Radiation Oncology Residency Curriculum
The curriculum at NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s four-year Radiation Oncology Residency offers comprehensive training that includes clinical rotations, conferences, didactics, and research.
Clinical Rotations in Oncology
As a resident, you spend 36 months completing a series of clinical rotations that cover different areas of oncology. During each two-month rotation, you work one-on-one with an attending physician. Our experienced faculty help you master the specific skills and develop the expertise you need to excel in your career as a radiation oncologist.
Conferences and Specialty Tumor Boards
To develop a comprehensive approach to patient care, you learn how to integrate radiation oncology with other cancer treatments such as surgery, targeted therapy, and chemotherapy. Residents must attend multidisciplinary conferences and specialty tumor boards every week to fulfill their medical oncology, pathology, and diagnostic radiology requirements.
Didactic Training
Your didactics training includes courses in radiation biology and radiation physics. Our residents take a radiation biology course taught by Barry S. Rosenstein, PhD, at Mount Sinai Hospital. This is an 18-month course that residents take twice during their residency, for a total of 36 months. Our 10-month radiation physics course, composed of weekly lectures by NYU Department of Physics faculty, is offered yearly.
Weekly Academic Schedule
Here is an example of the weekly academic schedule.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00–9:00AM New Patient Quality Assurance Conference |
8:00–9:00AM Resident Didactics |
7:30–9:00AM Radiation Biology Course, Mount Sinai Hospital |
8:00–9:00AM Resident Didactics |
8:00–9:00AM Cancer Center Tumor Board |
| 9:00–10:00AM New Patient Quality Assurance Conference |
12:00–1:00PM Resident Didactics |
|||
| 1:00–2:00PM Radiation Physics Course |
Research Opportunities
Because research is an important part of your residency curriculum, we encourage you to engage in more than one research project during your time in the program. Our residents are expected to present their research at major conferences, and we offer up to one year of protected, nonclinical time for research, giving you an opportunity to focus on conducting in-depth research.
You may pursue research involving a basic science or clinical study or choose a physics- or radiobiology-related project. Residents may also participate in translational research in the laboratory of the radiation physics faculty or our radiation biology faculty members, including Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD; Michael E. Pacold, MD, PhD; or Erik P. Sulman, MD, PhD.
