Skip to Content
U.S. National Institutes of Health

Welcome to the Radiation Research Program

The RRP is responsible for NCI's clinically-related extramural radiation research program. The RRP establishes priorities, allocates resources, and evaluates the effectiveness of such radiation research being conducted by NCI grantees. RRP staff represent the program at NCI management and scientific meetings and provide scientific support to leadership on matters related to radiation research. The RRP coordinates its activities with other radiation research programs at NCI, NIH, other Federal agencies, and national and international research organizations, and it provides a focal point within NIH for extramural investigators concerned with clinically related radiation research.

RRP is divided into three branches: The Radiotherapy Development Branch (RDB), the Clinical Radiation Oncology Branch (CROB) and the Molecular Radiation Therapeutics Branch (MRTB).

As part of ongoing efforts to stimulate research in radiotherapy and radiation biology, the RRP supports basic, translational, and clinical research at the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD) by:

  • Providing expertise to investigators and potential grantees who perform cutting-edge research using ionizing radiation as well as other forms of energy
  • Assisting and helping lead the radiotherapy research community in establishing priorities for the future direction of radiation research
  • Developing unique models and capabilities to help and mentor the medically underserved communities in the US and worldwide to access cancer clinical trials
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of radiation research being conducted by NCI grantees
  • Advising the NCI-funded clinical trials groups and Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) regarding scientific priorities and quality assurance in clinical studies with radiotherapy
  • Providing laboratory support for preclinical evaluation of systemic agents that can be used with radiation (through the Molecular Radiation Therapeutics Program on Frederick campus)
  • Serving as the NCI's liaison and advisor on mitigation of radiation normal tissue injury in programs addressing radiological/nuclear terrorism in National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

C. Norman Coleman, MD, Associate DirectorC. Norman Coleman, MD, Associate Director for the Radiation Research Program (RRP), received his medical training at the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Coleman completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, a fellowship in medical oncology at NCI, and a fellowship in radiation oncology at Stanford University. He is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and radiation oncology.

Dr. Coleman was a tenured faculty member in Radiology and Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine before joining Harvard Medical School in 1985 as the Alvan T. and Viola D. Fuller-American Cancer Society Professor and Chairman of the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. In 1999, he became Director of NCI's Radiation Oncology Sciences Program, and in addition to RRP, he served as Chief of the Center for Cancer Research's Radiation Oncology Branch (ROB) from 1999 until 2004. He has written extensively in his field and has won numerous awards, including the 2005 Gold Medal Award from American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) for his many scientific and professional contributions to the fields of radiation oncology and radiation biology.

Dr. Coleman is currently Associate Director of the DCTD Radiation Research Program, Senior Investigator in the ROB and a Special Advisor to the NCI Director. Since 2004, he has been the Senior Medical Advisor and Team Leader of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Team in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Department of Health and Human Services.

Contact Information: C. Norman Coleman, MD, 301-496-6111, ccoleman@mail.nih.gov