Faculty

Meet Our Faculty

Bethel Adefres
Bethel Adefres, MD

Yale School of Medicine

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Ghada Aldosary
Ghada Aldosary, PhD

King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital
Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs

Click for Bio Dr. Ghada Aldosary is a senior medical physicist and brachytherapy lead at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital, Ministry of the National Guard Health Affairs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She is a member of multiple medical physics organizations, and serves on several committees, including as Chair of the AAPM Arab Medical Physics Subcommittee. Dr. Aldosary is dedicated to improving radiotherapy access and treatment quality for underserved populations in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Beth Anderson
Beth Anderson, MD

University of Wisconsin

Click for Bio Dr. Bethany Anderson is a Professor and radiation oncologist, specializing in treatment of breast and gynecologic cancers.
Khush Aujla
Khush Aujla, MD

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

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Arjit Baghwala
Arjit Baghwala, PhD

Houston Methodist University

Click for Bio Arjit Baghwala is a Senior Radiation Physicist and Lead brachytherapy at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. He has been a member with ABS for over 5 years and is part of several initiatives within the association with the hopes to grow and educate clinics about brachytherapy all over the world. Arjit is also passionate about creating general consensus guidelines with regards to brachytherapy education in medical physics residency programs.
Onyinye Balogun
Onyinye Balogun, MD

Weill Cornell Medicine

Click for Bio Dr. Onyinye Balogun is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine specializing in the treatment of gynecologic and breast malignancies. She is a graduate of Harvard University and Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Balogun initiated her residency training at the University of Chicago and completed her final year at New York University. Her research focuses on eliminating domestic and global cancer disparities in gynecologic and breast cancer through epidemiologic studies, implementation science and clinical trials. She engages in global health activities with a focus on improving the delivery of radiation therapy (particularly brachytherapy) in low and middle income countries through capacity building, continuing medical education and research collaboration. As a Cancer and Ethnicity Scholar at the New York Genome Center, she oversees the Polyethnic 1000 project, an initiative to study the genome's contribution to cancer disparities, and serves as the co-Principal Investigator of the Polyethnic 1000 endometrial cancer project. She has expanded her genomics research internationally to interrogate endometrial cancer genomics among women of African ancestry. She is also an inventor with a patent for a modernized brachytherapy device that improves the patient and physician experience.
Sushil Beriwal
Sushil Beriwal, MD, FABS

Allegheny Health Network

Click for Bio Sushil Beriwal MD, MBA, FASTRO, FABS, FICRO, FACRO; Completed his residency in radiation oncology at PGIMER in 1997, India and Drexel University, USA 2004. He worked as a radiation oncologist at UPMC from 2004 to 2021 in various roles, including medical director at UPMC Magee, Residency program director, Director of Brachytherapy, and Deputy Director for the UPMC Hillman cancer center network. In addition, Professor of radiation oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Beriwal specializes in gynecologic, breast, and prostate cancers, with an emphasis on IMRT/IGRT and MRI-based HDR Brachytherapy for gynecological cancers; he is actively involved with clinical research and has more than 325 peer- reviewed publications plus book chapters. Served as ABR board examiner and on the editorial board of Brachytherapy as a senior editor for Red journal and received ABS president award, ARRO teacher of the year award, and fellowship from ABS and ASTRO.
Derek Brown
Derek Brown, PhD

University of California
San Diego

Click for Bio Dr. Derek Brown is a Professor and the Director of the UC San Diego Learning Center and the Associate Director of Education & Outreach in the Center for Quality, Innovation, Value and Efficiency in Radiotherapy (QUIVER). Dr. Brown is an experienced medical physicist and is a member of the La Jolla Brachytherapy Team. He has a strong interest in Global Health Care and is involved with the organizations Radiating Hope and TreatSafely which are dedicated to improving access to modern radiotherapy throughout the world as well as to developing practical educational materials.
Tracy Casas
Tracy Casas, MSN, AGACNP-BC

Comprehensive Hematology Oncology

Click for Bio Tracy Casas is an experienced board-certified Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specializing in Radiation Oncology, Brachytherapy, and Radiopharmaceuticals. Tracy received her BSN in 2009 from University of Cincinnati and her Master of Science in Nursing in 2017 from Walden University, Minneapolis, MN.
Tracy is currently a Doctorate of Nursing Practice student at Florida State University with a concentration on Executive Health Systems Leadership graduating in 2025. Tracy takes pride in caring for her patients, from the start to the end of their treatment and has a passion for oncology.
In her downtime she enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and three black labs. She is a Tampa sports fan and enjoys long walks along the beach.
Lola Chambless
Lola Chambless, MD

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Click for Bio Dr. Lola Blackwell Chambless is the George S. Allen Professor of Neurological Surgery and Professor of Radiation Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She specializes in the treatment of intracranial tumors and other skull base conditions. She received her education at Stanford University and Vanderbilt University, where she also completed residency training in Neurological Surgery. She received fellowship training in Minimally Invasive Brain Tumor Surgery at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, Australia. Her research interests focus on the use of machine learning techniques to define clinical outcomes in brain tumor surgery and collaborative translational projects in the study of neoplastic disease. Dr. Chambless is also the Residency Program Director in Neurological Surgery at Vanderbilt and leads projects aimed at improving education for neurosurgeons around the country. She is a leader in many national neurosurgical organizations, and is the Secretary of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
Albert Chang
Albert Chang, MD, PhD

UCLA Health

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Vibha Chaswal
Vibha Chaswal, PhD, DABR

Miami Cancer Institute

Click for Bio Dr. Vibha Chaswal is an ABR-certified clinical medical physicist with over 15 years of experience in radiation oncology and brachytherapy, with expertise spanning advanced treatment techniques, commissioning, quality assurance, and patient safety. She currently serves as Senior Medical Physicist at Miami Cancer Institute (MCI), Baptist Health South Florida, where she also chairs the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Committee. In this leadership role, she drives initiatives focused on workflow efficiency, clinical standardization, and radiation safety.
A strong advocate for proactive error management, Dr. Chaswal is a member of the national Work Group on Prevention of Errors in Radiation Oncology. She is a recognized leader in promoting a “Good Catches” culture—having conducted international sessions on the topic at AAPM and AMPI conferences—and integrates these principles into her clinical practice to enhance patient safety and team learning.
Dr. Chaswal completed her Ph.D. and M.S. in Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a CAMPEP-accredited residency at the University of Iowa. Her clinical accomplishments include commissioning the first Geneva HDR applicator in the U.S. and leading major technology transitions. Her expertise includes SBRT, SRS, CT- MRI-guided HDR, and novel techniques like GammaTile and AlphaDaRT.
She is the recipient of the prestigious Judith Stitt Best Paper Award in Brachytherapy for her pioneering work in directional brachytherapy and holds a U.S. patent for novel treatment planning techniques in brachytherapy. With multiple peer-reviewed publications, invited talks and ongoing national leadership, Dr. Chaswal continues to elevate standards in clinical physics and patient-centered care.
Junzo Chino
Junzo Chino, MD

