Teaching opportunities

Residents have the opportunity to work with medical students to develop clinical teaching skills and serve as research mentors. You will receive an appointment as a clinical instructor at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Roentgen Resident Research Award (presented by the Radiological Society of North America)

This award recognizes outstanding residents who have advanced radiologic research. Recipients have published in peer-reviewed journals, presented work at regional and national meetings, received a research grant or contributed to the success of a department research program.

Recipients of this award in our department include:

• 2024: Abbas Rattani, MD
• 2023: Brett H. Diamond, MD
• 2022: Utkarsh C. Shukla, MD

Academic training in clinical trial development is open to our residents through the clinical translational research center. Residents are encouraged to participate in clinical research. This research will be supervised by assigned departmental faculty.

Residents and medical student clinical research projects span from retrospective chart review, to inclusion in the development of investigator-initiated clinical trials. The medical physics department has an active research program that provides opportunities for medical students to lead an independent project in treatment planning, dosimetry, imaging and radiobiological calculations.

Annual mock oral examination

The purpose of this annual three-hour virtual interactive examination is to simulate a radiation oncology oral board examination through a series of one-on-one timed interviews reviewing disease-site specific cases (GYN, GU, Lung, GI, Breast, Head & Neck, Pedi CNS and Lymphoma) with individual feedback from disease-site experienced faculty providing an overview with practical tips.

This process allows the examinee to practice the delivery of answers in an examination atmosphere. Responses are scored and submitted to the program director, who meets with each resident to discuss the results. The instructors for this course include invited, recognized faculty and faculty from the Department of Radiation Oncology at Tufts Medical Center. Faculty and guest examiners of this exercise are not current oral board examiners. Examiners for this course do not have a role in developing or administering examinations.

Medical student clerkship at Tufts Medical Center + Brown University — R.I. Hospital (Lifespan)

Medical Student Education is a key component of our academic mission, and we are committed to training the next generation of clinicians, investigators and academic leaders. This two to four-week elective provides Tufts University School of Medicine and Brown Alpert Medical School students with exposure to both the breadth and depth of radiation oncology and cancer care in general.

Each student plays an integral role on the patient care team. They can see patients during initial presentation, therapy and follow-up care for various malignancies. Students learn the importance of treating patients with multi-disciplinary care and evidence-based approaches. They become acquainted with the advanced technology that our department routinely employs.

This elective is designed not only for students with a specific interest in radiation oncology but also for those who want a broader understanding of malignant disease and its clinical characteristics. We provide guidance, mentorship, and research opportunities for students interested in pursuing a residency and career in radiation oncology.

Recently, we combined the electives at Rhodes Island Hospital and North Main Radiation Oncology. This gives students more exposure to radiation oncology in hospital- and community-based settings and an integrated educational experience, guidance and mentorship.

At the end of their rotation, students are encouraged to complete an evaluation providing feedback about their experience. Student feedback indicates that rotation objectives were made clear, faculty were supportive and interested in students’ education and the experience was educationally valuable, giving the students a good insight into the practice of radiation oncology. All students completing the evaluation have given uniformly strongly positive feedback.

Each of these centers has areas of academic excellence that compliment resident experience at Tufts.

Our program provides each resident with a diverse and formalized curriculum. The curriculum comprises Bone & Soft tissue, Breast, Central Nervous System (CNS/Eye), Gastrointestinal tract, Genitourinary tract, Gynecology, Head, Neck & Skin, Lung, Lymphomas/Leukemia and Pediatrics. Rotations are typically three (3) months in duration.

Clinical training is divided into three month blocks with rotations primarily at Tufts Medical Center and the Rhode Island Hospital. The program is structured to foster an understanding of true multi-disciplinary clinical management.

Using the New Innovations Residency Management Suite, residents and faculty receive learning goals and objectives for each rotation prior to the start of the rotation. The distribution is set-up based on PGY-year level.

