2024 RO-ILS Dosimetry Safety Stars
This year National Medical Dosimetrist Day is on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. RO-ILS has been developing great catch events for the past couple years to bring attention to the important role dosimetrists play in preventing errors from reaching patients. In the 2024 Dosimetrist Great Catch event a dosimetrist mentoring a dosimetry student identified an upstream error in the prescription intent.
In order to recognize specific medical dosimetrists for their contributions to patient safety, RO-ILS began soliciting nominations from RO-ILS participants last year. Three 2023 Dosimetry Safety Stars were celebrated and three new individuals have been selected for national recognition for their efforts in patient safety this year.
Many fantastic dosimetrists were nominated, and all are worthy of acknowledgement in their own right. The following three medical dosimetrists (listed In alphabetical order) are the first group of 2024 Safety Stars.
 | Douglas Cumming, CMD, RT(T) |
“Doug really is our dosimetry safety net. He was an active member of our Policies and Procedures committee for many years and has acted as a go-to person for everyone in the department with questions particularly about planning, patient setup, and contouring. He speaks up at weekly chart rounds – both to educate himself, and to question something that might not look right to him. Because of his attention to detail, he maintains a high expectation of both himself and his team to improve the quality of patient care. Doug is a critical and much-appreciated member of our radiation oncology team!”
- Julie Hudson, MSc; Clinical Physicist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
 | Oluwatosin (Tosin) Kayode, MSc, CMD, RT(R)(T) |
“As the Chief of Dosimetry across four photon clinics in our system, Tosin has been a pivotal figure in advancing our safety culture principles at our institution. One notable example of Tosin's impact is his leadership in standardizing our dosimetry practices. By developing and implementing comprehensive guidelines, checklists and encounter questionnaires for the dosimetry team, Tosin has significantly reduced the margin for error in treatment planning, ensuring that our patients receive the highest quality of care. Moreover, Tosin's involvement in our prospective chart rounds exemplifies his dedication to patient safety. He has also been directly involved in guiding the development of our home-built platform for reviewing cases in chart rounds and collecting data for continuous quality improvement. He has mentored numerous trainees and trainers, sharing his extensive knowledge and instilling in them the importance of meticulous attention to detail and adherence to safety protocols.”
- Hania Al-Hallaq, PhD; Vice-chair and Division Chief of Medical Physics, Emory
 | Heather Ortega, CMD |
“Heather always looks for ways to improve not only her practice, but also the practice of her dosimetry colleagues. She strives to do what is best for the patient and does not hesitate to stay late/come in early to complete plan revisions. She will research an issue and provide concise follow-up to her team members. She is a reviewer on our RO-ILS committee and is an excellent communicator, keeping her dosimetry colleagues informed of any follow up. She takes the time to research any possible ways that dosimetry could help impact or make a change to an event submitted to RO-ILS.”
-Yolanda Duffey; Director of Radiation Therapy and Gamma Knife, Oklahoma University
Join us in congratulating these three well-deserving medical dosimetrists and take this opportunity to thank and celebrate your dosimetry colleagues!
