ASTRO announces president-elect, new officers

American Society for Radiation Oncology has announced Howard Sandler, MD, FASTRO, as its new president-elect, along with several new officers elected to its board of directors, according to a press release.

The officers include Michael Kuettel, MD, PhD, MBA, FASTRO, as board secretary/treasurer-elect; Douglas Martin, MD, FASTRO, as clinical affairs and quality council vice chair; Chelsea Pinnix, MD, PhD, as education council vice chair; and Casey Chollet-Lipscomb, MD, as government relations council vice chair.

ASTRO members also elected Iris C. Gibbs, MD, FASTRO, as chair and Curtiland Deville Jr., MD, as vice chair of the society’s newly formed Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (HEDI) Council.

Sandler is the Ronald H. Bloom professor and chair of radiation oncology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He is a nationally renowned expert in genitourinary cancers, with more than 10 years of experience as chair of the RTOG/NRG Oncology committee that designed and conducted prostate cancer trials, the press release stated.

Sandler said he hopes “to advance the field’s commitment to equity and diversity in patient care and our workforce, to support and expand the research that delivers better treatments for our future patients, and to work with the government entities that shape the future of America’s health care as an advocate for radiation oncology.”

Kuettel is professor and department of radiation medicine chair at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and has served in multiple leadership roles for ASTRO.

Martin is professor and vice chair of clinical operations for the radiation oncology department at The Ohio State University and a military veteran with 20 years of active duty and reserve service in the U.S. Navy.

Pinnix is associate professor of radiation oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and directs MD Anderson’s radiation oncology residency program.

Chollet-Lipscomb is a radiation oncologist and managing partner with Tennessee Oncology.

Gibbs is professor of radiation oncology and associate dean of medical student admissions for Stanford Medicine. She also serves as senior radiation oncologist on the Stanford Cancer Institute and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Pediatric Brain Tumor team.

Deville is an associate professor of radiation oncology and molecular radiation services at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as well as clinical director of Sibley Radiation Oncology and medical director of Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center.

The newly elected officers will assume their roles in October during ASTRO’s 64th Annual Meeting in San Antonio. Sandler will serve for 1 year as president-elect, followed by 1-year terms as president, chair and immediate past chair of the ASTRO board. Gibbs will serve a 2-year term as HEDI chair, whereas Deville, Martin, Pinnix and Chollet-Lipscomb will each serve 2-year terms as vice chairs of their designated councils, followed by 2-year terms as chairs. Healio