Brachytherapy: pushing the limits of ablative therapy | Virtual Conference

J Joanne Alfieri is an associate professor in the Department of Oncology, McGill University since February 2012. She is a radiation oncologist who specializes in the treatment of gynaecological and gastrointestinal malignancies at the McGill University Health Centre. Dr. Alfieri earned her medical degree and her post-graduate radiation oncology training at McGill. She completed a Post-graduate Fellowship in Gynaecology Oncology and MRI-guided Brachytherapy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia.  Dr. Alfieri is the lead for the gynecological site group as well as the brachytherapy lead for the MUHC. She initiated the MRI-guided brachytherapy program at McGill, and her current research interests lie in the evaluation of this program with the aim of improving the long-term outcomes and minimizing treatment-related toxicity in gynaecological cancer patients as well as in investigating alternate treatment options for locally advanced cervix cancer.  She has a keen interest in medical education and is the post-graduate residency training Program Director for radiation oncology since February 2015 as well as Associate Chair (Education) for the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology of McGill University where oversees undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate training programs in medical, surgical and radiation oncology. Merci!      

Dr. Bahoric completed his medical school in Rijeka, Croatia. He completed his Royal College Fellowship Program in Radiation oncology in Toronto. He works as staff radiation oncologist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. He is assistant professor at McGill University. Apart from teaching he is involved in various administrative activities. His areas of interest and expertise are the gynecological, genitourinary and hematological malignancies. Particularly, he is interested in brachytherapy. He offers both intracavitary and interstitial for gynecological malignancies. He performs adjuvant accelerated partial breast irradiation via interstitial brachytherapy. Dr. Bahoric participates in nationwide studies in prostate cancer. As part of the studies he offers and performs HDR prostate brachytherapy. He is past president of Canadian Brachytherapy Group and is still active participant in this group.

Dr. Beaulieu is a full professor, Director of the CAMPEP graduate program and also Director of the Cancer Research Centre at Université Laval. He served on the Board of the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists as President Elect, President and Past President (2010-2016). He is a member of the AAPM Brachytherapy Subcommittee as well as two associated Working Groups (Robotics and Clinical Applications), is the Chair of TG317 on tracking technology for brachytherapy, a member of the ESTRO In Vivo dosimetry working group, was the Chair of TG-186 and until recently led the AAPM/ESTRO/ABG Working Group on Model-Based Dose Calculations in Brachytherapy. He has mentored over 150 highly qualified personals, published 220 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 465 refereed abstracts at national and international meetings. He is a recognized expert on topics related to scintillation dosimetry and brachytherapy. Luc

Dr. Peter Chung is an Associate Professor and Director of the Fellowship Program in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. He is a Radiation Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.  He trained in clinical oncology in the United Kingdom and subsequently a clinical fellowship at the Princess Margaret. His clinical interests include sarcoma, GU cancers and the use of MR in brachytherapy.  

Stefanie Corradini is an assistant professor and senior consultant at the Department of Radiation Oncology, LMU University of Munich (Germany) since June 2014. She specializes in the treatment of breast and gynaecological malignancies and is chief of the brachytherapy and the MRI-guided radiotherapy program at LMU University. Dr. Corradini earned her medical degree at Paracelsus Medical Universtiy in Salzburg (Austria) and her post-graduate radiation oncology training at LMU University. She initiated the gynaecological MRI-guided brachytherapy program and the liver brachytherapy program at LMU university in cooperation with the Department of Interventional Radiology. She has a special research interest in liver brachytherapy and the evaluation and development of MR-guided implant procedures and the application of conformal interstitial brachytherapy on unusual treatment sites, taking advantage of her close partnership with Interventional Radiology.

Dr Derashodian is a radiation oncologist working at BC Cancer Kelowna. Centre Intégré de Cancérologie de la Montérégie, at Charles LeMoyne hospital. She graduated from Université de Montreal’s medical school in 2005. She then completed her residency in radiation oncology at Université Laval. She pursued her academic training at University of Miami with a fellowship in Urologic cancers under the supervision of Dr Alan Pollack. She then started her practice at Centre Intégré de Cancérologie de la Montérégie, at Charles LeMoyne hospital, and gained expertise in general brachytherapy.  Her main areas of expertise include urologic, gynecologic, and skin cancer, as well as general brachytherapy.