Duke University Medical Center

Click for Bio Dr. Chino is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Director of Brachytherapy at the Duke Cancer Center and is a Fellow of ASTRO and the American Brachytherapy Society. He has authored over 130 publications in the peer reviewed literature, and his research interests are concentrated in radiation therapy and brachytherapy for gynecologic and ocular cancers, radiation in low/middle income countries, as well as health services and disparities. He was lead author of the ASTRO guidelines task force for cervical cancer, and served as the GYN section editor at the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics.
David Chiu
Tsuicheng David Chiu, PhD

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Click for Bio Dr. Tsuicheng David Chiu is a medical physicist specializing in brachytherapy, with a particular emphasis on the customization and fabrication of plesiotherapy applicators for surface and complex treatments. His work bridges hands-on applicator design with clinical implementation to provide highly tailored and effective brachytherapy solutions. While his primary focus is on personalized brachytherapy, Dr. Chiu also brings experience in adaptive radiotherapy using the Elekta Unity MR-Linac, supporting a comprehensive approach to individualized radiation therapy.
Gil'ad Cohen
Gil'ad Cohen, MPH

NYU Langone Medical Center

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Annie Cooney
Annie Cooney, MS, DABR

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Click for Bio Annie graduated with her MS in Medical Physics from Hofstra University in 2021. She then graduated from her therapeutic medical physics residency program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2023, where she now works as the Head of Brachytherapy Physics. Her goal is to improve clinical processes through streamlined workflows, clear communication, and enhanced technologies.
Mark Corkum
Mark Corkum, MD, MsC

University of Ottowa

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Mychaela Coyne
Mychaela Coyne, PhD, MS, DABR

ommunity Health Network
MD Anderson Cancer Center

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Adam Cunha
Adam Cunha, PhD

University of California
San Francisco

Click for Bio Dr. Cunha is an Associate Professor in the UCSF Department of Radiation Oncology. And the Director of the Graduate Program in Medical Physics, a joint effort between Radiation Oncology and UC Berkeley’s Department of Nuclear Engineering. He earned his Ph.D. in experimental particle physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a member of the BaBar collaboration, his thesis work explored subatomic particle interactions generated using the GeV-energy electron/positron linear accelerator at SLAC National Laboratory in Palo Alto, CA. Dr. Cunha specializes in all aspects of Brachytherapy including Optimization, Robotics, Electromagnetic (EM) Tracking, and 3D Printing applications.
Laura D'Alimonte
Laura D'Alimonte, MRT(T), BSc, MHSc

University of Toronto

Click for Bio Laura is the Director, Cancer Program at Windsor Regional Hospital and Regional Director, Cancer Services for Erie St Clair Regional Cancer Program. She holds a Lecture status appointment with the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Toronto and a diploma in Radiation Therapy from the Michener Institute of Applied Health Sciences. Laura has authored and co-authored numerous articles and continues to mentor and coach both intra- and inter- professional colleagues. Her current research interests include patient report outcomes and quality of life in cancer survivors.
Damast_Shari
Shari Damast, MD

Yale School of Medicine

Click for Bio Shari Damast, MD, is a practicing radiation oncologist at the Yale Cancer Center and a Professor at the Yale University School of Medicine, where she directs the gynecologic radiation therapy program.
John David
John David, MD

Comprehensive Hematology Oncology

Click for Bio Dr. John David is a board-certified radiation oncologist. He has advanced sub-specialized training in brachytherapy and extensive expert training in radiopharmaceuticals. His other interests include stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy/stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SBRT/SABR). Prior to joining Comprehensive Hematology Oncology, Dr. David served as the Director of Brachytherapy Services and Lead Physician of Radiopharmaceuticals at the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital. Dr. David also gained valuable experience in one of the most contemporary radiation treatment modalities, proton therapy, while working with physicians at the New York Proton Center. Dr. David has received many awards including ASCO Merit award, Gold Humanism nominee, American College of Physicians Young Achievers Award and he was top 1% in his medical class. Dr. David enjoys caring for his patients, sports, and spending his free time with family. He is fluent in English and Arabic.
Christopher Deufel
Christopher Deufel, PhD, FABS

Mayo Clinic

Click for Bio Dr. Christopher Deufel is an associate professor and faculty medical physicist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Deufel received his Ph.D. in experimental physics from Cornell University in 2007 and completed residency training in therapeutic medical physics at the Mayo Clinic from 2007-2010.
Dr. Deufel is the chair of research for the Division of Medical Physics at Mayo Clinic and practice leader for Brachytherapy in the Department of Radiation Oncology. He also supervises physics resident education in brachytherapy and conducts research in brachytherapy applicator design, clinical brachytherapy techniques, and radiation treatment planning methods. His work has been published Nature Methods, Radiotherapy and Oncology, the International Journal of Radiotherapy and Oncology Biology Physics, Physics in Medicine and Biology, the Brachytherapy Journal, and the Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics.
Dr. Deufel has been an executive board member for the American Brachytherapy Society since 2018, is the Chair of the AAPM Working Group for Brachytherapy Clinical Applications, member of the AAPM Brachytherapy Subcommittee, Associate Editor for the Brachytherapy Journal, and has been invited to speak at numerous national and international seminars.
Andrew Farach
Andrew Farach, MD

Houston Methodist University

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Ahmer Farooq
Ahmer Farooq, DO

Loyola University Medical Center

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Clara Ferreira
Clara Ferreira, PhD, DABR

University of Minnesota

Click for Bio Clara Ferreira, PhD, DABR, is an Associate Professor and Medical Physicist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she has served since 2016. Board-certified by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Radiologic Physics since 2018, Dr. Ferreira specializes in intracranial brachytherapy, with a focus on GammaTile implants and COMS Eye Plaque brachytherapy. Her research advances treatment planning through Monte Carlo simulations and consensus guidelines for target volume delineation. She has published extensively in journals such as Brachytherapy and Neuro-Oncology Advances and is a frequent presenter at international and national conferences, including ESTRO and AAPM. Dr. Ferreira earned her PhD in Biomedical Physics from East Carolina University and completed a CAMPEP-accredited medical physics residency at the University of Oklahoma. Committed to education, she mentors graduate students and residents, shaping the next generation of medical physicists.
Michael Folkert
Michael Folkert, MD, PhD

University of Washington
Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Click for Bio Dr. Michael Folkert is an academic radiation oncologist specializing in brachytherapy, intraoperative radiation therapy, and radiopharmaceuticals, and a Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Washington and the Division of Radiation Oncology at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. He also serves as the Brachytherapy Representative on the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where he chairs the Training and Experience Subcommittee. Dr. Folkert currently serves as the ABS Education Miscellaneous Subcommittee Chair and the ABS Annual Meeting Radiopharmaceutical Session Co-Chair.
Idalid Franco
Idalid Franco, MD, MPH