The primary goal of each rotation is for the resident to be able to provide the best possible care for patients from initial consultation to creation of a multidisciplinary care plan, radiation simulation and planning, management during and after therapy, and continuous follow-up. Residents will be exposed to discussions of practice-changing and informing papers as well as hands-on experience with the surgical, radiological and medical disciplines including extensive time spent with the radiation therapy team. Clinical rotations are a 1:1 apprenticeship with supervising faculty to provide experiential learning with increasing autonomy. Feedback is provided to assist residents and the program director in identifying strengths and weaknesses.

Resident case logs are reviewed by the program director and discussed with the resident twice a year during the semi-annual resident evaluation to monitor for the breadth of cases and inform scheduling for the individual resident to maximize the variety of their clinical exposure. 

Multiple disciplines including surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology and radiology. Individual cases are reviewed and collectively discussed. Residents on service attend these conferences with their respective attending.  

The Cancer Center Grand Rounds lecture series occurs every Friday in the Wolff Auditorium and residents are strongly encouraged to attend this conference.

There is a 12 Noon conference held every Friday in the Radiation Oncology department Large Conference Room in the Proger basement and each resident is required to present at one of the Friday conferences each year. We engage visiting professors to present the remaining conferences.

Our mission

Our residents are trained to provide excellent cancer care for a diverse patient population.

Our vision

We pride ourselves not only on the sophistication of the care we provide, but on the compassionate way in which we provide it. We care for all our patients – from newborns to centenarians – by approaching them with respect, recognizing and valuing their dignity, and by getting to know them on a personal level.

Our values

We are relentlessly focused on delivering the highest quality care to all our patients. We play a key role in training the next generation of physician leaders.

Aims of the Radiation Oncology Residency Training Program

1. For our graduates to have a mastery of the principles of Radiation Oncology along with a proficiency in clinical skills to provide excellent care for a diverse patient population.
2. For our graduates to be professional role models with the communication and interpersonal skills to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams to provide safe and effective patient care.
3. For a program that provides an environment that supports the development of life-long learning skills, critical thinking and scientific research. 

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.

The Medical Center is derived from the very first institution to take care of the sick in Boston – the Boston Dispensary founded in 1796. The present center was reorganized in 1965 bringing together the Boston Dispensary, the Boston Tufts Medical Center which is the children’s hospital for this Institution, and the Pratt Diagnostic Clinic.

The Department of Radiation Oncology was founded in 1968 by Dr. Fernando Bloedorn. The department is also associated with Tufts University School of Medicine  and has the distinction of being one of the first truly separate departments in radiotherapy in a medical school and major teaching hospital in the United States and is 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 Medical Center 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.  

The emphasis on careful technique, use of cutting edge treatment planning/delivery technology, interstitial and intra-cavity therapy whenever appropriate, and the stress on pre-,post-, or inter-operatively, is emphasized at all times. 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 review of x-rays, pathology, and remaining work-up. The resident then makes a suggested plan of treatment which is reviewed by the faculty. The simulation is then performed by the resident with faculty oversight. The resident then 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, he or she is encouraged to accept graduated responsibility, but always under the close supervision of the rotation faculty member. 

It is expected that each trainee will 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 realized with the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Residents gain autonomy over the course of their four years and become confident and proficient across all modalities. Starting in their first year, residents gain early experience in abdominal MRI and cardiovascular imaging. During the second year of residency, residents go to Boston Children’s Hospital for 3 months of dedicated experience in pediatric radiology, in addition to exposure while at Tufts Medical Center.  The fourth year offers extra flexibility, with six months of elective time which can be used to reinforce the foundations of radiology, or for subspecialization with a mini-fellowship.

Our ACGME application for the ESIR (Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology) was approved in January 2017.  We can accommodate up to three internal candidates per class.

Residents complete the majority of their training at Tufts Medical Center, a Level 1-Trauma, 415-bed, academic institution in the heart of Boston.  It is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine, which sponsors 19 specialty ACGME-accredited clinical training programs.