ARRO Subcommittees

The ARRO Subcommittees were formed to assist with the various projects of the ARRO Executive Committee. For more information on the projects and responsibilities of each subcommittee please read the descriptions below. The next call for volunteers will open in the Spring of 2020. For questions please email ARRO.

Education Subcommittee

The mission of the ARRO Education Subcommittee is to develop new educational tools, disseminate educational resources, and advocate for concerns of residents relevant to educational training and specialty certification.
 
The subcommittee publishes the ARROcase each month, which provides an in-depth discussion of the etiology, work-up, staging, therapeutic rationale, and treatment planning relevant to a high-yield clinical case. This past year, we started ARROcontour as part of a collaboration with eContour.org in which residents can submit a clinical case and corresponding volumes for publication on the eContour.org website to provide an in-depth learning of treatment design. 
 
In 2019, the subcommittee published ARROresources! which is a centralized list of high-yield educational resources and published ARRO consensus recommendations for preparation for the physics and radiation & cancer biology qualifying examinations. In addition, we recently released educational physics video modules and plan to continue developing new educational tools for residents to help improve their application of physics and radiation biology in the clinical setting. 
 
The education subcommittee also produces monthly educational webinars that are recorded by excellent educators and experts in the field. The webinars range from clinical to non-clinical topics. As part of the webinar series, the committee is continuing to expand our High Yield Summary Reviews specifically on the topics of radiation biology and physics to help residents with preparation for the physics and radiation & cancer biology qualifying examinations. This year, we worked with Dr. McDermott to develop the ROMPES modules for physics learning. Additionally, this year, we worked at developing lecture series regarding the APM and financial wellness. 

Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee

The ARRO Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee strives to:

1. foster a supportive environment for trainees across the country comprised of under-represented groups in medicine (UIM) & their allies,
2. systematically assess and report trends in workforce diversity toward the goal of generating impactful and sustainable solutions, and
3. initiate and foster ongoing dialogue on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice within radiation oncology.

The subcommittee hosts monthly meetings to facilitate discussion and networking through a variety of formats, including in depth discussions of topics with experts and a mentorship program. As our subcommittee develops, we hope to engage with other groups with strong interests in diversity, equity, and inclusion to host other events and provide an environment for collaboration.

Global Health Subcommittee

The ARRO Global Health Subcommittee's goal is to help expand residents' role in achieving more equitable health care for patients at home and abroad through outreach, education and research. The projects that we have worked on this past year include establishing a partnership with the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology, launching a global health lecture series and collaborating with organizations such as Rayos Contra Cancer to enhance international radiation oncology training programs.

We continue to cultivate and evaluate the Global Health Scholars program as an ASTRO-supported endeavor and we are working to update the ARRO website to further support residents interested in global health opportunities. The focus of the committee changes from year to year. Current and future subcommittee objectives range from providing mentorship and networking events to residents interested in establishing academic careers in global oncology to participating in international brachytherapy and SBRT training and implementation initiatives.

Communications Subcommittee

The ARRO Communications Subcommittee is charged with the maintenance, development and expansion of the ARRO website and social media resources. This subcommittee works in collaboration with the Education and Global Health Subcommittees to distribute information about resources and opportunities for residents and medical students via ARRO’s Facebook page, Twitter, ROhub, and the monthly ARROgram.

Members of the subcommittee are expected to actively participate in conference calls every 2-3 months and contribute to the goals and objectives established by the subcommittee at the ASTRO Annual Meeting. Subcommittee members also have the opportunity to take part in communications projects lead by the ASTRO Communications Committee. The Communications Subcommittee welcomes ideas for further improvement and expansion of currently available social media resources and for the creation of new opportunities