See you in Washington, DC!

We are looking forward to seeing many of you in Washington, DC, for ASTRO’s 66th Annual Meeting. DC is a powerhouse, home of the ruling bodies that oversee so much of our daily practice in the U.S., and what a perfect setting for this year’s meeting as the Society is busy garnering support for the Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) Value-Based Payment Program Act, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives this past May.

ASTRO President Howard Sandler, MD, MS, FASTRO, is planning an exciting meeting this year around the theme of “Targeting Provider Wellness for Exceptional Patient Care.” As he says in his President’s Update (page 6), the Annual Meeting is a “rich source of activities,” and this year does not disappoint. The Annual Meeting Steering Committee and Dr. Sandler have been busy planning expanded workshops to provide deeper dives into topics as well as Storytelling sessions and many educational sessions (see Meeting Highlights, page 18) scheduled throughout the meeting plus all the latest science covering more than 2,000 abstracts!

Helming the sessions are two outstanding keynote speakers — Bryan Sexton, PhD, Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality, and Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, Bellevue Hospital. Dr. Sexton will examine the science behind brief interventions to improve well-being, and Dr. Ofri will look at the impact of disillusionment in medicine and provide strategies for re-engaging, combating burnout, and thriving (see pages 13-14 for more on these two renowned speakers).

The consequences of burnout are far-reaching. It doesn’t just make health care providers unhappy, it directly impacts patient care. No matter how advanced the therapeutic tools you now have to take care of patients, it cannot make up for the human cost of burnout.

A recent survey conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology¹ has revealed a stark post-pandemic reality among U.S. oncologists. An alarming 57% of clinicians reported experiencing high levels of emotional exhaustion, feeling burned out on a weekly basis or even more frequently, a significant increase from 29% in 2013.

Be sure to carve out time to network with our early career members and members-in-training in the Early Career and Mentoring Lounge, which also has expanded programming this year and will host three Speed Mentoring events (see page 20). Set aside time to explore the Exhibit Hall to meet with nearly 200 exhibitors and see the latest equipment and software as well as enjoy a relaxing (or competitive) game in the Exhibit Hall’s Game Zone. I’ve also heard rumors about a visit from some local puppies! Research has proven that the act of petting an animal reduces cortisol levels.²

Don’t miss the Awards Ceremony (see page 43 for the start of a list of honorees) where we honor the most distinguished in our field, including an astounding 48 ASTRO Fellows! Congratulations to all the awardees, especially the 2024 ASTRO Gold Medalists: May Abdel-Wahab, MD, PhD, FASTRO, Paul Harari, MD, FASTRO, and Mack Roach, MD, FASTRO.

Finally, a big thank you to Jeff Michalski, MD, MBA, FASTRO, for his leadership as ASTRO Chair of the Board of Directors, (see Chair’s Update, page 5) and to Laura Thevenot, ASTRO CEO and this year’s Honorary Member (see page 48), who is retiring in November after 22 years of service to our Society. ASTRO welcomes Vivek Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO, as CEO on November 1 (see page 9).

The Annual Meeting offers a chance for us to step away from our labs and practices and gather with old friends and colleagues, explore a city, and most importantly, learn more about the most critical advances in the field and what we can take back from that to our clinical practices. All of this, the full Annual Meeting experience, is so important to our well-being as physicians. See you in DC!