Jatinder R. Palta, PhD, FASTRO

Why is supporting the ROI important to you as a medical physicist and the work that you do?

ROI is the one and only non-profit organization fully committed to enhancing the role and effectiveness of radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer. It is continuing to make a big investment into research that is improving the quality, safety and value of radiation therapy, which is extremely important to me as a medical physicist.
 

How did you first get involved with the ROI?

It was Drs. Lawrence and Lawton who convinced me of the virtue of supporting ROI from the very beginning. How right they were…
 

What are some current challenges for medical physicists that you would like addressed through new research?

I would like to see innovative machine learning and artificial intelligence strategies for converting unstructured clinical data into structured data to unlock the potential of big data in cancer treatments.
 

You’ve participated in several ROI 5Ks. What would you tell others to motivate them to get up early and join the event on the Monday morning of the Annual Meeting?

You only have to do it once and you will get hooked.
 

What do you think will change about radiation oncology and medical physics over the next five years?

It will be our ability to provide the most optimal and accurate radiation treatments to cancer patients with the least amount of morbidity and hopefully better outcomes.

What role do you see for the ROI in facilitating this change?

To support translational research projects that accomplishes the afore-mentioned objective.

Jatinder R. Palta, PhD, FASTRO is Professor and Chair of the Division of Medical Physics at Virginia Commonwealth University and Chief Physicist for the National Radiation Oncology Program Veterans Health Affairs. Dr. Palta and his wife Rita are Patrons in the ROI Founders’ Circle.