The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) elected three new officers to ASTRO’s Board of Directors, including Jeff M. Michalski, MD, MBA, FASTRO, as President-elect, Catheryn Yashar, MD, FASTRO, as Health Policy Council Vice Chair and John Buatti, MD, FASTRO, as Science Council Vice Chair. The officers will begin their terms in October during ASTRO’s 63rd Annual Meeting in Chicago.

In his tenure as President-elect and eventual Chair of ASTRO, Dr. Michalski plans to focus on the Society’s priority issues including safeguarding equitable patient access to life-saving cancer treatment; building a pipeline of diverse radiation oncology clinicians and researchers; and developing programs and policies that will prepare the future workforce to meet the evolving cancer care landscape.

“Radiation oncologists have led many essential and innovative clinical research advances that enhance patient outcomes and extend survival. We face ever-growing challenges, however, and as the world emerges from a transformative pandemic, we are reminded that collaboration, inclusion and equity are indispensable for progress, whether within our specialty, with our partners in multidisciplinary oncology or with our patients," said Dr. Michalski. "I will work to ensure that ASTRO's membership and leadership more closely represent the diverse populations we care for and that we protect access to critical and cost-effective cancer therapy for all communities."
Dr. Michalski is the Carlos Perez Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of radiation oncology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. A nationally recognized expert in genitourinary cancers, pediatric cancers and cancer survivorship care, he has extensive experience leading and supporting clinical trials and developing clinical guidelines with ASTRO and other organizations including the National Cancer Institute. He also co-chairs the radiation oncology section of the NRG Oncology national clinical trials group.

Dr. Michalski has an extensive record of service to ASTRO and the oncology field. He previously was elected to serve on the ASTRO Board of Directors as Secretary/Treasurer of ASTRO and led the Society's Finance Committee. He also is a current executive editor of Practical Radiation Oncology, ASTRO's clinical practice journal, and a member of the joint Blue Ribbon Panel between ASTRO and the Veterans Health Administration to improve prostate cancer care.

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