2661 - Education Opportunities Presented by the Radiation Oncology Virtual Education Rotation
Presenter(s)
J. Runnels1, R. Hutten2, Y. R. Wuu3, N. Sandhu4, R. Mulherkar5, K. Ragland6, E. L. Pollom7, and J. M. Kahn8; 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 2University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Human Oncology, Madison, WI, 3Northwell, New Hyde Park, NY, 4Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 5Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 6West Cancer Center and Research Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, Memphis, TN, 7Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 8Department of Radiation Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Purpose/Objective(s): Medical students often miss opportunities to learn about Radiation Oncology due to limited access to clinical experiences at their medical schools. Traditional in-person education is often constrained by geography, institutional capacity, and costs associated with away rotations. The Radiation Oncology Virtual Education Rotation (ROVER), now in its fifth year, provides a virtual platform designed to bridge this gap and connect educators with medical students worldwide. This study aims to characterize the Radiation Oncology educators who have participated as ROVER panelists and to assess the scope of educational opportunities these sessions provide for medical students.
Materials/Methods: From May 2020 to February 2025, ROVER sessions were recorded and uploaded on radoncvirtual.com and YouTube. Panelist profiles, including gender, affiliation, title, and years of practice were compiled. Descriptive statistics were reported.
Results: From 2020 to 2025, ROVER hosted 32 sessions for medical students with 106 panelists covering all major disease sites, non-cancerous indications, palliative and metastatic disease, radiopharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence, adaptive planning, and professional development. Eleven of the 106 panelists participated in two sessions. Of the panelists, 49 (46%) were female and 57 (54%) male. 86 (81%) were academic radiation oncologists from 49 different U.S. institutions. Geographically, 35 (41%) were from the Midwest, 20 (23%) the Pacific, 18 (21%) the Northeast, 12 (14%) the Southeast, and 1 (1%) the Western US. Most radiation oncologist panelists were early-career attendings (1 instructor, 36 assistant professors, 26 associate professors, and 23 professors). Panelist experience, based on years since residency graduation: 29 (34%) with =5 years, 26 (30%) with >5-10 years, 15 (17%) with >10-15 years, 9 (10%) with >15-20 years, and 7 (8%) with >20 years. Other panelists included 8 private practice radiation oncologists, 6 physicians from other specialties, and 6 industry professionals (4 radiation oncologists, 2 non-physicians).
Conclusion: ROVER has engaged a diverse group of Radiation Oncology educators, offering medical students access to a breadth of expertise not always available through traditional clinical experiences. Participating panelists represent a wide range of geographic locations, career stages, and professional backgrounds, including academic and private practice radiation oncologists, multidisciplinary specialists, and industry professionals. By providing accessible, high-quality virtual education, with a breadth of diverse panelists, ROVER continues to aim to broaden educational opportunities for medical students and foster professional connections beyond institutional boundaries.