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Click for Bio Dr. Idalid “Ivy” Franco is a Radiation Oncologist and Director, Enrichment and Engagement, for the Department of Radiation Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. She is a national leader and innovator in the advancement of patient access and outcomes, working to create initiatives and spaces that highlight the impact of social factors on patient experiences with the healthcare system, and barriers to optimal care. Her passion and drive toward creating impactful and sustainable solutions are driven by her early interactions navigating the complexities of the U.S. healthcare system. Dr. Franco is excited to expand her work outside of the radiation oncology community and empower future collaborations focused on addressing the impact of the social determinants of health on patient and community outcomes, designing cost-effective and accessible care delivery, and utilizing implementation sciences to expand the reach of interventions available to all patients, communities, and healthcare providers. Her work is focused on ensuring opportunities for improved outcomes are attainable and achievable for all. Clinically, her practice focuses on gynecologic malignancies and expanding awareness, understanding, treatment approaches, and available interventions tailored to individual patients and their families. She is a fierce advocate for her patients and always makes time and space to answer all questions and provide information to empower patients to participate in shared decision making.
Aurelie Garant
Aurelie Garant, MD

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Click for Bio Aurelie Garant is an Associate Professor at UTSW Medical Center. She is the Director of Brachytherapy, focusing primarily on GU malignancies in her daily practice. Her research interests include 3D printed brachytherapy techniques, robotically and endoscopically guided approaches in brachytherapy.
Jose Garcia-Ramirez
Jose Garcia-Ramirez, MS

Washington University St. Louis

Click for Bio Jose Garcia Ramirez, MS, is an assistant professor of radiation oncology. He joined the faculty in 2006. He earned an MS in Medical Radiation Physics from Finch University of Health Sciences/Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago in 1997 and completed a residency in medical physics, CAMPEP accredited, at Washington University School of Medicine in 2001. His responsibilities include Brachytherapy Physics Service, Implementation of Novel Radiopharmaceutical therapies, and XOFT Treatments. He is certified in Therapeutic Radiological Physics by the American Board of Radiology.
Matt Giles
D. Matt Giles, MS DABR

Emory University

Click for Bio Matt Giles is a 2010 graduate of McGill University. He serves as the lead physicist at Emory St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Matt is also a patient safety and brachytherapy enthusiast.
Kathy Han
Kathy Han, MD

Princess Margaret Cancer Center

Click for Bio Dr. Kathy Han is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, and the Gynecologic Radiation Oncology Site Group Leader at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network. She completed her MSc in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Jean-Michel Hannoun-Levi
Jean-Michel Hannoun-Levi, MD

Antoine Lacassagne Cancer Center

Click for Bio Jean-Michel Hannoun-Levi MD, PhD, is full professor in radiation oncology in the Antoine Lacassagne Cancer Center, University Cote d’Azur, France. His clinical activity is mainly dedicated to breast, prostate, and gynaecologic cancers. He developed local, national and international prospective and retrospective clinical projects. Research and development of brachytherapy represents a key point of his activity. He is the author or co-author of more than 210 clinical or research indexed articles. He is the first inventor of a new gynaecologic applicator (Nice Gynecologic Applicator) for cervical cancers (international patent in 2010). He initiated and conducted during 10 years (2010 to 2020) a French brachytherapy teaching course based on a simulation approach linked with the simulation laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine of Nice. In 2010, he founded and headed the brachytherapy group of the French Society of Oncologic Radiation Therapy (GC-SFRO). In 2024, he was Chair Elect of the Groupe Européen de Curiethérapie of the European Society of Radiotherapy and Oncology (GEC-ESTRO).
Matt Harkenrider
Matt Harkenrider, MD

Stritch School of Medicine
Loyola University Chicago

Click for Bio Dr. Harkenrider is Professor and Vice-Chair of Radiation Oncology, Medical Director, and Director of Brachytherapy at Loyola University Medical Center. He is long time member of the American Brachytherapy Society and has been very active, serving as a faculty member for the ABS Annual Meeting and ABS GYN School and hasauthored of several ABS sponsored manuscripts. He is the Chair of the ASTRO GYN scientific committee and vice-chair of the ASTRO endometrial cancer guideline. He serves on the Cervical Cancer Core Committee for NRG Oncology and works to develop clinical trials of novel multimodality therapy for the treatment of gynecologic malignancies. Dr. Harkenrider is the Chair of the American College of Radiology HDR Brachytherapy Practice Parameter. He has published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts with an emphasis on gynecologic and prostate brachytherapy. He has also been active within the EMBRACE group and led the effort at Loyola to become the first U.S. institution to open and accrue to the EMBRACE 2 study. He has worked extensively on delivering state-of-the-art treatment for gynecologic cancer patients and developing and promoting MRI-based GYN and prostate brachytherapy. Dr. Harkenrider is passionate about expanding and advocating for the role of brachytherapy in all malignancies and is dedicated to the American Brachytherapy Society.
Lara Hathout
Lara Hathout, MD

Rutgers Cancer Institute

Click for Bio Dr. Hathout is an Associate Professor and Director of Brachytherapy at Rutgers Cancer Institute in New Jersey. Within ABS, she is the chair of the GU education subcommittee and vice-chair of the socioeconomic track for this annual meeting.
Joelle Helou
Joelle Helou, MD, MSc

London Health Sciences Centre
University of Western Ontario

Click for Bio Dr. Helou completed her medical school in Lebanon and her radiation oncology training at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus in France before coming to Toronto to complete her fellowship at the Odette Cancer Centre with a focus on prostate brachytherapy. She holds a masters in Basic sciences from the Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon and completed a MSc in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto in 2017. Dr. Helou has worked as a radiation oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre since 2016 treating GU and breast malignancies. She has joined the radiation oncology division at LHSC in 2022 and treats breast and GU malignancies.
Her clinical and research focuses are on prostate brachytherapy, patient reported outcomes with an emphasis on quality-of-life measurement and health economics. She is co-chair of the CCTG Quality of Life committee.
Brian Hrycushko
Brian Hrycushko, PhD

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Click for Bio Dr. Hrycushko is a medical physicist at UT Southwestern in Dallas. With over 10 years of experience, Dr. Hrycushko has a strong background in brachytherapy. He has numerous areas of research and has had several publications and presentations related to brachytherapy and artificial intelligence. Dr. Hrycushko will be presenting on how large language models can benefit the clinic.
Alex Hsi
Alex Hsi, MD

University of Washington
Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Click for Bio Dr. Hsi is a Radiation Oncologist who completed residencies in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan and Radiation Oncology at The University of Pennsylvania. He has served as Section Chief in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA, co-founder of the Peninsula Cancer Center in Poulsbo, WA and is currently the Medical Director of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center Peninsula and President of the Board of the Prostate Cancer Free Foundation.
Dr. Hsi specializes in prostate brachytherapy and also has special expertise in stereotactic body radiation therapy, MRI fusion transperineal prostate biopsies and focal therapy for prostate cancer.
Jessica Huang
Jessica Huang, PhD, DABR

