ASTRO Grants and Fellowships Program Recipients

ASTRO funds novel research projects and offers research training fellowships in alignment with our strategic goal to retain and foster the intellectual research talent currently entering the field of radiation oncology. These opportunities help to advance the scientific careers of junior investigators, promote mentorship, and support research efforts to improve patient care and health outcomes. 

Congratulations to the 2021 ASTRO Grants and Fellowships Program recipients!

ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant Investigator: Chidinma Anakwenze, MD, MPH Mentors: Kathleen Schmeler, MD; Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH  Institution: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Project Title: Expanding the Role of Public-Private Partnerships for Radiotherapy Acquisition in Nigeria

ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Biology Seed Grant Investigator: Diana Shi, MD Mentors: William Kaelin Jr., MD; Daphne Haas-Kogan, MD; Samuel McBrayer, PhD Institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Project Title: Identifying Metabolic Drivers Controlling Cell State Transitions in Glioblastoma

ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant Investigator: Devin Miles, PhD Mentors: John Wong, PhD; Mohammad Rezaee, PhD Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Project Title: Proton FLASH Radiation Therapy of Uveal Melanoma: Design, Implementation, and In vivo Validation

ASTRO-BCRF Career Development Award to End Breast Cancer Investigator: Chelain Goodman, MD, PhD Mentors: Wendy Woodward, MD, PhD; Anthony Lucci, MD ​Institution: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Project Title: Circulating Tumor-Derived Material as a Surrogate Biomarker for Radiotherapeutic Efficacy in Breast Cancer

ASTRO-MRA Young Investigator Award in Radiation Oncology Investigator: Zachary Buchwald, MD, PhD ​Mentors: Rafi Ahmed, PhD; Walter Curran, Jr., MD Institution: Emory University ​Project Title: Enhancing an Abscopal Response by Elucidating the Role of Stem-like T-cells

ASTRO-PCF Career Development Award to End Prostate Cancer Investigator: Julian Hong, MD, MS Mentors: Felix Feng, MD; Atul Butte, MD, PhD; Thomas Hope, MD Institution: University of California, San Francisco Project Title: Artificial Intelligence Approaches for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer

ASTRO-Industry Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellows 

ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship  Fellow: Andrew Frankart, MD Mentor: Vinita Takiar, MD, PhD Institution: University of Cincinnati Medical Center

ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship  Fellow: Andrew Kopecky, MD, PhD Mentors: Kathryn Huber, MD, PhD; David Mayhew, MD, PhD Institution: Tufts Medical Center

ASTRO-Varian Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship  Fellow: Simeng Zhu, MD Mentor: Indrin Chetty, PhD, MS Institution: Henry Ford Health System

Past Awardees

2020 Grant Recipients

ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant Investigator: Jacob A. Miller, MD Mentors: Quynh-Thu Le, MD; Benjamin Pinksy, MD, PhD  Institution: Stanford University Project Title: Development and International Validation of Noninvasive Assays for Quantifying Circulating Epstein-Barr Virus DNA for Endemic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Biology Seed Grant Investigator: Timothy Sita, MD, PhD Mentor: Alexander Stegh, PhD Institution: Northwestern University Project Title: Characterizing Epilepsy-induced Changes in the Glioma Microenvironment

ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant Investigator: Lydia Wilson, PhD Mentors: Austin Faught, PhD; Heather Conklin, PhD   Institution: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Project Title: Generalization of Image-based Data Mining Methods for Analyzing Pediatric Patient Data

ASTRO-BCRF Career Development Award to End Breast Cancer Investigator: Gaorav Gupta, MD, PhD Mentor: Charles Perou, PhD ​Institution: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project Title: Drivers and Vulnerabilities of Genome Instability in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

ASTRO-MRA Young Investigator Award in Radiation Oncology Investigator: Reid Thompson, MD, PhD ​Mentor: Paul Spellman, PhD Institution: Oregon Health & Science University ​Project Title: Ablative Radiotherapy as Consolidation for Oligoprogressive Melanoma

ASTRO-PCF Career Development Award to End Prostate Cancer Investigator: Tyler Seibert, MD, PhD Mentor: Anders Dale, PhD Institution: University of California, San Diego Project Title: Biomarker Study of Advanced Diffusion MRI in High-risk, Localized Prostate Cancer Treated with Radiotherapy and Androgen Deprivation Therapy

2020 Fellowship Recipients

ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship  Fellow: Ryan Whitaker, MD, PhD Mentor: Evan Osmundson, MD, PhD Institution: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

ASTRO-Varian Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship  Fellow: Ricky Savjani, MD, PhD Mentor: Daniel Low, PhD Institution: University of California, Los Angeles