Dr. Christopher Deufel is the chair of research for the Division of Medical Physics and practice leader for Brachytherapy in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota.  Dr. Deufel received his Ph.D. in experimental physics from Cornell University and completed residency training in therapeutic medical physics at the Mayo Clinic.  He is currently the secretary for the American Brachytherapy Society and has served the ABS board of directors for the past three years.  At the Mayo Clinic, he 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.   

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With an MD degree from the Université de Montréal, Dr. Marjory Jolicoeur founded Curietherapies in 2012, a non-profit organization that she still presides over today. A renowned radiation oncologist, she did her residency at Université de Montreal in 1996, before completing a brachytherapy fellowship at the Centre Georges-François Leclerc located in Dijon (France). In 1997, she started working at the department of Radiation Oncology of Université de Montréal, where she still teaches. A mere two years later, she was appointed medical consultant for all planning, construction and equipment selection processes of the new Radiation Oncology department of Hospital Charles-Le Moyne. She innovates by equipping the department with a suite and a comprehensive image-guided brachytherapy program. As a brachytherapy specialist, she has special research interests in its application to pathologies such as breast, genitourinary and gynecologic cancers. Her main focus is on the development of image guided implant procedures, the use of MRI in brachytherapy and the precision delivery of conformal high dose rate brachytherapy. She also teaches brachytherapy nationally and internationally. 

Dr. Keyes is a Clinical Professor in Radiation Oncology, Division of Surgery, at University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver.  British Columbia Cancer Agency Prostate Brachytherapy Program past QA chair and head of the program 2006 – 2016. She is a Fellow of American Brachytherapy Society (FABS), past board member and secretary for ABS, chair of Education Committee, and ASTRO and ABS Prostate Brachytherapy Workshops course director. In 2017, she was awarded ABS Presidents Award, for outstanding contribution to ABS. She is a member of the editorial board for Brachytherapy Journal.  Dr. Keyes is a Vice-Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada AFC Diploma in Brachytherapy, a former Residency Training Program Director in Radiation Oncology at UBC, and past Royal College examiner.  She is a recipient of several UBC Radiation Oncology Residency Training Program awards and was nominated for Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Mentorship Award.  Dr. Keyes is a keynote speaker, author of over 80 peer reviewed manuscripts and recipient of peer review grants including a CIHR and Michael Smith Foundation grant for translational research in prostate cancer. 

Dr. Marisa Kollmeier is an Associate Physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York where she joined the faculty in 2004 following her residency training at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Since 2007, she has been an active member of the Brachytherapy Service at MSKCC and performs prostate LDR and HDR brachytherapy, intracavitary and interstitial GYN brachytherapy, as well as HDR mold and HDR intraoperative radiation therapy.  She is actively involved in the training of many residents and fellows in brachytherapy-based therapies. Dr. Kollmeier is the chair of the Radiation Oncology Quality Assurance Committee and participates actively in both institutional QA activities as well serving on the Multidisciplinary QA Committee for ASTRO. She has been an active member of ABS since 2004. She has many publications in journals including Brachytherapy, the International Journal of Radiotherapy and Oncology Biology Physics, Practical Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy and Oncology on prostate cancer, brachytherapy as well as other topics.  

Renée has been working as a medical physicist at CHUM since 2006.  Her primary interests are in applying risk management strategies to radiation oncology, low dose rate (LDR) and high dose rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy and teaching physics to radiation oncology residents.  Renée has been on the prostate brachytherapy team at CHUM over ten years.  She was responsible for commissioning the UroNav system with electromagnetic catheter reconstruction for clinical use for HDR prostate brachytherapy.  Renée is also Chargée d’enseignement clinique with the Université de Montréal and has been responsible for the physics training component of the radiation oncology residency program.  In 2019, a full review of the physics curriculum and new structure to the physics courses to implement Competence by Design was implemented. Renée also volunteered with the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) many years, culminating with the role of CCPM Chief Examiner from 2015 to 2018.  