University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute

Click for Bio Yu-Huei Jessica Huang, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Utah, where she also serves as the Clinical Director of Medical Physics Operations at Huntsman Cancer Hospital.
She earned her BSc degree from National Yang Ming University in Taiwan and her PhD in Medical Physics from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Huang is actively involved in several professional societies, including the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS).
Dr. Huang contributes to various committee roles, including serving on the AAPM Working Group on Medical Errors in Brachytherapy and TG59.B/Report 61.B: High dose-rate brachytherapy treatment delivery. Additionally, she holds the position of physics co-chair for the ABS Standard, Quality, and Safety Council.
In addition to her clinical expertise, Dr. Huang is a surveyor for the ASTRO Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx), accrediting radiation oncology departments nationwide. Her primary clinical and research interests encompass brachytherapy, workflow processes, and safety improvement.
Zohaib Iqbal
Zohaib Iqbal, PhD

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Click for BioZohaib Iqbal, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is faculty in the Department’s Division of Medical Physics & Engineering and the lead physicist for the Vision RT surface-guided radiation therapy system.
Dr. Iqbal received his bachelor’s degree in physics from The College of New Jersey as well as his Ph.D. in biomedical physics from the University of California, Los Angeles. He followed this by completing his radiation oncology medical physics residency training at UT Southwestern. Following graduation, he joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Radiation Oncology as an Assistant Professor. In 2022, he returned to UT Southwestern’s Department of Radiation Oncology as faculty.
Kayla Kafka-Peterson
Kayla Kafka-Peterson, RN, BSN

UCLA Health

Click for Bio Kayla Kafka-Peterson RN BSN is a nurse from Los Angeles, California, USA. She provides operations leadership and oversight for the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology HDR Brachytherapy Program and greater Radiation Oncology locations. Kayla coordinates all aspects of patient care, program operations, case scheduling, staffing, program flow and is responsible for ongoing quality improvement, education and process development for the division. Kayla also teaches direct bedside patient care for nurses and teams. Since 2022, Kayla has worked to promote a global brachytherapy nursing and RTT community and works extensively with teams around the world providing brachytherapy nursing and team education. She also consults with physicians and teams on how to optimize efficiency, safety, and education for their brachytherapy programs to promote growth. Prior to working in brachytherapy, Kayla was a trauma ICU nurse. Kayla serves as the nursing liaison to the board of the American Brachytherapy Society and serves as the chair of the ABS Brachytherapy Nursing/Dosimetry/RTT Council. Kayla continues to collaborate with multiple medical societies and non-profit organizations on creating educational resources for brachytherapy nurses worldwide.
Faraz Kalantari
Faraz Kalantari, PhD

University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences

Click for Bio Faraz Kalantari, PhD is a Medical Physicist and Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He serves as the Lead Brachytherapy Physicist and Associate Director of the Medical Physics Residency Program. Dr. Kalantari's clinical and academic interests include the implementation and optimization of emerging technologies in brachytherapy.
Mitchell Kamrava
Mitchell Kamrava, MD

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

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Priyanka Kapoor
Priyanka Kapoor, MS, DABR

Winship Cancer Institute
Emory University

Click for Bio Priyanka Kapoor is the Clinical Lead of Brachytherapy at Emory Midtown. She is actively involved in professional societies like AAPM where she serves on Radiation Dosimetry and Treatment Planning subcommittee. She is also a medical physics co-chair on NRG GU 010 protocol. Her interests include the standardization of clinical processes and workflows; automation of the treatment planning process and a strong focus on patient-centric and process-driven quality improvements.
Megan Kassick
Megan Kassick, MD

University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine

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Andrew Keller
Andrew Keller, MD

Advent Health

Click for Bio Andrew Keller, MD, is a radiation oncologist at AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, FL, specializing in the treatment of gynecologic and genitourinary cancers, including image-based adaptive brachytherapy. After graduating from the University of Florida, Dr. Keller received his medical degree from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. He went on to complete a radiation oncology residency at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, serving as chief resident in his final year.
Mira Keyes
Mira Keyes, MD, FABS

Britsh Columbia Cancer Agency

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Elizabeth Kidd
Elizabeth Kidd, MD

Stanford Cancer Center

Click for Bio Elizabeth Kidd works as a Radiation Oncologist at Stanford University with a focus on treating gynecologic cancers and a particular interest and expertise in performing brachytherapy for cervical, endometrial, and vaginal cancer patients. Her research focuses on optimizing and individualizing treatment approaches for gynecologic cancers to improve long-term patient outcomes with better disease control, decreased side effects and improved quality of life. She has particular interest in enhancing brachytherapy procedure quality, increasing efficiency, optimizing treatment planning and expanding access for advanced brachytherapy techniques.
Cody Kilar
Cody Kilar, DO, PhD

West Virginia Univerist

Click for Bio Cody R. Kilar, DO, PhD is a Radiation Oncology resident at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute. He earned his PhD from the University of Florida and his DO from LECOM. His clinical focus is on GU and GYN brachytherapy, and he is a graduate of the American Brachytherapy Society’s 300-in-10 Fellowship. Dr. Kilar plans to remain at WVU to help establish an HDR prostate brachytherapy program and expand access to advanced cancer care in Appalachia.
Martin King
Martin King, MD, PhD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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Marisa Kollmeier
Marisa Kollmeier, MD, FABS

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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Daniel Krauss
Daniel Krauss, MD

Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital

Click for Bio Dr. Krauss received his B.S. from the University of Michigan and his M.D. from Wayne State University in 2000 and is currently Professor of Radiation Oncology at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. He completed his residency training in radiation oncology at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI in 2005 and has been a member of the clinical faculty there since that time. He has been the Department of Brachytherapy section head since 2011. Dr. Krauss has first- or co-authored nearly 200 published manuscripts and abstracts in peer-reviewed journals. Current academic interests emphasize primarily clinical research in the area of genitourinary malignancies on both the local and national level. He was the primary author of RTOG 0815, investigating the role of androgen suppression in the context of dose-escalated radiotherapy and remains active in national clinical research, serving as brachytherapy co-chair of NRG GU 009 as well as development of new clinical protocols on the institutional level for prostate, bladder, and renal malignancies.
Rebecca Krc
Rebecca Krc, DO

Bon Secours
Virginia Urology

Click for Bio Dr. Rebecca Krc is a Radiation Oncologist at a community practice in Richmond VA.
Rahul Krishnatry
Rahul Krishnatry, MD

Tata Memorial Hospital

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Alan Lee
Alan Lee, MD

UCLA Health

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Minha Lee
Minha Lee, MD

The Ottawa Hospital

Click for Bio Dr. Minha Lee completed her residency at the Princess Margaret and Odette Cancer Centres in Toronto, Canada. Following this, she pursued a fellowship in brachytherapy at University of California, Los Angeles. She is currently practicing at The Ottawa Hospital focusing on GU and GYN malignancies.
Yixiang Liao
Yixiang Liao, PhD

