ASTRO Grant and Fellowship Program Recipients
ASTRO funds novel research projects and offers research training fellowships in alignment with our strategic goal to retain and foster the intellectual research talent currently entering the field of radiation oncology. These opportunities help to advance the scientific careers of junior investigators, promote mentorship and support research efforts to improve patient care and health outcomes.
Congratulations to the 2024 ASTRO Grant and Fellowship Program recipients!*
 | ASTRO-ACS Clinician Scientist Development Grant- Investigator: Kelli Brianna Pointer, MD, PhD
- Institution: Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic
- Project Title: Targeting cholinergic signaling to overcome radiation resistance in gliomas.
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 | ASTRO-MRA Young Investigator Award- Investigator: Lisa Sudmeier, MD, PhD
- Institution: Emory University
- Project Title:Harnessing the tumor immune microenvironment of brain
metastases.
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 | ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant- Investigator: Mark Chen, MD, PhD
- Mentors: Ashutosh Chilkoti, PhD, Joseph Salama, MD
- Institution: Duke University School of Medicine
- Project Title: Regulation of oncogenesis and tumor response to radiation therapy by phase separation.
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 | ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant- Investigator: Nipun Verma, Md, PhD
- Mentors: Sidi Chen, PhD
- Institution: Yale University School of Medicine
- Project Title: The role of actin capping proteins in homology
directed DNA repair and therapeutic response to radiation and
immunotherapy.
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 | ASTRO-AAPM Seed Grant- Investigator: David Adam, PhD
- Institution: Johns Hopkins University
- Project Title: Development of small-scale computational model and pre-clinical validation of patient-specific salivary gland toxicity predictions for beta emitting-radiopharmaceuticals.
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 | ASTRO-AAPM Seed Grant- Investigator: Nolan Esplen, PhD
- Institution: MDAnderson Cancer Center
- Project Title: Improving the Therapeutic Index through the Combination of FLASH and Spatially Fractioned Radiation Therapies.
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 | ASTRO-LUNGevity Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant- Investigator: Nicholas Eustace, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Terence Williams, MD
- Institution: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Project Title: Unraveling the Effects of Pl3K Signaling Activation
and Hypoxia on Radiation and Chemoradiation Resistance of Squamous Cell
Carcinoma of the Lung.
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 | ASTRO-LUNGevity Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant- Investigator: Wilson Mai, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Maximilian Diehn, MD, PhD
- Institution: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior
- Project Title: Exploiting Dependencies Created by KEAP1/NFE2L2
Mutations in NSCLC to Overcome Radiation Resistance.
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ASTRO-Industry Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellows
 | ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship- Fellow: Bin Gui, MD
- Mentor: Bhupesh Parashar, MD
- Institution: Northwell Health
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*Conditional upon institutional agreement with the Terms of Award.
