Community Associations

Radiation Oncology Committee on Community Engagement:

Our department-wide efforts toward Community Engagement are led by a standing committee working alongside three subcommittees that focus on the specific areas of education and resources, messaging and patient engagement, and community outreach. As teams of health care professionals, scientists, and administrators, we work in developing and implementing initiatives to further cultural humility and empathy within our department and our community.  We invite all who are interested to join our committee. Please contact Chief of Staff, Lora Furman (Lora.Furman@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu) or Dr. Theresa Busch (theresa.busch@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) for more information. 

PENN Women in Radiation Oncology

Women from across the clinical, research and physics divisions of Rad Onc meet to discuss career and life choices facing women in the field at various points in their careers.  Our goal is to provide an open dialogue that will include mentorship, sponsorship and advocacy.  For more information, please contact Dr. Michelle Alonso-Basanta (Michelle.Alonso-Basanta@pennmedicine.upenn.edu)

Women in Physics (Penn Radiation Oncology)

The Women in Physics group consists of resident, staff and faculty Medical Physicists of our department.  We are committed to the goals of advocacy for physicists, fostering of an awareness for how women have contributed to the field of medical physics, and participation in outreach activities in the local community. For more information, please contact Jacyln Marcel (jaclyn.marcel@pennmedicine.upenn.edu)

Alliance of Minority Physicians 

The Alliance of Minority Physicians (AMP) of Penn Medicine and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) brings together faculty, house staff and medical students at UPHS, CHOP and PSOM.  The mission of AMP is to develop leaders in clinical, academic, and community medicine through active recruitment, career development, mentorship, social engagement and community outreach that is geared toward physicians and medical students.  

Penn Postdoc Association (PPA)

The PPA at PCAM advocates for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students to help them achieve their goals.  This committee provides a social network by sharing information on conferences, workshops, seminars, grants/fellowships, travel awards, and volunteer opportunities. They develop and support “Mentoring Circles,” an informal support group that offers opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty to network and learn from one another. 

Societies and Additional Organizations

Below, we provide further information on groups that support work or training in STEM fields such as radiation oncology, or in academia more broadly. This list is not intended to be all inclusive but provides information about some organizations that are familiar to us. Penn Radiation Oncology faculty and trainees are involved with many of these organizations, including roles in leadership positions in some societies.  

Association of American Medical Colleges 

Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a not-for-profit association dedicated to transforming health through medical education, health care, medical research and community collaborations. The AAMC strives to cultivate a culturally prepared workforce, advance excellence, and enhance engagement with local communities. 

American Society of Clinical Oncology

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a society of oncology professionals with the mission to conquer cancer through research, education and promotion of highest quality  patient care. 

American Society for Radiation Oncology

American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is a society of physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. It is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science, research, and advocacy. 

American Association of Physicists in Medicine

American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) supports initiatives to encourage careers in medical physics.  This includes support of outreach and mentoring programs, which provide opportunity for students of all levels, including, for example, its “DREAM” program geared toward undergraduate students. 

American Institute of Physics

American Institute of Physics (AIP) is a federation composed of 10 Member Societies that represent the spectrum of physical sciences. It is an institute that operates as a center of excellence supporting the physical sciences enterprise. 

Society for Radiation Oncology Administrators

The Society for Radiation Oncology Administrators (SROA) provides a supportive network of expertise to improve and advance radiation oncology administrators through management of organizational operations, finance, research and human resources. 

American Association for Cancer Research

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy and advocacy, as well as through funding for cancer research.  

Radiation Research Society

Radiation Research Society (RRS) seeks to advance radiation research in all disciplines of science and medicine. They achieve this mission through fostering collaboration among the community of researchers and disseminating scientific knowledge in radiation science. This includes through its Scholars in Training Committee. 

National Society of Black Physicists

The mission of the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) is to promote the professional well-being of African American physicists and physics students within the international scientific community and within society at large. As an organization, the NSBP is devoted to the growth, development and advancement of the African-American physics community. Annual conferences and a job board are included among the resources that are provided for its members.

Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science

Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) is an organization dedicated to fostering the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM. SACNAS provides leadership and professional programs, as well as hosts national conferences and regional meetings to promote diversity in STEM.

National Society of Hispanic Physicists

National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP) seeks to promote the professional well-being and recognize the accomplishments of Hispanic physicists within the scientific community of the United States and within society at large. It acts to develop and support efforts to increase opportunities for Hispanics in physics and to increase the number of practicing Hispanic physicists, particularly by encouraging Hispanic students to enter a career in physics. Toward these goals, NSHP supports an Education Office and Career Services.

American Association of University of Women

American Association of University of Women (AAUW) is a national organization that advocates for women, acting to promote the education of women in STEM fields and leading initiatives to promote economic security for women. They provide funding opportunities through grants and scholarships, as well as classes in the art of salary negotiation.