2023 ROI Publication Excellence Award Winners

Early career researchers are making an impact in radiation oncology, and the Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI) is honoring three of the best and brightest with the 2023 Publication Excellence Awards. This year’s winners are the lead authors of recent manuscripts on research that is addressing an important problem or critical barrier to progress in radiation oncology and has the potential to change practice. Their research also addresses one or more of the priorities that form the ROI’s research agenda: communication, safety and quality, toxicity management, comparative effectiveness and value. ROI is delighted to recognize the following investigators for their exceptional contributions to the field of radiation oncology.

Joshua Palmer, MD, The Ohio State University
Dr. Palmer and the ALLIANCE N107c co-investigators published “Association of Long-term Outcomes With Stereotactic Radiosurgery vs. Whole-Brain Radiotherapy for Resected Brain Metastasis” in JAMA Oncology. The manuscript features results of a secondary analysis of a prospective phase III clinical trial comparing whole brain radiotherapy vs. stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for patients with one to four brain metastases (one resected metastasis). Dr. Palmer’s team directly linked changes in neurocognitive function to patient-reported quality of life that showed substantial differences in outcomes favoring SRS. Patient reported quality of life is an important clinical outcome affecting patients and providers on a day-to-day basis. Their innovative analysis provides important evidence that SRS results in meaningfully better outcomes among long-term survivors.

Alexander Rühle, MD, Leipzig University
Dr. Rühle and his colleagues published, “Evaluation of Concomitant Systemic Treatment in Older Adults With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) Undergoing Definitive Radiotherapy” in JAMA Network Open. In the largest international multicenter cohort study of its kind, Dr. Rühle’s team demonstrated that chemoradiation was associated with significantly improved overall survival and progression-free survival compared to radiotherapy alone in older HNSCC patients, but the addition of cetuximab did not show a similar improvement. The number of older adults with HNSCC is increasing, and the study addressed a critical knowledge gap about the comparative effectiveness and value of the different treatment approaches to help optimize patient care.

Leila Tchelebi, MD, Northwell Health
Dr. Tchelebi and her colleagues published, “A Decade of Prospective Peer Review: Impact on Safety Culture and Lessons Learned in a Multicenter Radiation Medicine Department” in Practical Radiation Oncology. Their study reports longitudinal findings of a prospective contour peer review evaluation system implemented at their institution’s nine treatment locations over a ten-year period. Their study showed that a quality assurance program, including system-wide treatment directives and peer review downstream of treatment planning, is sustainable across a large health network. The research led by Dr. Tchelebi advances safety and quality by offering insights into how their peer review evaluation system can mitigate the need for replanning after chart rounds, thereby avoiding potential errors incurred by rushed replans, minimizing resource utilization, and preventing delays in patient care, while also helping to standardize practice across a health network.

Each award winner will receive a $1,500 cash prize and a glass trophy that will be presented at the Sunday Brunch to Celebrate the ROI at the ASTRO Annual Meeting in San Diego. Join ROI in congratulating these outstanding early career investigators on their recent research achievements!