Sharing Radiation Oncology expertise with the world
01 February 2024
For over 20 years Peter Mac’s Radiation Oncology Fellowship program has brought international doctors to Australia, supporting them to deliver excellent care and advance ground-breaking research.
Each year seven recently qualified radiation oncologists come to Peter Mac for the one or two year program – from countries such as Ireland, England, the Philippines, India, Saudi Arabia, Canada and France.
Peter Mac Medical Director Radiation Oncology Professor Sandro Porceddu says the international fellowship “instils research-led clinical practice and sets doctors up with the skills they need to continue their careers”.
In addition to treating patients, Peter Mac Fellows contribute to research projects under expert supervision and have opportunities to publish and present their work at local and international conferences.
Second year Fellow Dr Neil Wallace (pictured above) completed his training in Ireland and is now working in Peter Mac’s Lung and Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) units.
He completed three research projects in 2023 and will work on two new projects in 2024.
One of these, alongside Associate Professor Susan Harden, will test the feasibility of same-day SABR treatment for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.
Appointments to prepare for this highly accurate high dose radiotherapy are usually spread over three weeks, but the pilot project will consolidate all scanning, planning and treatment into just one day.
Dr Wallace says this innovative approach could dramatically improve the patient experience.
“We all know that being diagnosed with cancer, and then adjusting your life to receive treatment, is very challenging for our patients, so it’s exciting to be involved in something that could be a complete gamechanger,” he says.
“On a professional level I am looking forward to taking my new expertise back to Ireland, and to being able to call on the international networks I have developed as part of the fellowship program.”
To support this, Professor Porceddu and colleagues have recently launched the Radiation Oncology Fellowship Alumni, creating opportunities for former participants to collaborate on future projects.
“We just want to keep improving radiation oncology care both at Peter Mac and across the world,” he says.
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