The Proton Therapy Medical Physics team at Eastpark Medical Center has been busy commissioning process for the gantry room of our new proton therapy system, which is anticipated to launch for patient care later this spring. Commissioning includes comprehensive characterization of the beam’s physical properties—energy, spot size, position, output consistency—as well as validation of treatment‑planning …
The Department of Human Oncology is deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Ernest “Ernie” Borden, MD, professor emeritus of human oncology, who died on January 18. Dr. Borden joined the University of Wisconsin faculty in 1973 as one of only two board‑certified medical oncologists at the time. He quickly became a …
Radiation Medicine is built on collaboration. Beyond physicians and physicists, an entire team of specialists plays a vital role in advancing patient care. This series shines a spotlight on those professionals—their responsibilities, their expertise, and the people behind the titles. Our goal is to help you appreciate the depth and diversity of work that makes Radiation …
This year marks a major milestone for Badger Challenge, the signature cycling, running, and walking event that has united Wisconsin’s community in the fight against cancer for a decade. What began as a small, cyclist-focused fundraiser has evolved into a statewide movement that has raised more than $5.4 million for groundbreaking cancer research at the …
When Dr. Steven Howard walked into a patient’s room, time seemed to slow down. “Patients absolutely loved him because he was so empathetic,” recalls Lori Hayes, a longtime colleague and retired clinical nurse specialist. “When he was in a room with them, he was present. It wasn’t like he was thinking about three other patients. …
Last updated: Theranostics, Radiopharmaceutical Therapy, and Dosimetry A central focus of my research is the development and clinical translation of imaging methods for theranostic and radiopharmaceutical therapy workflows. This includes optimizing imaging for quantitative accuracy and reproducibility and integrating these data into patient-specific, voxel-level dosimetry frameworks. By combining advanced imaging with state-of-the-art dose calculation techniques, …
Last updated: Introduction of 6 MV Flattening Filter Free Photon Beams The physics team in the Department of Human Oncology has prepared a new treatment modality for fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) on our Varian TrueBeam linear accelerators. This modality is a different kind of photon beam without a flattening filter—known …
Last updated: Translational research in lung cancer brain metastases Current efforts are focused on understanding the molecular basis for the development and progression of NSCLC brain metastases as well as developing and evaluating novel therapeutic strategies for NSCLC brain metastases. This includes the development of patient derived xenografts (PDXs) from patients with NSCLC as well …