Past Awardees
Grant Recipients
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ASTRO-ACS Clinician Scientist Development Grant
- Investigator: Nam Woo Cho, MD, PhD
- Institution: University of California, San Francisco
- Project Title: Dissection of an inflammatory immune suppression circuit driven by therapy-induced T cell activation
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ASTRO-BCRF Emerging Investigator Award to Build a Diverse Scientific Workforce
- Investigator: Rebecca Shulman, MD
- Institution: The Research Institute of Fox Chase Cancer Center
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ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant
- Investigator: Brigid McDonald, PhD
- Institution: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant
- Investigator: Ryan Oglesby, PhD
- Institution: Johns Hopkins University
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ASTRO-RTOG NRG Oncology Fellowship in Health Equity
- Investigator: Idalid “Ivy” Franco, MD, MPH
- Institution: Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center
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ASTRO-LUNGevity Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Kailin Yang, MD, PhD
- Institution: Cleveland Clinic
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Biology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Lauren Pedersen, PhD
- Institution: Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Gustav Cederquist, MD, PhD
- Institution: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
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ASTRO-MRA Young Investigator Award in Radiation Oncology
- Investigator: Chris Tichacek, PhD
- Institution: Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
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ASTRO-ACS Clinician Scientist Development Grant
- Investigator: Adam Mueller, MD, PhD
- Mentors: Scott Waldman, MD, PhD, Sana Karam, MD, PhD
- Institution:Thomas Jefferson University
- Project Title: Investigating AD-AM10 Mediated Radiation Resistance and EMT through Notch
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ASTRO Emerging Investigator Award
- Investigator: Shearwood McClelland III, MD
- Mentors: Eleanor Harris, MD, Janice Lyons, MD
- Institution: University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
- Project Title: Navigator-Assisted Hypofractionation (NAVAH) to Address Radiation Therapy Access Disparities Facing African-Americans with Breast Cancer
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ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant
- Investigator: Muhammad Ramish Ashraf, PhD
- Mentor: Billy Loo Jr., MD, PhD
- Institution: Stanford University
- Project Title: Methods for Accurate Beam Monitoring and Safe Dose Delivery for FLASH-RT
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ASTRO-BCRF Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Rohini Bhatia, MD
- Mentors: Wilfred Ngwa, PhD, Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH, Katharine Rendle, PhD, MPH
Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Project Title: Hypofractionation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Utilization Trends and Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to Uptake, A Mixed Methods Study
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ASTRO-BCRF Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Juhi Purswani, MD
- Mentors: Naamit Gerber, MD, Erik Sulman, MD, PhD
- Institution: NYU Grossman School of Medi-cine
- Project Title: Objective Color Analysis during and after Breast and Chest Wall Radiotherapy and Correlation with Radiation-Induced Skin Toxicity
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ASTRO-LUNGevity Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Noah Kastelowitz, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Maximilian Diehn, MD, PhD
- Institution: Stanford University
- Project Title: Circulating Cell-Free RNA as a Biomarker of Treatment Toxicity During Radiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Biology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Morgan Freret, MD, PhD
- Mentors: Adrienne Boire, MD, PhD, Jonathan Yang, MD, PhD
- Institution: Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
- Project Title: Hypoxia and the Cancer Stem Cell Niche in Leptomeningeal Metastasis
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Peter Hendrickson, MD, PhD
- Mentor: David Kirsch, MD, PhD
- Institution: Duke University
- Project Title: Ewing-like Sarcoma: Targeting the CIC-DUX4 Oncogene through Epigenetic Regulators
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Nayan Lamba, MD
- Mentors: Daphne Haas-Kogan, MD, Nikhil Wagle, MD, Ayal Aizer, MD
- Institution: The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc
- Project Title: Genomic Correlates of Radiation Necrosis following Radiotherapeutic Management of Brain Metastases
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Gohar Manzar, MD, PhD
- Mentors: Bouthaina Dabaja, MD, Katy Rezvani, MD, PhD
- Institution: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Project Title: Evaluating and Optimizing CAR-NK Cell Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer with Preconditioning Radiotherapy
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant
- Investigator: Chidinma Anakwenze, MD, MPH
- Mentors: Kathleen Schmeler, MD; Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH
- Institution: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Project Title: Expanding the Role of Public-Private Partnerships for Radiotherapy Acquisition in Nigeria
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Biology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Diana Shi, MD
- Mentors: William Kaelin Jr., MD; Daphne Haas-Kogan, MD; Samuel McBrayer, PhD
- Institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Project Title: Identifying Metabolic Drivers Controlling Cell State Transitions in Glioblastoma
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ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant
