The Department of Radiation Oncology at Tufts Medical Center (Tufts MC) was founded in 1968 by Dr. Fernando Bloedorn. The department is also associated with Tufts University School of Medicine. It is one of the first truly separate departments in radiotherapy departments in a medical school and major teaching hospital in the United States and the first on the East Coast.
Our 415-bed robust academic medical center provides a wide range of services, from routine medical care to treating the most complex diseases affecting adults and children. Tufts MC provides heart, kidney and bone marrow transplants, is a Level 1 Trauma Center and offers cutting-edge cancer treatment.
It is also the home to the Boston Gamma Knife Center, the first and only gamma knife in Massachusetts and northern New England.
In addition, we proudly offer all levels of pediatric care at Tufts Medical Center, a full-service children’s hospital located on our Boston campus.
The emphasis is on careful technique, the use of cutting-edge treatment planning/delivery technology, interstitial and intra-cavity therapy whenever appropriate, and the stress on pre-, post-, or inter-operatively, which is always emphasized. Furthermore, the care of the whole patient, including other medical problems and the psychiatric aspects of each case, is a major emphasis of our training program.
The core of the clinical training is hands-on clinical experience under the close supervision of faculty radiation oncologists. The residents first see each new patient. Great importance is placed on the initial history and physical exam, followed by a review of X-rays, pathology and remaining work-up. The resident makes a suggested treatment plan, which the faculty reviews. The resident then performs the simulation with faculty oversight and follows the patient through treatment. Each resident also sees follow-up patients with the attending physician. Interspersed from the beginning is the teaching of fundamentals of physics and radiobiology so that the clinical experience will be enriched by a basic understanding of the action of ionizing radiation on normal and tumor tissue.
As the trainee grows in ability and clinical experience, they are encouraged to accept graduated responsibility, but always under the close supervision of the rotation faculty member.
Each trainee is expected to complete one research project leading to publication. Interest in basic radiobiology and molecular biology is nurtured. Residents are expected to actively participate in the teaching of medical students, dental students, and radiation therapists as part of their training. A clinical instructor appointment will be made with the Tufts University School of Medicine.