Chair's Message
For the past 20 years, I have had the privilege of serving as Chair of Duke Radiation Oncology. Over that time, I have watched our Department grow and change; we've more than doubled our employed radiation oncologists (from 16 in 2004 to 34 in 2024), and tripled our employed medical physicists (from 12 in 2004 to 36 in 2024). We now treat an average of 342 patients a day across our nine clinical locations.
Looking for the Achilles’ Heel in Treatment-Resistant Tumors
While cancer treatment has come a long way, Christine Eyler, MD, PhD, isn’t satisfied. “We could do a lot better,” she said. Dr. Eyler, the Butler Harris Assistant Professor in Radiation Oncology, hopes her research will help find more effective ways to vanquish tumors. She examines how tumors change during radiation treatment, with the goal of identifying new targets for therapy.
Visionary Breakthroughs with Duke’s Multidisciplinary Y-90 Eye Plaque Procedure
Duke has long been recognized as a leading high-volume provider of eye plaque procedures, catering to patients across North Carolina and neighboring states. Junzo Chino, MD, a radiation oncologist and Duke’s director of brachytherapy, noted that Duke “treats several hundred patients with conventional eye plaques every year.” But in June 2023, Duke became one of only three treatment sites in the U.S. certified to utilize a novel high dose-rate (HDR) yttrium-90 (Y-90) brachytherapy procedure.
Duke's RORS Track: Fostering Our Physician-Scientists in the Workforce
When Pete Hendrickson, MD, PhD, finishes his residency, his graduation will mark not only a personal accomplishment, but an institutional one as well – he will be the first trainee to complete residency through the novel Radiation Oncology Research Scholar (RORS) track at Duke Radiation Oncology.
Radiation Physics
The Division of Radiation Physics at Duke has a long history and a strong track record of clinical excellence, trainee education and groundbreaking research. Division strengths include stereotactic body radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery and brachytherapy treatment programs; a comprehensive physics quality assurance program; and established research programs in imaging, image analysis, treatment optimization and 3D dosimetry.
By the Numbers
Duke Radiation Oncology's research, education and patient care by the numbers – including stats about our funding, our technology, our alumni placement and our people.