The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology has awarded $32,800 in grants to 10 institutions to help support radiation therapist training program.

Radiation therapists are vital members of the radiation oncology treatment team that works together to ensure cancer patients receive the radiation therapy they need to treat their cancer. ASTRO's grant program is designed to provide accredited radiation therapy technology training programs with additional funds to help bolster enrollment and defray the cost of educational materials and distance-based learning initiatives. Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga.; Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio; Manhattan College in New York; Radiation Therapy Services, Inc., in Fort Meyers, Fla.; University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.; Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, Maine; Radiation Therapy at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y.; Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago; Erie Community College in Erie, Pa.; and Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute in Little Rock, Ark., were among the institutions receiving grant money from ASTRO.

"This program is a great way for ASTRO to ensure that our members have the talented staff they need to treat the cancer patients we all work so hard to cure," said John Kresl, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of ASTRO's Workforce Committee and a radiation oncologist at Arizona Oncology Services and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. "The field of radiation oncology has experienced a workforce shortage in recent years and ASTRO has attempted to stem that by offering many funding opportunities each year, including this grant."
In the past, the program has successfully supported dozens of radiation therapy technology programs throughout the country with donations from ASTRO members adding up to as much as $5,000 to an individual program. The ASTRO Education and Development Fund will match contributed amounts of up to $5,000 for any one program.

In addition to the technology grant, ASTRO actively fosters the cultivation of the next generation of radiation oncologists and professionals in the field of radiation oncology by offering eight different awards or grants throughout the calendar year that totaled nearly $400,000 in 2005.

ASTRO is once again offering the Radiation Therapy Technology Education Matching Fund Program in 2006 and will be accepting donations and applications throughout the year. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis.

To learn more about ASTRO's Awards and Grants, contact Omari W. Keeles at omarik@astro.org or visit http://www.astro.org/research/funding_opportunities/astro_awards/. For more information on radiation therapy careers, visit http://www.rtanswers.org/treatment/oncology_team.htm.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 8,500 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to the advancement of the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.

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