ROECSG (Rad Onc Education Collab Study Group)

Radiotherapy Review in NEJM: “Underuse and refusal of indicated radiotherapy have been shown to increase cancer-specific mortality and the risk of death in both curative and palliative settings” nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…

🚨🚨Multiple Brain Mets Randomized Trial🚨 · Significantly less symptom burden with SRS compared to HA-WBRT · Better ADL, cognition & KPS after SRS · SRS Standard of Care 5-20 brain mets jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/…

Did you read get a chance to read one of our latest on 🧒🏽resident versus 👩🏽‍⚕️faculty 💭perceptions of treatment planning review🖥️ by @RachelJimenezMD & team? advancesradonc.org/article/S2452-… Once you read it 👆🏽, check out the editorial 👇🏽by our #MedEd expert @d_golden! Part 1️⃣: 🚀Congrats to Boyd et al on an important study examining how radiation oncology trainees learn radiation treatment plan (RTP) evaluation in the US. This is core competency work—and long overdue. 👏 📊 Study design: Survey of residents + faculty at 14 ACGME-accredited hashtag#radonc programs about RTP evaluation education. Survey included: ✅ multiple choice ✅ Likert responses ✅ free-text responses 📬 Survey distribution: 👩‍⚕️ 169 residents 👨‍🏫 79 faculty Response rates: 📌 Residents: 43% 📌 Faculty: 28% For this population, that’s a reasonable response rate. ⭐ Key finding: Residents report substantially less RTP education than faculty report providing. 56% of residents felt they had inadequate exposure to RTP review. Yet… 🧠 85% of faculty reported reviewing ≥50% of treatment plans with residents. That’s a striking discrepancy. 🧑‍⚕️ Important nuance: PGY5s report adequate exposure (as shown in Figure 1). So exposure may improve with seniority—but the earlier years matter too. 🧠Competency perceptions diverged as well: More than half of residents did not feel competent in RTP evaluation vs ~90% of faculty felt residents were competent That gap matters for training confidence and readiness🏃🏽‍♀️. 🧩 This isn’t unique to radonc. Similar “learners report less teaching than teachers report delivering” patterns exist across education research. This is often called a “perception gap.” Why does the perception gap happen❓ Because learners don’t always experience certain activities as “teaching,” even if educators believe they are teaching in the moment. 🔥 Key concept: Feeling of learning ≠ actual learning. Students may feel they’re not learning during active engagement—even when measurable learning improves. So subjective impressions must be interpreted cautiously. Boyd et al also identified common barriers to RTP evaluation: ⏰ time constraints 📅 schedule misalignment 📈 competing clinical demands 😐 lack of interest (either party) Classic “education vs workflow” collision. Some barriers are fixable with intentionality. Example: Faculty can set aside protected RTP review time daily/weekly. Even if a plan is already approved, reviewing it still has huge educational value. ⚠️ As with all survey studies, bias is a risk: 📌 Response bias: - Residents who feel undertaught may be more likely to respond - Faculty who value teaching may also be more likely to respond Another important limitation: social desirability bias. Faculty may feel pressure to report higher teaching engagement because “good educators teach.” This could inflate reported teaching frequency. So what can we do with these findings? 🚨First: teaching & learning is a two-way street. Faculty should be explicit about when they are teaching RTP evaluation—not just doing it. Example: Running into dosimetry, quickly reviewing a plan, then sprinting out 🏃‍♂️. …may not register as teaching to a resident. But simply reframing can change everything. Try saying: 🗣️“Let’s take 2 minutes to review this plan and discuss how we approach it.” Same activity. Totally different educational signal. ✅ Structure helps. Faculty are encouraged to use a rubric-based verbal framework (ex: FCB-CHOPS) to guide consistent plan review teaching. Consistency builds pattern recognition. Why rubrics work: 1️⃣When residents repeatedly hear a structured process, they internalize it. 2️⃣Over time they develop their own mental checklist for RTP evaluation. That translates into: 📌 competence 📌 confidence 📌 independence 🛑But it’s not all on faculty. Residents: you can also proactively engage educators. Ask for structured review: ☑️“Can we quickly walk through this plan using the rubric?” (Respectfully… and preferably not while your attending is juggling 17 fires 🔥) Residents should also seek other expert educators: 💡 dosimetrists 💡 physicists Many are thrilled to teach—and often have unique perspectives on plan quality and tradeoffs. 🎯 Bottom line: Boyd et al highlight that RTP evaluation—an essential residency skill—may be undertaught or under-recognized as being taught in many programs. Take-home message for 👩🏽‍⚕️faculty: ✅ Engage residents in plan review intentionally ✅ Label teaching explicitly ✅ Use structured frameworks consistently Take-home message for 🧒🏽residents: ✅ Be proactive ✅ Request structured review ✅ Learn from the entire team (physics/dosimetry included) 👏 Overall: Important study + actionable implications. If we want confident independent attendings, we need deliberate, visible, consistent RTP evaluation education—starting early. #RadOnc #MedEd #ResidencyTraining #RadiationOncology @ASTRO_org

