ASTRO’s role in research includes the promotion and support of basic, translational, clinical and outcomes/health services research and training in radiation oncology, biology and physics. These activities are facilitated through ASTRO’s Research Council which houses the following Committees and Task Forces:

• Committee for Healthcare Access and Training (CHAT)
  The mission of the Committee for Healthcare Access and Training is to advance the role of minorities within the field of oncology by increasing educational and professional opportunities for minorities and to improve the quality of care and outcomes for minorities and underserved populations by increasing cancer awareness and access to state-of-the-art treatment.
• Health Services Research Committee (HSRC)
  The mission of the Health Services Research Committee is to initiate, promote and support activities that will benefit the ASTRO membership by enhancing the quality, effectiveness and appropriateness of cancer services across the continuum.
  

• Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Radiation Oncology (RO) Task Force
  Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise Radiation Oncology is a multi-specialty, multi-society, multi-national initiative to integrate radiotherapy equipment and patient health information systems. The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) are pioneers in this area. However, involvement in IHE has expanded to other areas including Cardiology, IT Infrastructure and most recently radiation oncology. The IHE-Radiation Oncology initiative includes ASTRO, AAPM, ACR, RSNA, AROI (India), CARO (Canada), CSRO (China), ECS-RO (Egypt), ESTRO (Europe), IAEA and JASTRO (Japan). Additionally, ATC and NEMA have contributed greatly to the IHE-RO initiative with their support of DICOM implementation. 
  

• Radiation and Cancer Biology Committee (RCBC)
  

  The mission of the Radiation and Cancer Biology Committee is to enhance education in radiation and cancer biology, promote and support research related to radiation oncology, and advance the career development of ASTRO’s junior members.

• Radiation Physics Committee (RPC)
  The mission of the Radiation Physics Committee is to promote basic, translational and clinical research in radiation oncology by identifying the challenges of advanced technology radiation therapy planning and delivery. The Committee shall disseminate information that will make the practice of radiation therapy safe and accurate. The confluence of these endeavors will lead to improved patient care.
  

• Research Evaluation Committee (REC)
  The mission of the Research Evaluation Committee is to administer ASTRO’s awards program including: 1) formulation of policy related to the selection criteria, 2) distribution and processing of candidate applications and 3) review and selection of the award recipients.
  

• Steering Committee on the Promotion of Research
  The ASTRO Research Council Steering Committee’s mission is to help guide the Research Council by making a concerted effort to closely evaluate current procedures, identifying mechanisms by which the importance of research related to radiation oncology can be promoted within the organization and through which members of the radiation oncology community can become more engaged in research activities. The Steering Committee consists of the Chair and Vice-chair of the Research Council as well as the Chair and Vice-chair of many of the committees within the council. 
  

• Workforce Committee
  The mission of the Workforce Committee is to foster relationships and collaborate with other societies on ways to find probable solutions to recruitment and retention difficulties in the field of radiation oncology. The Workforce Committee has identified areas of collaboration with ASRT, AAMD and AAPM and has created programs to address workforce shortages.