CEO’s Report:

I have spent my first few months as CEO of ASTRO learning more about the inner workings of the organization that I have been so proud to be a part of for more than 30 years. In my new role, I found it important to do a great deal of observation to gain a deeper understanding about the organization, its structure, its people and history. With these observations, I implemented small tweaks to the organizational structure to better position ASTRO for the future, including creating a new role of Vice President for Business Development and Marketing. We are actively recruiting for this executive level position that will oversee enhancing revenue generation and strengthening ASTRO’s reputation.

• As I have shared before, one of my top initiatives early on was and is member outreach. From day one, I set out to make a concerted effort to recruit and retain members and reclaim those who previously dropped their ASTRO membership and understand why they did so. Individual conversations with these members have been quite informative, and their comments will be taken to heart as we navigate the future. I have enjoyed what I call my roadshows, visiting members in Chicago and San Diego with trips planned for Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Houston over the next couple of months. I seek to grow personal connections with members, and hope that all — whether academic, community hospital or freestanding centers — understand how important they are to the Society. Private practice and community-based physicians make up half of ASTRO’s membership, yet there is a perception that ASTRO primarily represents academic-based practices. To help overcome this perception and better support the needs of freestanding and community practice physicians, the Board approved the creation of a community practice task force. The task force is charged with strategizing how to more fully engage our community practice members in ASTRO activities and is already hard at work.

• Another top priority of focus these past few months has been to grow ASTRO’s international membership. Currently, 22% of ASTRO members are international, and there is room for growth to enhance programs for this large cohort of our membership. I also am working to broaden ASTRO’s influence in international organizations and look forward to continued partnerships with peer international societies such as ESTRO, JASTRO, RANZCR and AROI and others. In addition, we are looking to grow our collaboration with IAEA and UICC. Together, we can move the field forward to improve outcomes for our patients and broaden access to care worldwide.

• As CEO, I am responsible for ensuring that ASTRO remains financially sound. We have a strong asset base that is doing well thanks to market conditions, and I am working with the leadership team to bring our operating budget in line with long-term spending guidelines within the next two budgeting cycles. We always need to invest in our future to keep the specialty and the Society healthy and growing, and I am working to establish a new structure for ASTRO investment deployment.

• The Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI) – ASTRO’s foundation – has done many good things since its inception, including funding $3.7 million in research to improve outcomes for patients and advance the field. Primary among this is its support of young investigators. I am looking at how to position ROI for the future and optimize the relationship between ASTRO and its foundation.

• ASTRO’s relationships with industry partners have always been strong, and we are enhancing those relationships to bring more collaboration on important programs. I am working on a robust project to show value in oncology care, and I will share more details as this develops in the months to come.

• Our advocacy efforts continue at full speed with the reintroduction of the Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) Value Based Program Act. We are also working actively in the CPT RUC process as radiation oncology codes are currently being evaluated.

• In looking at new programs and scope, the field is well positioned to grow radiopharmaceutical therapies in our practices. ASTRO is supporting these efforts in many ways, including bi-annual meetings with industry partners. We are going into year two of the RPT Roundtables, which are hosted at ASTRO headquarters and engage members and industry partners to discuss how to best prepare radiation oncologists to increase utilization of this therapy. We are exploring radiopharmaceutical training centers to assist our members who voiced a need for more training in this area as well as exploring the expansion of the Annual Meeting RPT Workshop session into a standalone meeting. I look forward to sharing more as these initiatives develop. Another area of growth, while not necessarily new to the field itself, is regaining the spotlight. Historically, many nonmalignant diseases have been treated with radiation therapy but a renewed focus on the use of radiation therapy for benign diseases is gaining traction. This topic is part of the theme for this year’s Annual Meeting as well as a recent ASTROnews and webinar series.

This is an exciting time to work in radiation oncology. I am beyond honored to serve as CEO of ASTRO. There is much to do, but my team and I are rolling up our sleeves and are hard at work to see the Society continue to thrive and grow. This is a great job, and I am having a lot of fun doing it!