Divisions

The Division of Clinical Radiation Oncology is comprised of clinical and research faculty, medical physicists, radiation therapists and dosimetrists.

Our board-certified clinical faculty members are specialty-trained in one or more areas of clinical radiation oncology, providing a wide range of training opportunities to our medical students, residents and researchers. Many of our clinical faculty members work closely with our laboratory scientists and divide their time between clinical care and conducting innovative bench research with the goal of developing advanced cancer treatments and technologies. Faculty members are often invited to share their findings at national and international research conferences.

The Division of Clinical Radiation Oncology hosts one of the country’s most comprehensive radiotherapy treatment centers, with advanced tools and procedures that include stereotactic Body radiotherapy (SBRT), accelerated partial breast irradiation, IMRT and high-dose rate brachytherapy. Our division focuses on developing high-impact, ground-breaking clinical trials for patients with routine and difficult-to-treat cancers throughout the body. We also have a long history of offering re-irradiation to areas of the body that had been previously irradiated.

We offer many services and technologies that many others do not provide, like the only intraoperative radiotherapy device in Orange County. Trainees are exposed to a variety of radiation oncology technologies and treatment modalities, such as:

• Radioactive implantation of Y-90 sources for difficult-to-reach regions
• Interstitial brachytherapy
• Total body irradiation

Through our investments in education, science and technology, UC Irvine Radiation Oncology is committed to training the next generation of radiation oncologists and advancing how we treat cancer.

EXPLORE OUR PHYSICIAN RESIDENCY PROGRAM

The Division of Medical Physics works tirelessly to improve the efficacy and efficiency of radiation therapy through research programs, and improved treatment planning and delivery technologies.

The primary mission of the Division of Medical Physics is to ensure that therapeutic radiation is being administered properly to cancer patients while monitoring exposure to the staff and general public. Medical physicists are consulted by radiation oncologists and radiation therapists to provide expert advice on the best use of medical radiation for treatment and protection. They also ensure all equipment meets international and national conditions so that the radiation dose recommended by the radiation oncologist and planned by the radiation therapist can be delivered to the patient correctly.

The medical physics team oversees all technological equipment in the department and works closely alongside radiation oncologists. Quality assurance and safety are two terms synonymous with medical physicists. These specialists are typically involved with the safe operation and quality of systems used for imaging and the treatment of cancer. This includes operating machines like linear accelerators, CT scanners, superficial X-ray machines, treatment computer systems and handling radioactive materials. Medical physicists are also responsible for maintaining safety logs and developing protocols to ensure radiation delivery is done as safely and accurately as possible. They also work closely with information technology and engineering staff to ensure all the sophisticated radiotherapy equipment and computers are working and linked together correctly. Although much of the work performed by medical physicists is done behind the scenes, they are an integral part of the radiation oncology team. In addition to clinical service and research collaborations at UC Irvine, the Division of Medical Physics offers a two-year Radiation Oncology residency program for medical physicists.

EXPLORE our medical physics rEsidency PROGRAM

The Division of Radiation and Cancer Biology's mission is to educate and train the next cadre of scientists and clinicians in radiation and cancer biology and to execute a multidisciplinary research program focused on understanding the molecular, cellular and organismal responses to ionizing radiation exposure for the betterment of humankind.

Ground-breaking, correlative research is performed by basic science faculty within our department aimed at further understanding and harnessing what we know about biology into advances in the clinic. The department maintains a prospective collection of biological material for translational research.

The division is comprised of a small group of radiobiologists and a growing number of clinical researchers. Approximately 3,000 square feet of laboratory space is available to support ongoing research. We also house a biospecimen repository and small animal irradiator and have access to core resources at the NCI-designated Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Specific areas of research within the division include:

• Normal tissue damage from radiation
• The molecular mechanisms responsible for repairing DNA damage
• Molecular signaling after radiation exposure
• Stem cell biology
• Radiation resistance and radiation sensitization
• Prognostic and predictive biomarkers of therapeutic outcome
• Intrinsic radio-sensitivity
• The role of hypoxia in radiation response
• Functional imaging of tumors
• Combining immune therapy with radiation for cancer therapy
• Developing new cellular and animal models for radiation biology research
• The role of the inflammatory response after radiation
• Cosmic space radiation exposure

Strong research collaborations exist between the Department of Radiation Oncology and the UC Irvine Beckman Laser Institute, the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science and the In-vivo Functional Onco-Imaging Facility.