Calling Global Radiology Educators! 📢 The Derek Harwood-Nash International Fellowship offers 6–12 weeks of study at leading North American institutions, with funding support and opportunities to build lasting collaborations. Enhance your expertise. Bring new knowledge home. Apply by July 1: bit.ly/48RJBoI

📢#ROECSG26 Spring Symposium abstract submissions are due on Monday 2/23/26. Check out the link below for information about the upcoming symposium including abstract guidelines, an amazing keynote speaker, and date/location details (5/15/26 @MayoClinic @MayoRadOnc). #radonc #meded roecsg.org/symposium2026/

Last day to apply is TOMORROW 2/13! Join ARRO exec!

📢 Calling all medical students! Join us for our next Med Student Q&A on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 8 P.M. ET. This live session features a faculty RadOnc and a RadOnc resident, offering a unique opportunity to learn more about the specialty. @GrantMcKenz @RadiantRehemaMD 🔗Reserve your spot: ow.ly/Hyao50Y4mPi @ARRO_org @AMSANational @LmsaNational @SNMA @RadOncPDs

T-2 months until oral boards. The registration link is now open for our UCLA/COH mock oral course! Spots are limited. uclacohmockoralscourse.rsvpify.com

Check out another part of the Mastering Your Residency webinar series, this time on the integration of work in your life! See below: astro.org/interest-group…

Talking about #burnout helps create culture change that leads to a better environment for all. Grateful to Dr @d_golden for sharing @IJROBP for publishing redjournal.org/article/S0360-… "practicing common humanity through public disclosure seems more important than career advancement"

Thanks to Simul Parikh for his commentary on my recent essay. "Beyond the Happy Warrior" open.substack.com/pub/radiatione… #physicianwellness #mentalhealth @IJROBP

We learn best when we learn together. Dr @TroyKleberMD presents #ACRO2026 on a @MDAndersonNews multidisciplinary #radonc teaching session involving trainees and facilitators from radiation residency, med physics, dosimetry, and RTT. 👩‍🏫☢️🩻⚡️

Did you know? Today's radiotherapy can: 1️⃣ Cure many cancers 2️⃣ Control disease spread 3️⃣ Preserve patient's quality of life Learn more about how radiotherapy is shaping cancer care: ow.ly/hbF450Y8lF3 #WorldCancerDay #Radiotherapy #UnitedbyUnique #CancerCare @ESTRO_RT @NehaVapiwala @Mat_Guc

Thanks to @IJROBP & @sueyom for allowing me to share my #mentalhealth journey, "After #Burnout: Reigniting the Flame." I hope this essay can help others out there in medicine that might be struggling. sciencedirect.com/science/articl… #physicianburnout #anxiety #depression #wellness

ONE WEEK AWAY! ACR will be hosting its quarterly Radiation Oncology Education Webinar on February 10th from 5-6pm ET! This edition is on ABR Radiation Oncology Board Certifying Exam Updates. Attendees of this webinar receive 1 CME credit. Register: ow.ly/19N150XTlTc

On World Cancer Day, ASTRO and ESTRO call for greater awareness of modern radiation oncology: precise, personalized, and patient-centered care that improves outcomes worldwide. Read our full statement: ow.ly/GeNy50Y8lrq #WorldCancerDay #Radiotherapy #UnitedbyUnique #CancerCare @ESTRO_RT @NehaVapiwala @Mat_Guc

Reminder! Med Student Q&A coming up 2/11 at 8PM EST featuring one of our very own stellar 💫🌟 ARRO exec members @RadiantRehemaMD ! See below for details:

Pleasure to publish my notes as study material @roecsg Please share “RadOnc-Ready” with your residents and fellows !🌟 ☢️ roecsg.org/web-resources/…

Honored to chat with the @StefanTigges of xraycomix.com who has created entertaining educational strips in @JACRJournal on understanding #statistics, #clinicaltrials, and #anatomy better than any stats course I've ever sat through @roecsg @d_golden #MedEd #MedTwiter #MedStudent #FOAMed #radonc

#ASTRO26: Call for Education Session Proposals Share insights that drive radiation therapy forward by participating in the 2026 Annual Meeting Education Program. Learn about eligibility, scoring criteria, tracks, and submission guidelines. Submit by Monday, Jan. 12, 2026: ow.ly/RTXN50XnhUc