Program Director: Usha Babaria, M.D. 
Program Coordinator:  Eleanor Michele

Overview of the Residency Program

Since its inception in the first quarter of the twentieth century the department has helped set the pace for new developments in the field, establishing for itself a distinguished reputation. The Radiation Oncology Residency Program at Hahnemann University Hospital, which began in 1969, was one of the early fully approved training programs in radiation oncology. The department also was among the early radiation research centers designated by the National Cancer Institute and was a fully funded program under the National Cancer Institute for over 15 years.

The program in radiation oncology provides residents with a broad exposure to clinical care, teaching and research through two components: clinical radiation oncology and radiation research. In addition to rotations at Hahnemann University Hospital residents may expect to complete a rotation each year at our integrated site, Abington Memorial Hospital. As well, there are rotations within the institution and outside in related disciplines, such as pediatric radiation oncology or medical oncology.

The clinical radiation oncology component provides training in diagnosis and management of malignant diseases, application of external radiation therapy for malignant diseases in adults and children, varieties of brachytherapy procedures (intracavitary, interstitial, high dose remote afterloader (HDR)) total body radiation, total skin electron beam irradiation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, stereotactic radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery, brachytherapy for eye tumors and 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy.

The radiation research program includes training in clinical research activities, radiation physics, and radiation biology. The program participates in national cooperative group protocols. The faculty have developed a number of intra-departmental and interdepartmental research protocols involving brachytherapy procedures, monoclonal antibodies treatments for brain tumor and colorectal cancer, histone-1, bone marrow transplantation, and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.

Usha Babaria, M.D.
Program Director