Rush University

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Martin Ma
Martin Ma, MD, PhD

University of Washington
Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Click for Bio Dr. Ma is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in genitourinary and gynecological malignancies. He is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, University of Washington. He has extensive experience with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), proton therapy and high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy.
Dr. Ma has a long-standing interest in advanced imaging, including multiparametric MRI, prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA PET/CT) and MRI- guided radiotherapy. He has been a principal investigator and co-investigator on multiple phase I/II and phase III clinical trials. He also serves as an investigator of the international Meta- Analysis of Randomized Trials in Cancer of the Prostate (MARCAP) consortium and has led multiple meta-analyses answering important clinical questions. He has first or co-first author publications in JAMA Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, European Urology, and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics, among others. He is also the recipients of many awards, including Conquer Cancer Merit Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Early Career Oncologist Award from American Radium Society (ARS).
Dr. Ma earned an MD and PhD in neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After an internship in the Internal Medicine Preliminary program at the University of Washington, he continued residency training in Radiation Oncology at UCLA. He joined faculty at University of Washington in 2023.
Mallika Marar
Mallika Marar, MD, MBA

Stanford Cancer Center

Click for Bio Mallika Marar is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and Radiology at Stanford University. She is the Director of Theragnostics in Radiation Oncology.
Jyoti Mayadev
Jyoti Mayadev, MD, FABS

University of California
San Diego

Click for Bio Dr. Jyoti S. Mayadev is a board-certified radiation oncologist and Professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, where she serves as Assistant Vice Chair of Developmental Therapeutics and Section Chief of Gynecologic Oncology. She co-leads the Gynecologic Oncology Disease Team at Moores Cancer Center and directs the Gynecologic Brachytherapy Program.
Dr. Mayadev specializes in gynecologic and breast cancers, with a particular focus on image- guided brachytherapy. Her clinical and translational research is supported by grant funding, including an NIH/NCI R01 and an R50 award, and centers on advancing treatment through novel therapeutic combinations and biomarkers. She has served as national principal investigator for multiple NCI-funded clinical trials, investigator and industry sponsored trials.
A national leader in her field, Dr. Mayadev co-chairs the NRG Oncology Cervical Cancer Committee and has received the NRG Oncology Outstanding Service Award. She has also served as Chair of the Gynecologic Track for the ASTRO Scientific Committee.
She earned her B.A. and M.D. from Case Western Reserve University and completed her residency in radiation oncology at the University of Washington.
Mahta McKee
Mahta McKee, MS, DABR, FABS

Wake Forest University
School of Medicine

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Shauna McVorran
Shauna McVorran, MD

University of Washington
Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Click for Bio Dr. Shauna M. McVorran, MD, MHSA, is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and a fellowship-trained brachytherapist specializing in gynecologic and genitourinary malignancies. Her research focuses on sexual health in women receiving pelvic radiation, social determinants and health disparities in gynecologic cancers, and value-based dose escalation using high-dose- rate (HDR) brachytherapy.
Beyond her clinical and research expertise, Dr. McVorran is deeply engaged in global oncology, expanding the impact of her work beyond the U.S. She also brings a distinctive perspective to patient care, having earned a Master of Health Services Administration and previously serving as a Hospital Administrator and private Health Management Consultant before pursuing medicine.
David Medich
David Medich, PhD

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Click for Bio Dr. David Medich is a Professor in Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Physics and the Director of their Nuclear Science and Engineering Program. His research interests include intensity modulated brachytherapy, developing ultrahigh resolution in-vivo functional imaging using neutrons as the imaging source, adapting Generation IV power reactors into the next generation of research reactors, and determining the kinetics of radio-nuclide particle resuspension. Professor Medich is currently the Chair of the American Board of Health Physics, Chair of American National Standards Institute’s Operational and Medical Health Physics Section, N13, on the Editorial Board of the Health Physics Journal, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Panel on Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Physical Measurement Laboratory. He has served as a qualified expert for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and was a Vice Chair of the International Standards Organization (ISO) Radiation Protection committee (ISO TC85 SC2).
Pranshu Mohindra
Pranshu Mohindra, MD, MPH

UH Cleveland Medical Center

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Sheridan Meltsner
Sheridan Meltsner, PhD

Duke University Medical Center

Click for Bio Sheridan Meltsner is an assistant professor in Medical Physics at the Duke University Medical Center. She earned her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Radiation Calibration Lab and her current primary focus is in brachytherapy, both HDR GYN applications as well as HDR and LDR eye plaque methods.
Pranshu Mohindra
Pranshu Mohindra, MD, MPH

UH Cleveland Medical Center / Case Western

Click for Bio Dr. Mohindra is a Clinical Professor and Vice-Chair of Operations and Quality, at the Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/ UH Seidman Cancer Center affiliated with the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He also serves as Director, UH Proton Therapy Center. His primary area of clinical and research interest is thoracic/lung, gynecological and hematological malignancies. Dr. Mohindra’s research efforts include evaluation of treatment outcomes through institutional and population-based databases, development of early phase clinical trials evaluating both radiation sensitizers and radiation toxicity mitigators and evaluation of modern radiation techniques including proton beam therapy. He has served as national PI of two National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored multi-institutional phase-I clinical trials (NCT02589522, career development project team award and NCT02993146). Nationally, he holds leadership positions in national society committees within American Society for Radiation Oncology, American Brachytherapy Society, and International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. On the education front, he is the former director the Annual University of Maryland Mock Orals Course in Radiation Oncology, currently serving as Gyn-disease site lead examiner. He chairs the thoracic section of the ACR Radiation Oncology In-Training (TXITTM) Exam. Overall, his research efforts have resulted in 116 peer-reviewed published manuscripts resulting in more than 2300 citations (google scholar) with current h-Index of 26, i10-index of 58.
Shalini Moningi
Shalini Moningi, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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Gerard Morton
Gerard Morton, MD, FABS

Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre

Click for Bio Dr Morton is a radiation oncologist at Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre and Professor at the University of Toronto. His clinical and academic focus is on prostate cancer management, and prostate brachytherapy in particular. He continues to lead ongoing clinical trials of prostate brachytherapy.
Firas Mourtada
Firas Mourtada, PhD, FABS

Thomas Jefferson University

Click for Bio Dr. Mourtada is a professor & Enterprise Medical Physics Director. He also served as a past president of the American Brachytherapy Society.
Sagar Patel
Sagar Patel, MD

Winship Cancer Institute
Emory University

Click for Bio Sagar Patel is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Urology and Director of Brachytherapy at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. His clinical and research focus is prostate cancer.
John Phillips
John Phillips, MD, MPH

Tennessee Oncology

Click for Bio Dr. Phillips is Chief of Strategy and Development for Radiation Oncology at Tennessee Oncology - a multispecialty cancer care organization based in Nashville, Tennessee. He leads the Tennessee Oncology GU cancer service line as well as the RPT program. He is co-chair of the 2025 ASTRO White Paper on radiopharmaceutical therapy.
Tony Phillips
Tony Phillips, BSRT RT(T)

