNC Hospitals
101 Manning Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Phone:  (919) 966-1101
E-Mail:  Robert_Adams@med.unc.edu

Facilities

The Radiation Therapy and Dosimetry Certificate Programs are sponsored and supported by The University of North Carolina School of Medicine's Department of Radiation Oncology and The UNC Hospitals.

The Department of Radiation Oncology occupies over 36,000 square feet of clinical, physics, computing, classroom and radiation biology research space. The Department treats over 1,000 patients per year, and is an integral part of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 36 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. The Department offers external beam radiotherapy using linear accelerators, both high and low dose rate interstitial or intracavitary brachytherapy, total body irradiation, stereotactic radiosurgery, intraoperative radiation therapy, and other specialized therapies for both the curative and palliative treatment of cancer. The Department also has active research programs in clinical oncology, radiation and cancer biology, and medical physics, and is an acknowledged world leader in the area of computer-aided radiotherapy treatment planning.

The University of North Carolina Hospitals consists of three individual hospitals: The North Carolina Memorial Hospital, The Women's and Children's Hospital, and the Neurosciences Hospital. UNC is a teaching and referral center with more than 600 inpatient beds and numerous outpatient clinics. Each year, the health care system admits more than 20,000 patients and has 300,000 clinical visits.

UNC Healthcare--which comprises both the School of Medicine and UNC Hospitals portions of the healthcare enterprise--gained a three year accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals Organization in March, 2002.

Program Faculty

All students in our certificate programs are under the tutelage of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation biologists, certified medical dosimetrists, and certified radiation therapists. Program faculty include UNC Hospitals professional staff and UNC School of Medicine faculty.

Program Leadership:

Faculty Member	Education	Professional Interests
Robert Adams Program Director Assistant Professor UNC Dept. of Radiation Oncology	RT (R) (T) CMD Therapy Program: UNC Hospitals BS: Averett University MPH: UNC Chapel Hill EdD: North Carolina State University	Radiation therapy clinical practice Medical dosimetry Radiologic science education
Larry Stanley Administrative Director	RT (R) (T) Therapy Program: UNC Hospitals BS: Greensboro College MPH: UNC Chapel Hill	Health policy and administration
David Morris Medical Director Radiation Therapy Program Assistant Professor UNC Dept. of Radiation Oncology	BA: Georgetown University MD: Georgetown University Residency Training: UNC Chapel Hill	Radiation oncology clinical practice
Katharin Deschesne Medical Physics Director	BS: University of Florida Gainesville MS: University of Florida Gainesville DABR, Therapeutic Radiological Physics	Clinical physics and dosimetry Quality assurance
Laura Stabler Chief Radiation Therapist	RT (R) (T) Therapy Program: UNC Hospitals BS: North Carolina State University MPH: UNC Chapel Hill	Radiation therapy clinical practice Health occupations education

Other School of Medicine Faculty:

Faculty Member	Education	Professional Interests
Jun Lian Assistant Professor UNC Dept. of Radiation Oncology	BS: Tsinghua University MS: Chinese Academy of Sciences PhD: Case Western Reserve University Post-Doc: Stanford University DABR, Therapeutic Radiological Physics	Radiation therapy physics Medical image processing
Eric Schreiber Assistant Professor UNC Dept. of Radiation Oncology	BS: University of Notre Dame PhD: Duke University Post-Doc: UNC Chapel Hill	Medical physics and computing
Elaine Zeman Associate Professor UNC Dept. of Radiation Oncology	AB: Brown University PhD: Colorado State University Post-Doc: Stanford University	Radiation and cancer biology Radiologic science education

Clinical Instructors and Facilitators:

Faculty Member	Education	Professional Interests
Dana LaChapelle Clinical Instructor Supervisor Radiation Therapist	RT (R) (T) Therapy Program: UNC Hospitals	Radiation therapy clinical practice Clinical teaching
Ernest Bowen Radiation Therapist	RT (R) (T) Therapy Program: UNC Hospitals BA: Presbyterian College MS: Clemson University	Radiation therapy clinical practice Healthcare economics
Christopher Broyles Radiation Therapist	BS RT (T) BS: UNC Chapel Hill	Radiation therapy clinical practice
Anne Camp Radiation Therapist	RT (R) (T) Therapy Program: UNC Hospitals	Radiation therapy clinical practice
Timothy Cullip Software Engineer	BS: San Diego State University MS: UNC Chapel Hill	PLUNC treatment planning software design and implementation
Nadia Guthrie Radiation Therapist	BS RT (T) BS: Virginia Commonwealth University	Radiation therapy clinical practice
Amy Issacs Radiation Therapist	BS RT (T) BS: UNC Chapel Hill	Radiation therapy clinical practice
Mark Kostich Certified Medical Dosimetrist	RT (R) (T) CMD Therapy Program: University of Cincinnati	Medical dosimetry Radiation therapy clinical practice
Talisha Person Radiation Therapist	RT (R) (T) Therapy Program: Virginia Commonwealth University	Radiation therapy clinical practice
Larry Potter Medical Physicist	BS: UNC Chapel Hill MS: UNC Chapel Hill	Medical physics and dosimetry
Kevin Shivel Radiation Therapist	BS RT (T) BS: Winthrop University	Radiation therapy clinical practice
Deborah Waters Radiation Therapist	RT (R) (T) Therapy Program: Duke University Medical Center	Radiation therapy clinical practice

Administrative Support:

Lynette Bagwell Administrative Assistant UNC Dept. of Radiation Oncology

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