. Le Dr Andrew Loblaw est radio-oncologue, clinicien-chercheur et professeur au Département de radio-oncologie du Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. La pratique clinique et l’intérêt de recherche du Dr Loblaw portent sur l’amélioration des résultats pour les hommes atteints du cancer de la prostate et du système de soins de santé. ..

Fellowship en curiethérapie; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA MSc médecine expérimentale; Faculté de médecine, University Laval, Québec, Québec “Diplôme d’étude supérieurs en radio-oncologie”; University Laval, Québec, Québec Doctorat en médecine; Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec, Québec Bachelier en Pharmacie; École de pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec

Alvaro A. Martinez, M.D. received his medical degree from Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia. He completed a radiation oncology residency program at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Following his residency, he became an Assistant Professor at Stanford University Medical School in Palo Alto, California. In 1981, he joined the department of Oncology at Mayo Clinic Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota where he achieved the position of Associate Professor. He was appointed Chairman of the department of Radiation Oncology at Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak, Michigan in 1985 where he was a Professor of Radiation Oncology at Oakland University William Beaumont Medical school. For the past five years, he has been a Senior VP of Scientific and Clinical Strategy at 21st Century Oncology of Michigan, a division of Michigan Health care professionals. Taking advantage of his surgical training, Dr. Martinez achieved outstanding expertise in brachytherapy and he designed special applicators which are widely used for the treatment of patients with gynecological and other pelvic malignancies. He is a member of numerous national and international professional organizations and is highly regarded by his peers for his professional accomplishments. He was president of the Michigan Society of Therapeutic Radiology in 1989 and president of the American Brachytherapy Society in 1991. Dr. Martinez is certified in radiation oncology by the American Board of Radiology and was awarded a fellowship in the American College of Radiology. Dr. Martinez has been a member of several National Cancer Institute review committees. He has been an associate editor for many national and international medical journals, and has contributed to more than 340 articles in prestigious scientific medical journals. In additional, he has written and contributed to more than 45 chapters in textbooks.

Dr Ménard is a radiation-Oncologist at The CHUM. She is also a professor at Université de Montréal. After her medical degree at University ofCalgary, she made a residency at University of Manitoba. She had her Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute of Bethesda. From 2004 to 2015 she was a professor at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Dr. Lucas Castro Mendez is a Radiation Oncologist at the London Regional Cancer Program and Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University. After completing his medical degree and Radiation Oncology residency training in Brazil, Dr. Mendez has completed three years of fellowship at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Science through the Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto. Dr. Mendez’s clinical sites of interest are head and neck, gynaecological and genitourinary malignancies. He has expertise in interstitial gynaecological brachytherapy and prostate brachytherapy including high dose rate (HDR) and low dose rate (LDR) techniques. Currently, he is the program Lead in prostate brachytherapy at London Regional Cancer Program. Dr. Mendez’s primary research focus includes clinical and translational research projects involving brachytherapy in gynaecological and genitourinary cancers.

Bradley R. Pieters, MD, PhD, is Head of the Brachytherapy department and Principal Investigator at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location AMC, The Netherlands. Dr. Pieters is the chair of the GEC-ESTRO and the Course Director of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) School for the Comprehensive and Practical Brachytherapy course. Dr. Pieters was trained in Radiation Oncology at the Radboud University Hospital in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and received his medical degree in 1990. He completed his residency in radiotherapy at Academic Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Dr. Pieters then completed a brachytherapy fellowship at the Daniel den Hoed clinic in Rotterdam and L'Institut Gustave-Roussy in Villejuif, France. His brachytherapy training was completed at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. Dr. Pieters received his MSc in epidemiology in 2006 and his PhD in 2010 after defending his thesis “Pulsed-dose rate brachytherapy in prostate cancer.” Dr. Pieters’ main field of interest is general brachytherapy with an emphasis on urologic brachytherapy, gynecologic brachytherapy, and translational research for advanced and automatic treatment planning in the field of brachytherapy.  Dr. Pieters is currently one of the Principal Investigators of the PROBACH trial (Randomized Phase 3 Study on the Assessment of Late Toxicity by Comparing IMRT High Dose External Beam Radiotherapy Only With External Beam Radiotherapy Combined With HDR or PDR Brachytherapy in Patients With Intermediate/High Risk Prostate Cancer) and the POWER trial (Randomized trial for the evaluation of erectile dysfunction after whole or partial gland prostate brachytherapy). He is also working on the following research projects: quantification of treatment-induced growth disruption using 3D photography in children with (orbital) rhabdomyosarcoma; ICT-based innovations in the battle against cancer – next-generation patient-tailored brachytherapy cancer treatment planning; Fast, accurate, and insightful brachytherapy treatment planning for cervical cancer through artificial intelligence; The impact of bowel motility on the radiotherapy dose to the bowels.

