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Department of Radiation Oncology

The University of Washington Department of Radiation Oncology is led by innovators and visionaries in the field of cancer care. It produces some of the finest radiation oncologists in the nation.

A Brief History of Excellence

The University of Washington School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology was formed in 1979, an amalgam of three divisions: radiation oncology, radiation biology and medical physics.  However, the Department’s research and innovation had been established years before in the early 1970s when National Institutes of Health funding was received to study cyclotron-generated fast neutron beams.

Today, the three divisions remain; we’ve added a fourth division, radiation chemistry, and the studies on the Cyclotron led to the establishment of its own center, including the UW Medical Cyclotron Facility.  The education program has grown to include accredited residency programs in both medical radiation oncology (physicians) and medical physics (physicists), two newly established medical fellowships in stereotactic radiation therapy and proton therapy, and several post-doctoral research positions.

The Department has 29 physician faculty, 20 physicists and research faculty, and 7 ARNP/PA-C faculty.  The training programs include 10 radiation oncology residents, 4 medical physics residents, and several postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students participating in various research projects in radiation biology and molecular medicine, medical physics, and radiation chemistry.

The UW Department of Radiation Oncology is committed to fulfilling, specific to radiation oncology, UW Medicine’s mission to improve the health of the public by:

  • Advancing medical knowledge;
  • Providing outstanding primary and specialty care to the people of the region;
  • Preparing tomorrow’s physicians, scientists, and other health professionals; and
  • Continuing the legacy of the UW School of Medicine, which is widely known for high-quality, cost-effective education.

A core value for the department is to bring an innovative, caring, comprehensive and collaborative approach to each of our service areas: Clinical Care, Education, and Research.

Diversity Statement

For the University of Washington Department of Radiation Oncology – diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are core values and mission priorities. Our work begins with the acknowledgement of the land we occupy today as the traditional home of the Tulalip, Muckleshoot, Duwamish and Suquamish tribal nations. It is then followed by the acceptance and celebration of the differences that are represented through the many diverse, black, indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC) communities that surround us. We recognize that we are bound together in a collective experience and that our actions impact all in our community. When we focus on the lives of the most marginalized groups amongst us, we create conditions of equity, justice, and excellence for all. In our department, DEI is integral to excellence and it is our social responsibility to create actionable steps to create positive change. Only then can we truly help in improving the health of all people.

Clinical Care

We have explored and invested in advanced radiation therapy technologies.  We are the only radiation oncology facility in North America which offers the widest range of radiation therapy modalities. Beyond the commonly used Photon and Electron radiation, we offer both particle therapies to our patients: Neutrons, which have a higher effectiveness against certain types of cancer; and Protons, which have a unique ability to better protect normal tissues near the tumor from the radiation beam.  Having assembled a talented, specialized team of physicians and other providers, we are able to offer a complete spectrum of radiation therapy options for a wide range of cancers, including extremely rare cancers.

The University of Washington is recognized as one of the country’s premier cancer centers.  We are a member institution of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and our faculty members contribute to NCCN guidelines.  We are affiliated with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, which pioneered bone marrow transplantation and whose faculty have won three Nobel prizes.

UW Medicine, together with Fred Hutch Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s form the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Northwest. This group of organizations is one of the top-funded cancer centers in the country and is ranked ninth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 2020-2021.

Education

The goal of our educational programs is to train future leaders in the field of radiation oncology and medical physics.  Residents receive outstanding training in clinical radiation oncology, treatment planning, radiation physics, and radiobiology, enabling graduates to provide comprehensive patient care and QA activities.  All our residents conduct substantive research in clinical radiation oncology, translational science, education, and health services, including safety and quality improvement.  All faculty actively participate in the education program.

Residents rotate through several sites in the UW Medicine system and receive clinical training in all aspects of radiation oncology.  They become adept in diverse radiation therapy modalities, including photons, protons, neutrons, electrons, low dose rate and high dose rate brachytherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery with the Gamma Knife, stereotactic body radiation therapy, intraoperative radiation therapy using a Mobetron unit, and intravascular therapy.

Research

The department has active research programs in particle therapy, integration of advanced imaging into radiation therapy practice, fundamental radiation biology, and medical physics topics such as Monte Carlo, multi-objective  optimization, tumor response modeling, synthetic diamond detectors, smARTsKin, decision theory, patient safety, and experimental therapy proton irradiator.  In addition, we are enrolling patients on trials with cooperative groups including NRG, Alliance, COG, and PCG.

Resident Research Days and Faculty Research Retreats encourage research and collaboration within and outside the department.

Staff

In addition to the faculty, the department is fortunate to have the resources of dedicated and highly experienced professionals to provide clinical radiation care and assist those who visit us in person, by phone, or via our website.

Ramesh Rengan, MD, PhD, FASTRO

Professor and Chair

Dr. Rengan became Department Chair in April 2020. Dr. Rengan is Faculty of the Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, and Professor of the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Department Happenings

IF/THEN: She Can Change the World!

Pacific Science Center here in Seattle put together a “Science is for Everyone” exhibit and is now hosting six of the statues of women from the PNW, including mine for medical physics. If you have kids interested in science and want to stop by, it’s near the tide pool exhibit, at the loft level. Local news segment on the exhibit: https://www.fox13seattle.com/video/1382106

We’re Hiring! New Faculty Openings January 2024

The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Washington has several new faculty openings for well qualified candidates.

We’re Hiring! New Staff Openings January 2024

The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Washington has several new staff openings for well qualified candidates.

Dr. Macklin Nguyen: 4th quarter Radiating Star!

Macklin Nguyen is our medical resident who is always helpful, easy to work with, and very transparent about what is needed. He is more than a doctor, he is a true teammate. We need more like him.

Advisory Committee

Ramesh Rengan, MD, PhD, FASTRO

Professor and Chair

Jason K. Rockhill, MD, PhD

Professor

Waylene Wang, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Alex Hsi, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Jing Zeng, MD

Associate Professor

Ralph Ermoian, MD

Associate Professor

Tony Quang, MD, JD

Associate Professor

Edward Kim, MD

Associate Professor

Janice Kim, MD

Associate Professor

Eric Ford, PhD, FAAPM

Professor, Director and Vice-Chair of Medical Physics

Lia Halasz, MD

Associate Professor

Kristi Hendrickson, PhD, DABR

Associate Professor

Smith “Jim” Apisarnthanarax, MD

Associate Professor