Radiation Oncology Clerkship

The Department offers clerkships in radiation oncology for interested medical students, both at UNC and from other US medical schools. Clinical fellows from other UNC departments, physician’s assistant and pharmacy trainees, and nurse practitioners are also eligible to take part in aspects of the clerkship program.

Two clerkship options are available, a two week exploratory rotation for those with an interest in radiation oncology but not intending to pursue a career in the field, and a month-long experience for those who do intend to pursue a career in radiation oncology. The latter are required to give a morning conference presentation at the clerkship’s end on an oncology-related topic of their choosing.

Students are expected to work-up patients, perform physical exams independently, and present cases to faculty physicians. They are exposed to treatment planning, simulation and treatment delivery using linear accelerators, CyberKnife®, TomoTherapy® and brachytherapy. Didactic lectures provide background on the history of radiation oncology, and on basic principles of radiation physics and radiation/cancer biology. The students are evaluated by clinical faculty and staff, based on the ACGME competencies of medical knowledge, patient care, interpersonal skills and communication, practice based learning and improvement, and professionalism.

These structured clerkships, supervised by radiation oncologist Dr. Ashley Weiner, have significantly increased the visibility of the specialty of radiation oncology at UNC, and also serve as a conduit for medical students and fellows wishing to take a year off from their training in order to conduct research in our department.

Trainees Conducting Clinical Research in Radiation Oncology (2012-2017)

• • Jordan Holmes, UNC medical student – currently an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Indiana School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
  • William Stokes, UNC medical student and Holderness Distinguished Medical Scholar – currently an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
  • Trevor Royce, UNC medical student and Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellow – currently an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
  • Adam Kuykendal, UNC medical oncology fellow and National Research Service Award (NRSA) Postdoctoral Fellow – currently a medical oncologist at Novant Health Cancer Specialists, Matthews, NC
  • Kevin Pearlstein, UNC medical student – currently an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology Hillsborough Campus, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Hillsborough, NC
  • Mark Waddle, UNC medical student – currently a radiation oncology resident at the Mayo Jacksonville School of Graduate Medical Education, Jacksonville, FL
  • Brandon Mullins, UNC medical student – currently a radiation oncology resident at UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC
  • Brock Baker, UNC medical student – currently a radiation oncology resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
  • Jahan Mohiuddin, UNC medical student – currently a radiation oncology resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
  • James Broughman, UNC medical student – currently a radiation oncology resident at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
  • Brittaney-Belle Gordon, UNC medical student – currently an internal medicine resident at Tisch Hospital in New York, NY