Physicians specializing
in Radiology & Oncology
receive highest honors
from ASTRO
in Radiology & Oncology
receive highest honors
from ASTRO
ASTRO Announces 2007 Gold Medalists
July 11, 2007
by Amanda Thambounaris, Staff Writer, Old Employees
Fairfax, Va. -- The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2007 Gold Medal, the highest honor ASTRO bestows. Jay R. Harris, M.D., and Larry E. Kun, M.D., will receive their awards on October 30 at the Gold Medal Ceremony at ASTRO's 49th Annual Meeting held October 28 through November 1, 2007, in Los Angeles.
"The ASTRO Gold Medal is the highest distinction ASTRO can give to its members," said K. Kian Ang, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of ASTRO's Board of Directors and a radiation oncologist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "It is my pleasure to honor Larry and Jay with this award; they both have dedicated their lives to the advancement of radiation oncology, serving the Society in many capacities, and helping the people in their community fight cancer."
Dr. Harris is Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as Residency Program Director for the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. He graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine and did his residency at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Harris' main research interest has been in the area of breast cancer, with a focus on establishing the most effective and safe radiation treatment for these patients. He helped pioneer the use of breast-conserving therapy for patients with early stage breast cancer.
Dr. Harris has been an active member of several professional medical societies, including ASTRO where he served as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors and the American Board of Radiology where he served as Trustee. Dr. Harris has written six books and currently sits on four editorial boards in the oncology field. He is the senior editor of Diseases of the Breast, now in its third edition.
Dr. Kun is the Chairman of the Department of Radiological Sciences at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. After earning his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Dr. Kun completed his residency at Penrose Cancer Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo., moving then to the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., as a Clinical Associate. Later he became an Assistant Radiotherapist at the Rotterdam Radiotherapy Institute in the Netherlands.
With an academic and clinical career spanning more than 35 years, Dr. Kun has established himself in the field of radiation oncology as a well-respected pediatric oncologist, focusing on malignancies like brain tumors and other childhood cancers. Dr. Kun has served as ASTRO's President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, and has served in leadership roles for several committee and task forces in the organization. He is the Trustee of the American Board of Radiology and he chairs its Maintenance of Certification Committee.
He is Chair of the National Cancer Institute's Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium. He is also a member of the Radiation Oncology Residency Review Committee and has held leadership positions in the Pediatric Oncology Group and the Children's Oncology Group, the Society for Neuro-Oncology, and the American College of Radiology. Dr. Kun is a founding member of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer and has published more than 340 peer-reviewed papers.
"The ASTRO Gold Medal is the highest distinction ASTRO can give to its members," said K. Kian Ang, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of ASTRO's Board of Directors and a radiation oncologist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "It is my pleasure to honor Larry and Jay with this award; they both have dedicated their lives to the advancement of radiation oncology, serving the Society in many capacities, and helping the people in their community fight cancer."
Dr. Harris is Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as Residency Program Director for the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. He graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine and did his residency at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Harris' main research interest has been in the area of breast cancer, with a focus on establishing the most effective and safe radiation treatment for these patients. He helped pioneer the use of breast-conserving therapy for patients with early stage breast cancer.
Dr. Harris has been an active member of several professional medical societies, including ASTRO where he served as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors and the American Board of Radiology where he served as Trustee. Dr. Harris has written six books and currently sits on four editorial boards in the oncology field. He is the senior editor of Diseases of the Breast, now in its third edition.
Dr. Kun is the Chairman of the Department of Radiological Sciences at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. After earning his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Dr. Kun completed his residency at Penrose Cancer Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo., moving then to the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., as a Clinical Associate. Later he became an Assistant Radiotherapist at the Rotterdam Radiotherapy Institute in the Netherlands.
With an academic and clinical career spanning more than 35 years, Dr. Kun has established himself in the field of radiation oncology as a well-respected pediatric oncologist, focusing on malignancies like brain tumors and other childhood cancers. Dr. Kun has served as ASTRO's President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, and has served in leadership roles for several committee and task forces in the organization. He is the Trustee of the American Board of Radiology and he chairs its Maintenance of Certification Committee.
He is Chair of the National Cancer Institute's Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium. He is also a member of the Radiation Oncology Residency Review Committee and has held leadership positions in the Pediatric Oncology Group and the Children's Oncology Group, the Society for Neuro-Oncology, and the American College of Radiology. Dr. Kun is a founding member of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer and has published more than 340 peer-reviewed papers.