Radiation Oncology Branch
Mission
The mission of the Radiation Oncology Branch includes the following components:
- Plan and conduct pre-clinical and clinical research on the biologic and therapeutic effects of radiation administrated alone or in combination with other modalities of treatment.
- Develop novel technology and imaging-based approaches for radiation oncology.
- Investigate the natural history of disease to understand and evaluate means of diagnostic assessment for the purpose of optimizing treatment selections.
- Provide radiation therapy, as well as general oncology consultations, for patients admitted to other clinical services in a collaborative approach.
Overview
The Radiation Oncology Branch (ROB) is part of the NCI Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD).The major focus of ROB is to design and conduct pre-clinical and clinical research on the biologic and therapeutic effects of radiation therapy. In addition to clinical trials initiated at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), ROB participates in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), a national clinical cooperative group funded by NCI since 1968 with the goal of increasing the survival and improving the quality of life of patients diagnosed with cancer.
The ROB clinical team consists of clinical investigators who are board certified in radiation oncology, as well as physicists, dosimetrists, residents, research nurses, and clinical staff nurses. The ROB clinical team also consists of clinical assistants and data managers. As a team, ROB is dedicated to conducting clinical trials based on sound translational research, while providing the highest possible clinical care for patients with various types of malignancies.
The trials developed and conducted by ROB involve novel technology and imaging-based approaches for radiation oncology. ROB clinical staff work closely and collaboratively with other clinical and laboratory investigators within ROB and CCR, as well as with other institutes including NHLBI, NIDDK, and NIA. In addition, ROB provides consultations in a collaborative approach for patients admitted to other clinical services. CT simulation and MR image fusion are a routine part of treatment planning. ROB also offers radiosurgery, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, 3-D conformal radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and MR-guided procedures.
Research Team
Kevin A. Camphausen, M.D.
Branch Chief
Radiation Oncology Branch, CCR, NCI
Dr. Kevin A. Camphausen received his M.D. from Georgetown University in 1996. He completed his internship at Georgetown in 1997 and a residency in radiation oncology at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School in 2001. Dr. Camphausen spent two years working in the laboratory of Dr. Judah Folkman studying the interaction of angiogenesis inhibitors and radiotherapy. He joined the National Cancer Institute in July 2001 as a tenure-track investigator. He served as the deputy branch chief beginning in April 2004 and was appointed to branch chief of the Radiation Oncology Branch in 2008. Dr. Camphausen is board certified by the American Board of Radiology.
Deborah E. Citrin, M.D.
Principal Investigator
Radiation Oncology Branch, CCR, NCI
Dr. Deborah E. Citrin is a clinician and translational researcher in the Radiation Oncology Branch at NCI. She is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine and completed her residency training at NCI and the National Capital Consortium. Her research interests include the pre-clinical and clinical testing of radiation modifiers and the mechanisms of normal tissue injury from radiation. Dr. Citrin is involved in the clinical care of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, thoracic malignancies, metastatic cancers, and melanoma. Dr. Citrin is board certified by the American Board of Radiology.
Aradhana Kaushal, M.D.
Clinical Director
Radiation Oncology Branch, CCR, NCI
Dr. Aradhana Kaushal graduated with a B.A. and M.D., magna cum laude, from Boston University in 2002. She completed her internship in internal medicine in 2003 at Lenox Hill Hospital, a teaching hospital of New York University in Manhattan. Dr. Kaushal completed a residency in radiation oncology in 2007 at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and served as chief resident from 2006–2007. Her clinical focus is prostate and pediatric malignancies. Dr. Kaushal is board certified by the American Board of Radiology.
Karl Haglund, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Clinical Investigator
Radiation Oncology Branch, CCR, NCI
Dr. Haglund obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. from Yale University in 2004 and completed residency training at the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program in 2009. He joined NCI in 2009, where his laboratory interests focus on understanding the development of sarcomas and improving their response to radiation treatment. In the clinic, Dr. Haglund treats sarcomas, as well as thoracic, head and neck, and pediatric cancers. Dr. Haglund is board certified by the American Board of Radiology.
DeeDee K. Smart, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Clinical Investigator
Radiation Oncology Branch, CCR, NCI
Dr. Smart received her M.D. and Ph.D. from the Medical College of Georgia, followed by a Cancer Research Training Award postdoctoral fellowship within the Radiation Oncology Branch of NCI. After an internship in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, she returned to complete her radiation oncology training at NCI and the National Capital Consortium. She joined the Radiation Oncology Branch as a staff member in 2009 as an assistant clinical investigator. Her research focus is on determining mechanisms of late neurocognitive sequelae and neurodegeneration from central nervous system exposure to ionizing radiation, as well as determining the mechanisms of radiation resistance in breast cancer brain metastasis. She has special clinical interests in the care of patients with breast cancer, brain metastasis, and primary CNS tumors. Dr. Smart is board certified by the American Board of Radiology.
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