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Click for Bio Tony J. Phillips, BSRT RT(T), is a Radiation Therapist at MD Anderson Cancer Center with more than 11 years of experience. He currently serves in the Brachytherapy Department, where he holds a pioneering position as the department’s first Dedicated Brachytherapy Radiation Therapist.
Dilini Pinnaduwage
Dilini Pinnaduwage, PhD

Dignity Health
St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center

Click for Bio Dilini Pinnaduwage, PhD, DABR is an Associate Professor and Medical Physicist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Dignity Health Cancer Institute/ St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ. She earned her PhD in Applied Physics from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA and completed her Medical Physics residency at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in San Francisco, CA where she also served as faculty. Dr. Pinnaduwage is actively involved in several professional societies including the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) and the Radiosurgery Society (RSS). She serves in ASTRO’s Women in Radiation Oncology Affinity Group focusing on Leadership and Career Advancement and AAPM’s Training and Practice of Medical Dosimetry subcommittee. She has expertise in SBRT/SRS, HDR (prostate, GYN, skin, bronchial, esophageal), LDR brachytherapy (GammaTile, CivaSheet, Cs-131 mesh implants) and radiopharmaceutical therapies.
Surendra Prajapati
Surendra Prajapati, PhD

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Click for Bio Dr. Surendra Prajapati is an Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Physics – Patient Care, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Care, Houston, TX. He is an associate member of UT GSBS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX. Dr. Prajapati graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA in 2015 with a PhD in Medical Physics. He also holds an MS and BS, Nuclear Engineering, from Idaho State University, USA. Currently, he mainly specializes in GU and GYN cancer treatment with advanced techniques that include SBRT, MR-linac, HDR GU, HDR GYN, PDR GYN and LDR prostate brachytherapy including LDR eye plaques and LDR GammaTile treatments. He is passionate about medical physics education, clinical training, global outreach and global medical physics/radiation oncology initiatives.
Bridget Quinn
Bridget Quinn, MD

VCU School of Medicine

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Dominique Rash
Dominique Rash, MD

University of California
San Diego

Click for Bio Dominique Rash, MD, is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in treating breast, gynecologic and gastrointestinal cancer. As a radiation oncologist, Dr. Rash uses carefully targeted, high doses of radiation energy to destroy or damage cancer cells. Her expertise includes conformal radiation therapy (CRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy.
As an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, Dr. Rash instructs medical students, residents and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She has coauthored numerous peer-reviewed articles and her work has appeared in International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, International Journal of Gynecological Cancer and JAMA Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
Prior to joining UC San Diego Health, Dr. Rash cared for patients at Mercy Medical Group in Sacramento, Calif.
Dr. Rash completed a residency in radiation oncology at UC Davis School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is board-certified in radiation oncology.
An active member of professional associations, Dr. Rash serves on numerous committees and was on the cancer committee for Dignity Health Cancer Institute of Greater Sacramento. She is also a member of many organizations, including the American Brachytherapy Society, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and the American College of Radiation Oncology. In addition to the location listed above, Dr. Rash also sees patients in Oceanside.
Jill Remick
Jill Remick, MD

Winship Cancer Institute
Emory University

Click for Bio I am an Assistant Professor and board-certified Radiation Oncologist in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University. My clinical expertise includes MRI-guided intracavitary/interstitial brachytherapy for gynecologic (gyn) malignancies. Over the past 4 years since I graduated residency training, my research has focused on understanding and reducing late symptom burden associated with radiation therapy and exploring ways to mitigate toxicity using novel treatment strategies. I have a keen in interest in using advanced technology to improve gyn brachytherapy treatment planning and delivery.
Alexandra Rink
Alexandra Rink, PhD

Princess Margaret Cancer Center
University of Toronto

Click for Bio Dr. Rink is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto, and is a Fellow of the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine. She has been leading the Brachytherapy Medical Physics group since 2013, helping integrate MR-guided adaptive HDR brachytherapy for cervical cancer patients. Her work focuses on improving the quality of care through use of automation and artificial intelligence, alternative exogenous contrast agents with MRI, and in vivo dosimetry.
Anupam Rishi
Anupam Rishi, MD

Moffitt Cancer Center

Click for Bio Anupam Rishi, MD, is an Assistant Member in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center and an Assistant Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. His clinical expertise includes genitourinary and gynecologic malignancies, with focus in brachytherapy.
Mark Rivard
Mark Rivard, PhD, FABS

Brown University Health Cancer Institute

Click for Bio Mark Rivard is full Professor of Radiation Oncology at Brown University and a clinical medical physicist, serving as Director of the Brachytherapy Physics service at Rhode Island Hospital. He is past president and chair of the New England chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine as well as having served as an officer and on boards for other radiation-related professional societies such as the American Brachytherapy Society. Dr. Rivard serves as editor or is on the editorial board of several radiation physics journals, is a board-certified medical physicist with expertise in brachytherapy, and has authored 154 scientific publications with his students and colleagues. These papers and his extramurally-funded research include investigations on radiation dosimetry for radionuclide calibrations and internal dosimetry, radiation shielding and safety, and nuclear policy and source utilization. Mark is also on the adjunct faculty of several universities in New England and mentors students on a wide range of translational topics towards clinical integration of new radiation technologies.
Amanda Rivera
Amanda Rivera, MD

University of Miami

Click for Bio Dr. Rivera’s research focuses on treatment optimization for gynecologic cancers, the patient experience, and workforce diversity. She has previously collaborated with the American Cancer Society and the NFL Crucial Catch Project to improve cervical cancer screening rates in the Bronx. She aims to study the interplay of resource availability and how to combat the perpetuation of disparities along the cancer continuum in underserved communities, now in south Florida. Dr. Rivera was a founding member of The Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee (ARRO EISC) and spearheaded it’s nationwide virtual mentorship initiative for underrepresented groups in medicine. She currently sits on ASTRO’s HEDI Workforce Diversity Committee. Dr. Rivera was featured on Good Morning America with the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, and Robin Roberts to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer screening and promote awareness. She enjoys treating patients and personalizing her encounters based on individual needs and collaboration.
Kamber Rodrigez
Kamber Rodrigez, BS, M.Ed, RT

US Oncology

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Peter Rossi
Peter Rossi, MD, FABS

Calaway Young Cancer Center
Valley View Hospital

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Michael Roumeliotis
Michael Roumeliotis, PhD

Johns Hopkins University

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Santanu Samanta
Santanu Samanta, MD