- Investigator: Devin Miles, PhD
- Mentors: John Wong, PhD; Mohammad Rezaee, PhD
- Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Project Title: Proton FLASH Radiation Therapy of Uveal Melanoma: Design, Implementation, and In vivo Validation
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ASTRO-BCRF Career Development Award to End Breast Cancer
- Investigator: Chelain Goodman, MD, PhD
- Mentors: Wendy Woodward, MD, PhD; Anthony Lucci, MD
- Institution: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Project Title: Circulating Tumor-Derived Material as a Surrogate Biomarker for Radiotherapeutic Efficacy in Breast Cancer
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ASTRO-MRA Young Investigator Award in Radiation Oncology
- Investigator: Zachary Buchwald, MD, PhD
- Mentors: Rafi Ahmed, PhD; Walter Curran, Jr., MD
- Institution: Emory University
- Project Title: Enhancing an Abscopal Response by Elucidating the Role of Stem-like T-cells
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ASTRO-PCF Career Development Award to End Prostate Cancer
- Investigator: Julian Hong, MD, MS
- Mentors: Felix Feng, MD; Atul Butte, MD, PhD; Thomas Hope, MD
- Institution: University of California, San Francisco
- Project Title: Artificial Intelligence Approaches for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant
- Investigator: Jacob A. Miller, MD
- Mentors: Quynh-Thu Le, MD; Benjamin Pinksy, MD, PhD
- Institution: Stanford University
- Project Title: Development and International Validation of Noninvasive Assays for Quantifying Circulating Epstein-Barr Virus DNA for Endemic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
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ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Biology Seed Grant
- Investigator: Timothy Sita, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Alexander Stegh, PhD
- Institution: Northwestern University
- Project Title: Characterizing Epilepsy-induced Changes in the Glioma Microenvironment
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ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant
- Investigator: Lydia Wilson, PhD
- Mentors: Austin Faught, PhD; Heather Conklin, PhD
- Institution: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Project Title: Generalization of Image-based Data Mining Methods for Analyzing Pediatric Patient Data
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ASTRO-BCRF Career Development Award to End Breast Cancer
- Investigator: Gaorav Gupta, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Charles Perou, PhD
- Institution: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Project Title: Drivers and Vulnerabilities of Genome Instability in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
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ASTRO-MRA Young Investigator Award in Radiation Oncology
- Investigator: Reid Thompson, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Paul Spellman, PhD
- Institution: Oregon Health & Science University
- Project Title: Ablative Radiotherapy as Consolidation for Oligoprogressive Melanoma
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ASTRO-PCF Career Development Award to End Prostate Cancer
- Investigator: Tyler Seibert, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Anders Dale, PhD
- Institution: University of California, San Diego
- Project Title: Biomarker Study of Advanced Diffusion MRI in High-risk, Localized Prostate Cancer Treated with Radiotherapy and Androgen Deprivation Therapy
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Fellowship Recipients
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ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Kristin Hsieh, MD
- Institution: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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ASTRO-Nanobiotix Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Benjin Facer, MD
- Institution: The Ohio State University Medical Center
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ASTRO-Varian Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Jonathan Sackett, MD
- Institution: University of Cincinnati – College of Medicine
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ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Omoruyi Credit Irabor, MPH, MD
- Mentor: Werner-Wasik, MD
- Institution: Thomas Jefferson University
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ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Kim Ohaegbulam, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Timur Mitin, MD, PhD
- Institution: Oregon Health and Science University
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ASTRO-Varian Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Kareem Rayn, MD
- Mentor: David Horowitz, MD
- Institution: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
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ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Andrew Frankart, MD
- Mentor: Vinita Takiar, MD, PhD
- Institution: University of Cincinnati Medical Center
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ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Andrew Kopecky, MD, PhD
- Mentors: Kathryn Huber, MD, PhD; David Mayhew, MD, PhD
- Institution: Tufts Medical Center
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ASTRO-Varian Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Simeng Zhu, MD
- Mentor: Indrin Chetty, PhD, MS
- Institution: Henry Ford Health System
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ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Ryan Whitaker, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Evan Osmundson, MD, PhD
- Institution: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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ASTRO-Varian Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowship
- Fellow: Ricky Savjani, MD, PhD
- Mentor: Daniel Low, PhD
- Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
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