Neha Vapiwala, MD, FASTRO

President-elect

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

EDUCATION

• MD, University of Pennsylvania, 2001
• BA, Johns Hopkins University (Biology and Hispanic Studies), 1994 - 1997

POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION 

• Chief Resident, Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2005 - 2006
• Assistant Chief Resident, Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2004 - 2005
• Resident, Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2002 - 2006
• Intern, Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein Medical Center, 2001 - 2002

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS 

• Professor of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania
• Dean of Admissions, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 2019 - present
• Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 2017 - 2019
• Advisory Dean, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 2012 - 2017

HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS

• Co-Lead, Service Liaison, Genitourinary Service, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2017 - present
• Vice Chair, Education, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2013 - present
• Chief, GU Service, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2011 - 2014
• Program Director, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2006 - 2014

SERVICE TO ASTRO

• Member, CEO Search Committee, 2024
• Secretary/Treasurer, Board of Directors, 2019 - 2023
• Chair, Finance/Audit Committee, 2020 - 2023
• Ex-officio Member, Membership Committee, 2020 - 2022
• Immediate Past-President, President, and Vice President, Association of Directors of Radiation Oncology Programs (ADROP), 2013 - 2019
• Chair, GU Resource Panel, 2018 - present
• Member, GU Resource Panel, 2016 - present
• Member, Workforce Subcommittee, 2018 - present
• Member, International Education Subcommittee, 2016 - present
• Member, GU Committee, Scientific Program Committee, 2008 - 2016
• Member, Education Committee, Education Council, 2007 - 2011, 2018 - present
• Member, Speaker’s Bureau, 2018 - present

SERVICE TO OTHER ONCOLOGY OR RADIOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS

• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
  • Chair, Residency Review Committee, 2019 - 2022
  • Member and Vice Chair, Residency Review Committee, 2016 - 2019
• American Board of Radiology (ABR)
  • Member, GU Cancer Exam Committee, 2015 - present
  • Member, Initial Board Certification Advisory Committee, 2011 - 2016
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
  • Nominating Committee, 2023 - present
  • Editorial Board, ASCO Education, 2016 - present
  • Co-Chair, Radiation Therapy for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Guideline
  • Endorsement Panel, 2016 - 2017
  • Member, Taxonomy Committee, 2016
  • Track Leader, Scientific Program Committee, 2015 - 2016 and 2022 - 2023
  • Member, Scientific Program and Education Committees, 2013 - 2016 and 2019 - 2023
  • Member, Cancer Education Committee, 2015 - 2016
  • Member, Cancer Support Community Working Group, 2015 - present
  • Member, GU Maintenance of Certification Committee, 2013 - 2015
• American College of Radiology (ACR)
  • Member, Commission on Radiation Oncology Education Committee, 2012 - present
  • GU Panel Member, Appropriateness Criteria for Radiation Oncology, 2012 - 2018
• American Radium Society (ARS)
  • Chair, Scientific Program, Annual Meeting, 2021 - 2022
  • GU Panel Member, Appropriateness Criteria for Radiation Oncology, 2019 - present
• Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO)
  • Faculty Advisor, 2019
• JAMA Oncology
  • Member, Editorial Board, 2018 - present
• Journal of Clinical Oncology
  • Member, Editorial Board, 2020 - 2023
• National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN)
  • Co-Chair, Early Modality, GU Committee, ECOG-ACRIN
  • Member, GU Committee, NRG
• National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
  • Member, Prostate Cancer Early Detection Committee, 2019 - present
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Member, Prostate Cancer Task Force, 2016 - present

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Neha Vapiwala, MD, FASTRO, is a Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Radiation Oncology and the Dean of Admissions at the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania (Penn).

After immigrating to the United States as an elementary school student, Dr. Vapiwala made her way to Johns Hopkins University, where she completed an undergraduate degree in three years, majoring in Biology and Hispanic Studies. She utilized her early graduation to teach high school science and math, which formalized her lifelong passion for education and mentorship. She then pursued her medical education and training at Penn as a Twenty-First Century Scholar in the School of Medicine, and later as Chief Resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Upon completing her residency, Dr. Vapiwala joined the faculty and served immediately as Residency Program Director of Penn’s Department of Radiation Oncology. She is a recipient of two Giulio J. D’Angio Teaching Awards and was inducted into the Academy of Master Clinicians, the highest institutional honor bestowed upon physicians. Subsequent promotions at Penn included appointments to Chief of the Genitourinary (GU) Cancer Service, Vice-Chair of Education, and ultimately Dean of Admissions of the medical school.

Dr. Vapiwala has been a champion of important interdisciplinary collaborations throughout her career, leading initiatives that explore the evolving role of radiation oncologists as integral members of the oncology care team. She has also chaired multiple committees that foster partnerships between radiation, medical and surgical oncologists. She has served the specialty of radiation oncology in various forums, including the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education, recently completing her term as Chair of the Residency Review Committee. In 2019, Dr. Vapiwala and her radiation oncologist-husband, John Plastaras, MD, PhD, were co-recipients of the Headstrong Foundation Achievement Award. Dr. Vapiwala was also recognized as a Fellow of ASTRO in 2021 and Fellow of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in 2023. On the research front, she is the principal investigator of multiple investigator-, industry- and cooperative group-led clinical trials primarily focused on multidisciplinary cancer management, novel imaging methods, and biological as well as technical approaches for improving the radio-therapeutic index. She has directed several international oncology education courses and published extensively on a range of topics affecting clinical practice, medical training and the physician workforce. Dr. Vapiwala is an editor of two recently published textbooks on radiation oncology career development and palliative care, respectively.

From 2019 to 2023, Dr. Vapiwala served on the ASTRO Board as Secretary/Treasurer and Chair of the ASTRO Finance/Audit Committee, working very closely with ASTRO staff and faculty committee members to successfully navigate the tumultuous pandemic era. Under her guidance, the team’s strategic leadership played a pivotal role in maintaining ASTRO's healthy financial position during a time when many other professional societies and organizations experienced significant weakening. In parallel, she continued to advocate for important ASTRO Board initiatives related to radiation oncology workforce analysis, trainee resource expansion and early career member engagement.

Dr. Vapiwala’s passion for learning from and collaborating with mentors, peers and trainees from a variety of backgrounds, practice settings, and perspectives is a critical source of motivation and satisfaction in her career, as are her incredibly supportive life partner and their three children, who together put even the toughest day at work into amazing perspective.