Newswise — PHILADELPHIA—Voichita Bar-Ad, M.D., an associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, has been named Residency Program Director.
Dr. Bar-Ad is a board-certified radiation oncologist who treats primarily head and neck and gastrointestinal cancer cases. Her research focuses on treatment-related side effects and toxicities, patient quality of life and symptom management. She has paid specific attention to radiation-induced oral mucositis for head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy, using the intensity- modulated radiation therapy technique.
“I am devoted to my patients and immersed in my research projects, but teaching is my joy, my passion,” Dr. Bar-Ad said last fall when she was named an “Educator of the Year” by the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO).
“This new role as Program Director enables me to continue what I love to do, guiding and teaching residents,” said Dr. Bar-Ad, who is also a member of Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center. “I’m greatly honored, and feel fortunate to lead a program that trains the radiation oncologists of tomorrow to have excellent clinical and research skills.”
Radiation oncology residency at Jefferson is a four-year training program, with resident having already completed one year of post-graduate training in medicine, surgery, or a transitional program.
The residency in radiation oncology trains residents broadly in cancer management and emphasizes interdisciplinary care. Faculty members provide instruction in all modes of radiation oncology: megavoltage photon- and electron-beam therapy, interstitial and intracavitary radioactive-source implantations, stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy and the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radioactive isotopes. In addition to the residents unanimously selecting Dr. Bar Ad for the ARRO 2011 Teacher of the Year Award, they also selected her to receive the 2012 Department of Radiation Oncology’s “Teacher of the Year Award,” an honor bestowed every June by the residents to the one faculty member who has helped them the most in their educational experience.
Jefferson’s Residency Program became accredited in 1973, but has been in existence since 1960. The first resident, Dr. Carl Mansfield, went on to become a Chair of the Department, a position he maintained until May 1995, when he went to the National Cancer Institute to serve as a director of the Radiation Research Program.
“Thomas Jefferson University Hospital has created one of the nation’s most outstanding residency programs in radiation oncology, and it is with great honor to have such a distinguished physician, researcher and teacher help continue that tradition,” said Adam P. Dicker, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. “A strong residency program is essential for the successes of an academic medical center, and I look forward to having Dr. Bar-Ad’s leadership bring significant benefits to our residents and patients.”
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Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (TJUH) are dedicated to excellence in patient care and education. It is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation's top hospitals. It has over 950 licensed acute care beds with major programs in a wide range of clinical specialties. TJUH is one of the few hospitals in the U.S. that is both a Level 1 Trauma Center and a federally-designated regional spinal cord injury center. TJUH patient care facilities include: Jefferson Hospital, Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, and Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia. Additional out-patient sites are located throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. TJUH is a part of Jefferson Health System and a partner of Thomas Jefferson University.
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