University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences

Click for Bio Santanu Samanta, MD is a Radiation Oncologist and Assistant Professor at the University for Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, and the UAMS- Baptist Health, North Little Rock. He treats patients with head and neck and gynecological cancer with advanced treatment modalities and performs brachytherapy procedures for patients with gynecological cancers. His expertise includes treatment with proton therapy for head and neck – skull base cancers, re-radiation treatments, and a variety of other cancers.
Dr. Samanta joined the UAMS team after completing a residency in Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland, and Maryland Proton Treatment Center. Prior to this residency training, he also completed a residency training in radiation oncology at CMC Vellore, India.
Dr. Samanta received several academic research and travel grant awards during his residency training including the 2022 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Roentgen Resident/ Fellow award for outstanding research in 2022. He also served as the Chief resident of Radiation Oncology, the University of Maryland from 2020-2021.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Samanta enjoys traveling, playing soccer, cricket and cooking.
Parag Sanghvi
Parag Sanghvi, MD, MSPH

University of California
San Diego

Click for Bio Dr. Sanghvi is a Professor and Vice Chair within the Division of Radiation Oncology in the Department of Radiation Medicine Sciences and Applied Sciences at UCSD. He has previously held multiple leadership roles within both the department and the Moores Cancer Center, reflecting his dedication to bringing state-of-the-art cancer care to San Diego and beyond. Currently, Dr. Sanghvi serves as the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Director of the Learning Environment within the UCSD School of Medicine. In his clinical role, he is the Service Chief for Hematologic Malignancies in the Department of Radiation Oncology, overseeing the treatment and management of patients with hematologic cancers.
Dr. Sanghvi’s clinical practice focuses on the treatment of head and neck, cutaneous, hematologic malignancies, and benign CNS tumors. He utilizes advanced treatment techniques, including external beam radiotherapy, proton radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, to deliver personalized care for his patients.
In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Sanghvi is active in several national medical organizations. He serves as the Vice Chair of the Lymphoma/Leukemia Committee for the American Board of Radiology (ABR). He is also deeply involved in the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), where he serves as the Chair of the Scholarship Committee.
Dr. Sanghvi is engaged with the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), where he serves on the Annual Education Committee, Government Relations Committee, and the Sexual and Gender Minority Committee, contributing to the development of educational content, policy advocacy, and inclusion efforts within the field. Additionally, he has previously served as the Annual Scientific Committee Chair for Cutaneous Malignancies for the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS), leading efforts for multiple years to advance the scientific understanding and treatment of cutaneous cancers.
Dan Scanderbeg
Dan Scanderbeg, PhD, FABS

University of California
San Diego

Click for Bio Dr. Dan Scanderbeg is a Professor and Associate Director in the Division of Medical Physics overseeing Brachytherapy and Regulatory Affairs at the University of California, San Diego. He has considerable expertise and experience in the use of low-dose-rate (LDR) and high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy covering a wide variety of tumor types and sites, including breast cancer, head & neck cancer, soft tissue sarcomas, gynecological cancers, ocular melanomas and prostate cancer. In addition to clinical work, Dr. Scanderbeg has research interests ranging from novel, custom brachytherapy treatments and devices, to deformable image registration and dose accumulation, 3D printing for medical applications, and educational methods and platforms. He also enjoys instructing residents and students as well as spending time on educational outreach. Dr. Scanderbeg has produced several instructional presentations and videos on brachytherapy treatment planning that are freely available and is working on curriculum with Rayos Conta Cancer (RCC), BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) and Radiating Hope to assist in developing programs in low- and middle-income countries.
Parisa Shamsesfandabadi
Parisa Shamsesfandabadi, MD

Allegheny Health Network

Click for Bio Dr. Parisa Shams is a graduating radiation oncology resident at Allegheny Health Network with a passion for reimagining how we teach, learn, and innovate in brachytherapy. As the recipient of the ABS Best Abstract Award and Co-Chair of the ABS Resident Committee, she brings a dynamic blend of research, advocacy, and creative educational leadership to the field. Her work spans MR Linac-guided sarcoma therapy to initiatives improving global access to radiation care. Parisa is known for her ability to bridge clinical precision with storytelling—whether in the contouring suite or in front of an audience.
Jay Shiao
Jay Shiao, MD

University of Kansas

Click for Bio Dr. Jay Shiao is an Assistant Professor and Brachytherapy Co-Director at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Dr. Shiao specializes in treatment of genitourinary and gynecologic malignancies with a heavy clinical volume of brachytherapy. He has a passion for research and education in the brachytherapy space and hope to continue to expand indications for our patients.
Samantha Simiele
Samantha Simiele, PhD

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Click for Bio Dr. Simiele is the Chief of Brachytherapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is an active member of the American Brachytherapy Society and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, serving on multiple committees including the Working Group for Medical Errors in Brachytherapy. She has been a co-author on brachytherapy related Task Groups, Medical Physics Practice Guidelines, and Consensus statements.
Brittany Simone
Brittany Simone, DO

SUNY Upstate Medical University

Click for Bio Dr. Brittany Simone is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. She specializes in the treatment of gynecologic and breast malignancies. She also conducts basic science and translational research focusing on tumor metabolism and how it relates to radiosensitivity of certain cancers.
Abhishek Solanki
Abhishek Solanki, MD

Loyola University Medical Center

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Laura Sorabella
Laura Sorabella, MD

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Click for Bio Laura Lock Sorabella, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist and Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN where she cares for patients in the division of Obstetric Anesthesiology as both the Medical Director and the Director of Clinical Operations. She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007 and she graduated from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2011. After completing her anesthesiology residency at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dr. Sorabella remained at Beth Israel to complete her clinical fellowship in Obstetric Anesthesiology. She worked there for one year before moving to Nashville to join the faculty at Vanderbilt. Dr. Sorabella’ s research interests include cesarean delivery analgesia, opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy, placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorder, and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She has lectured nationally on several of these subjects and serves on multiple obstetric anesthesia committees through SOAP as well as on the Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC) Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy Taskforce. She lives in Brentwood, TN with her husband, Nick, their two daughters, Georgia (9) and Louisa (6) and her nemesis, a poodle named Ruby.
Shivani Sud
Shivani Sud, MD

UNC School of Medicine

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Aman Taggar
Aman Taggar, MD

Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre

Click for Bio Dr. Taggar is a Radiation Oncologist at Sunnybrook Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. His work focuses on advancing brachytherapy in not only GU/Gyn but also in less well known indications such as hepatobiliary, anorectal and esophageal diseases.
Christopher Tien
Christopher Tien, PhD, DABR

Yale School of Medicine

Click for Bio Dr. Christopher J. Tien is an Associate Professor and Lead Brachytherapy Physicist in the department of Therapeutic Radiology. In addition to his appointments at Yale, Dr. Tien is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Brown University.
Dr. Tien practiced at a community hospital in suburban Chicago for 3 years after completing his residency at Brown University/ Rhode Island Hospital. He completed his PhD by the time he was 25 years old from the University of Florida on a full fellowship following his accelerated 5-year combined Master's & Bachelor's Degrees in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences obtained summa cum laude at the University of Michigan.
Clinically, he is a board-certified therapeutic medical physicist appointed as a Medical Physicist at Yale-New Haven Hospital. His current translational research is largely inspired by his clinical duties in brachytherapy (gynecological, prostate, ocular, and skin) applications and radiobiological modeling.
In 2024, Dr. Tien was elected as a Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), making him one of the youngest elected Fellows in the AAPM's 66 year history. With AAPM, he is currently the chair of the national AAPM Task Group on high-dose-rate brachytherapy (TG59). He has served terms on the national AAPM Board of Directors and as the president of the Connecticut chapter of AAPM. He is a member of the national AAPM Medical Physics Education Subcommittee and ABS National Education Subcommittee.
Dr. Tien is a full member of the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS), the American Society for Radiation Oncology, and the Yale Cancer Center.
Dorin Todor
Dorin Todor, PhD

