COVID-19 Scientific Communications and Comments
COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Equity for Patients With Cancer
COVID-19 has caused greater than 300 million documented infections worldwide including over 5 million confirmed deaths. Patients with cancer are particularly vulnerable due to a combination of disease and therapy-related effects. Available vaccines were highly effective against the original viral strains in clinical trials. However, initial vaccination efforts in this vulnerable population were impacted by federal policy that created substantial vaccine scarcity and allocation difficulties by recommending prioritization of unmanageably large patient populations including the entire elderly population and patients over the age of 16 with broadly defined, high-risk medical conditions (including cancer).Effectively Conducting Oncology Clinical Trials During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Clinical trial enrollment has declined globally as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This underscores the importance of structured methods to continue critical medical research safely and efficiently.Networking and Applying to Radiation Oncology During A Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey of Medical Student Concerns
We assessed the effectiveness of a virtual networking session tailored for third- and fourth-year medical students interested in radiation oncology, and report students’ concerns about applying to radiation oncology during the pandemic.The Fear Returns: Messaging in the Age of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
I shall set some of them down here, in the wistful—nay, the futile—hope that it may do something to restore the art of articulation, the dignity of diction, and thus improve the process of communication, for precision of communication is important, more important than ever, in our era of hair-trigger balances, when a false, or misunderstood, word may create as much disaster as a sudden thoughtless act.1–James ThurberResidency Match Trends, Racial Disparity, and Matching Amid a Pandemic
Radiation oncology has been facing an evolving crisis in recruitment for several years, and the events of 2020 to 2021 will certainly add to that crisis with the urgency of addressing systemic racial injustice amid a global pandemic. The purpose of this study is to examine applicant data to gain insight on residency match trends and evaluate these findings within the backdrop of a novel match year.The Game Continues: Seeking Clarity in the Radiation Oncology Match
Though the previous Gaming the Match agreement offered guidance to programs on how best to approach the Match process, guidance for applicants remains inconsistent. Here we review and propose guidelines by which the spirit of the Match may better be achieved for both program directors and applicants alike.The Case for Brachytherapy: Why It Deserves a Renaissance
The recent global events related to the coronavirus disease of 2019 pandemic have significantly changed the medical landscape and led to a shift in oncologic treatment perspectives. There is a renewed focus on preserving treatment outcomes while maintaining medical accessibility and decreasing medical resource utilization. Brachytherapy, which is a vital part of the treatment course of many cancers (particularly prostate and gynecologic cancers), has the ability to deliver hypofractionated radiation and thus shorten treatment time.A Paradigm Shift in Radiation Oncology Training
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has been intertwined with the movement for racial justice in the United States and has highlighted and risks aggravating educational and workforce disparities within radiation oncology. We discuss wide-ranging changes within radiation oncology training that are essential to developing and maintaining diversity, including utilization of competency-based educational models that allow for streamlining of training and examinations; responsiveness to the needs of residents and medical students of different gender, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic groups; and technological integration to increase educational efficiency and decrease barriers.The Novel Use of a Commercially Available Video-Conference Platform to Facilitate Multidisciplinary Target Volume Review and Delineation for Skull-Base Radiation Therapy During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
Multidisciplinary involvement in radiation therapy (RT) treatment planning is currently underused. A radiation oncologist sought input for generating target contours from a neuro-radiologist (NR) and otolaryngologist (OL) for 3 patients requiring skull-base RT during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant virtual meeting between the radiation oncologist, NR, and OL was arranged. Involvement of the OL and NR led to significant changes in the clinical target volume for all patients.Resident Considerations for Virtual Interviews in Radiation Oncology: Perspectives From the Sunshine State
Residency candidate selection in radiation oncology has traditionally consisted of formal in-person interviews, which occur in groups, each over 1 to 2 days. This format was largely adopted due to the efficiency it provided programs in interviewing the most applicants in a given day and reducing faculty time away from clinical responsibilities. However, because of the ongoing threat of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus–2, or coronavirus disease 2019, and the associated social distancing measures, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the National Resident Matching Program have recommended virtual interviews for the 2020 to 2021 residency application cycle.Improving Diversity and Inclusion in the Post–Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era Through a Radiation Oncology Intensive Shadowing Experience (RISE)
In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, current Association of American Medical Colleges guidelines discourage away rotations, posing significant challenges for attracting students to radiation oncology (RO). This is particularly concerning for medical students underrepresented in medicine (UIM) due to the potential of widening existing disparities in applicant and workforce composition. To proactively address this, we created a Radiation Oncology Intensive Shadowing Experience (RISE) to expose UIM students to the field of RO.Increasing Medical Student Engagement Through Virtual Rotations in Radiation Oncology
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affected medical student clerkships and education around the country. A virtual medical student clerkship was created to integrate didactic education with disease specific lectures for medical students, contouring, and hands on learning with telehealth. Twelve medical students in their 3rd and 4th year were enrolled in this 2 week elective from April 27, 2020 to June 5, 2020. There was significant improvement of overall knowledge about the field of radiation oncology from pre elective to post elective (P < .001).Lessons to Learn From a Successful Virtual Mock Oral Examination Pilot Experience
oronavirus (COVID-19) has caused marked impact on graduate medical education for all medical specialties. Radiation Oncology and the American Board of Radiology have also had to rapidly adapt to converting education and examinations to virtual platforms. We describe our small pilot experience in transitioning our in-person mock oral examinations to a virtual platform. Survey-based assessment revealed excellent feedback regarding ease of use and educational usefulness. Our mock oral examinations pilot experience adds to evidence that virtual mock oral examinations are an important considerationfor Radiation Oncology education and a feasible alternative to an in-person oral examination.