Mark J. Rivard, Ph.D., DABMP, DABR, FAAPM, FABS, FASTRO is Professor of Radiation Oncology atBrownUniversityand director of the brachytherapy physics service atRhode IslandHospital. He has served as Secretary and Member-at-large for the ABS Board of Directors as well as serving on boards, chairing, or being a member of numerous committees in the ABS, AAPM, ASTRO, NCRP, and other professional societies. Dr. Rivard serves as editor or is on the editorial board of several radiation physics journals and has authored 140 scientific publications, 35 book chapters, and 3 books on brachytherapy. These papers and his extramurally-funded research include investigations on brachytherapy dose measurements and modeling, radiation shielding and safety, and global standardization of dosimetry and clinical implementation. Also being on the adjunct faculty of several universities in New England, Dr. Rivard mentors students on the basics of radiation physics up to translational topics covering clinical integration of new radiotherapy technologies. His greatest innovations have been developing novel brachytherapy sources and advanced treatment planning techniques.

Dr. Amandeep Taggar is originally from Vancouver and completed his medical school training at the University of British Columbia. He also did his Masters in Advanced Therapeutics and Oncology at the University of British Columbia. He completed his residency in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Center at the University Of Calgary, and his fellowship in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He currently is an Assistant Professor in Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto and a Clinician-Investigator at the Odette Cancer Centre/ Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He specializes in treating patients with gynecologic and Upper gastrointestinal malignancies and his practice involves MRI guided radiotherapy and brachytherapy/interstitial brachytherapy.

Dr. Frank A. Vicini, M.D. FACR, is the Chief Academic Officer for Michigan Healthcare Professionals and 21st Century Oncology as well as Professor of Radiation Oncology.  He received his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine and is board-certified in therapeutic radiology.  He is a former breast cancer fellow at Harvard Medical School where he was also on staff before returning to Michigan in 1990. He has done extensive research primarily for targeting radiation with greater precision for women with early-stage breast cancer and on reducing short and long-term morbidities associated with these treatments.     Dr. Vicini has been involved in numerous national clinical studies involving breast and prostate cancer and has designed and developed numerous phase I/II trials to evaluate low-dose rate and high-dose rate brachytherapy as the sole method of radiation therapy for selected patients with Stage I & II breast carcinoma as well as 3D conformal external beam RT APBI. He is currently the Principal Investigator for the national NSABP B39/RTOG 0413 phase III study comparing partial breast irradiation (PBI) versus whole breast irradiation. His research continues to focus on improving therapeutic outcomes for all stages of breast cancer and to reduce treatment times and minimize damage to healthy tissue and vital organs. Innovations have included the development of breath hold techniques to reduce or minimize long-term cardiac toxicity in women treated with left-sided breast cancer and the use of IMRT to reduce acute radiation toxicities to the skin and late toxicities to prevent breast and arm edema, lung and heart related morbidity in women treated for breast cancer.   Dr. Vicini has authored over 200 articles on breast and prostate cancer which have been published in numerous different scientific, peer-reviewed journals and has presented his research at national and international meetings as well as a Visiting Professor in the United States and Europe.  He has also authored multiple chapters in textbooks and is on the editorial board of several oncology journals including Cancer, the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.   Dr. Vicini’s previous positions have included: Chief of Oncology, Beaumont Hospitals Professor, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Director, Radiation Oncology Residency Program Director, Brachytherapy/hyperthermia Fellowship Program Director, Radiation Therapy School  His academic appointments have included Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School, Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and Professor at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.