VCU School of Medicine

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Puja Venkat
Puja Venkat, MD

UCLA Health

Click for Bio Dr. Puja Venkat completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University and medical school training at the University Of Toledo College Of Medicine. She went on to do her internship in medicine at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, Michigan and her residency in radiation oncology at the University of South Florida/Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. She developed a strong interest in brachytherapy during her training, which led her out west to pursue a fellowship at UCLA.
Te Vuong
Te Vuong, MD

McGill University
Jewish Memorial Hospital

Click for Bio Dr. Vuong is a McGill University professor with an interest in GI oncology. Dr. Vuong is actively involved in non-operative management of rectal cancer.
Yonatan Weiss
Yonatan Weiss, MD

Miami Cancer Institute

Click for Bio Yonatan Weiss, M.D., works as radiation oncologist at Miami Cancer Institute treating a variety of disease sites including genitourinary, gynecologic, skin and other cancers with significant expertise in interstitial brachytherapy. Prior to joining Miami Cancer Institute in 2022, he was a fellow in the radiation oncology department at the University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Weiss completed his residency in 2021 and served as chief resident at the Princess Margaret and Odette Cancer Centres in Toronto, ON, Canada.
Runyan Woods
Runyan Woods, PhD, DABR

UH Cleveland Medical Center

Click for Bio Dr. Runyan Woods is the Chief of Brachytherapy Physics at University Hospitals.
Catheryn Yashar
Catheryn Yashar, MD, FABS

University of California
San Diego

Click for Bio Catheryn M. Yashar, MD, is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in treating breast and gynecologic cancers. Dr. Yashar uses carefully targeted, high doses of radiation energy to destroy or damage cancer cells. She is highly experienced in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and brachytherapy. Dr. Yashar also manages the care and treatment of cancer patients and works closely with other doctors, including medical and surgical oncologists, to provide comprehensive care.
At UC San Diego Health, Dr. Yashar serves as the chief of gynecologic and breast radiation services and medical director of the La Jolla radiation oncology clinic. She is a leader for the gynecologic oncology team and chair of the Cancer Committee at Moores Cancer Center.
Dr. Yashar also provides leadership and guidance as chief of staff for the UC San Diego Health Medical Staff and oversees medical staff affairs as associate chief medical officer.
A professor in the Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, Dr. Yashar trains medical students and residents in radiation oncology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She is active in the School of Medicine and has served as chair of several committees. She frequently speaks at national and international meetings.
Dr. Yashar's clinical interests include techniques that limit irradiation to the normal breast, evaluating IMRT and IGRT for the treatment of gynecologic cancers, and image-guided brachytherapy. Her research interests include single entry accelerated partial breast irradiation and focal high-dose rate irradiation techniques.
Dr. Yashar completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Michigan Medical School and trained in a gynecologic oncology fellowship at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She completed a second residency in radiation oncology at University of Louisville School of Medicine. Dr. Yashar earned her medical degree from Northwestern University. She is board-certified in radiation oncology.
Dr. Yashar actively participates in numerous medical organizations and societies, including the American Board of Radiology and the American Society of Radiation Oncology. She is a fellow and board member of the American College of Radiation Oncology and secretary of the American Brachytherapy Society.
Emi Yoshida
Emi Yoshida, MD

University of California
San Francisco

Click for Bio Dr. Yoshida is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California San Francisco. Her clinical focus is on the treatment of patients with gynecologic malignancies using external beam radiation techniques and interstitial/intracavitary high-dose rate brachytherapy. She also serves as the Medical Director of the UCSF-Washington Cancer Center Radiation Oncology Center.
Ema Yoshioka
Ema Yoshioka, MD

UCLA Health

Click for Bio I am a brachytherapy nurse with a background in Biomedical Science and cancer research. I’m committed to contributing to nursing-led research. I’m especially interested in learning about different brachytherapy techniques used around the world and hope to help strengthen the role of nursing through collaboration, curiosity, and a focus on improving patient care.
Lalaine Zaide
Lalaine Zaide, PA-C

UCLA Health

Click for Bio Lalaine Borja Zaide PA-C is a physician assistant at UCLA Brachytherapy.
Michael Zelefsky
Michael Zelefsky, MD

NYU Langone Medical Center

Click for Bio Michael J. Zelefsky, MD, a renowned leader in radiation oncology, is Professor of Radiation Oncology and serves as the Vice-Chair in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the NYU Langone Medical Center. He also serves as the Director of Brachytherapy for the Cancer Center and as the leader of the Genitourinary Cancer Disease Management Group at the Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU.
As one of the world’s authorities on prostate cancer treatment, Dr. Zelefsky has made major contributions to the field, shaping clinical practice guidelines and influencing treatment protocols worldwide. He was instrumental in the development of intensity-modulated radiotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, which is now employed routinely throughout the world. He is also a renowned opinion leader in the area of stereotactic body radiotherapy for prostate cancer and well as the type of internal radiotherapy known as brachytherapy. He will work closely with Perlmutter Cancer Center’s urologic and medical oncology teams to create a sophisticated, multidisciplinary approach to all aspects of diagnosis, treatment, and side effect management. Dr. Zelefsky has built one of the largest brachytherapy services in the world and has continued such programs in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Perlmutter Cancer Center.
An alum of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Zelefsky completed his internship at Hackensack Medical Center and his residency at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He held numerous positions during his time at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, most recently as the chief of the brachytherapy service, vice chair of clinical research, and director of genitourinary radiation oncology. He also has co-authored more than 370 peer-reviewed articles, with his work appearing in top-tier publications including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, JAMA Oncology, and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. He is the editor-in-chief of Brachytherapy, an international multidisciplinary medical journal that provides research into the use of brachytherapy. He has served as an active member and leader of other professional organizations, such as the American Brachytherapy Society, American Cancer Society, and American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.
Imran Zoberi
Imran Zoberi, MD

Washington University, St. Louis

Click for Bio Dr. Imran Zoberi is a Radiation Oncologist specializing in Breast and GYN cancers.
Jacqueline Zoberi
Jacqueline Zoberi, PhD

Washington University, St. Louis

Click for Bio Jacqueline Esthappan Zoberi is a Professor of Radiation Oncology in the Division of Medical Physics at the Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, MO. She serves as the Chief of Brachytherapy Physics at the Siteman Cancer Center. She is currently involved in projects that explore treatment planning, delivery, and quality assurance methods for brachytherapy and radiopharmaceutical therapy.