Stanford Radiation Oncology

12/12/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Sandra Zaky, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, for receiving a grant by the High Impact Technology Fund at Stanford University to continue developing her fellowship project: Vita Linac! Vita Linac’s concept is a device that monitors the linear accelerator’ "vital signs.”
By spotting early signs of concern, it will allow clinical staff to make adjustments and prevent costly, lengthy downtimes, ensuring patients receive consistent, uninterrupted care.
Please see the news article here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7404230579564814336
Congratulations, Dr. Zaky!

12/03/2025

We are incredibly excited to announce that Jason Sheltzer, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, has received the Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Award in Aging Biology and Geroscience Research from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) and the Hevolution Foundation!
His project, “Investigating loss of the Y chromosome as a targetable driver of aging-related pathologies,” was selected among 18 projects by investigators studying age-related disease and healthspan.
This grant program enables junior investigators with labs in the US and Canada, and with at least three years of independent research, to advance research projects in basic biology of aging, as well as geroscience projects that translate advances in basic research on aging biology from the laboratory to the clinic, paving the way for healthspan-expanding therapeutics and treatments.
Congratulations, Dr. Sheltzer!

11/25/2025

Please join us in congratulating Nick Trakul, MD, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, for receiving an honorable mention for the Kelley M. Skeff Professionalism Award! This award, named in honor of Kelley Skeff MD, PhD, the George DeForest Barnett Professor of Medicine, recognizes high levels of excellence and compassion in professional behavior through collaborative work with colleagues, faculty and staff from across the institution. Congratulations!

11/24/2025

Please join us in congratulating Quynh Le, MD, FACR, FASTRO, our department chair, for receiving the Stanford Health Care 2026 Physician of the Year Award!
This recognition serves as a well-deserved testament to Dr. Le’s exceptional dedication to embodying the core values of professionalism, excellence, and innovation in her practice. Quynh will be honored with other award recipients at the Annual Medical Staff Appreciation and Awards Gala. Congratulations, Quynh, from all of us at Stanford Radiation Oncology!

11/18/2025

Shoutout to our amazing residents! Last Friday, Susie Hiniker, MD, and nurse coordinator Michelle Callejas were busy visiting pediatric inpatients, including Josh Summit, who had been admitted for chemotherapy treatment for relapsed sarcoma.
After playing a few rounds of Mario Kart with him, Hiniker and Callejas had to keep visiting patients. When they left, Summit asked his mom, “I wonder if Child Life has a volunteer who can play longer with me?”

Hearing this, a message was sent out to Chief Resident Zachary White, MD, for an urgent need for Mario Kart players in the patient’s room.

Ten minutes later, all of our PGY-II residents showed up, entertaining the little patient 🎮💖 (and guess what? The patient won all of the races).

Pictured from left to right: Erron Collins, MD, Zachary White, MD, Jennifer Matsui, MD, PhD, Allison Zhong, MD. Not pictured: Nick Verdini, MD, who is taking the photo.

Posted with patient and family permission.

10/30/2025

Please join us in congratulating Max Diehn, MD, PhD, for receiving the 2025 John Yuhas Award and Lecture from Penn Medicine! Dr. Diehn will be giving the award lecture on November 5th at the University of Pennsylvania. This award honors the memory of John M. Yuhas, PhD, who joined Penn’s Radiation Oncology department in 1980 and was developing a research laboratory when he died in 1984.
The award/lecture series recognizes outstanding research in the fields of radiation oncology, radiation biology, DNA repair, carcinogenesis, and related areas. Congratulations, Dr. Diehn!

10/29/2025

Congratulations to Wilson Mai, MD, PhD, for receiving the 2025 HBMC-Recognizing Individuals for Support and Empowerment (RISE) Award! These awards celebrate faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and residents who have exemplified exceptional mentorship for visiting medical students from Historically Black Medical Colleges (HBMC).

10/22/2025

The Kalbasi Lab, led by Dr. Anusha Kalbasi, investigates the connections between cancer and the immune system to enhance immunotherapy. They focus on cytokines, particularly IL-9, to boost T cell function and create new T cell identities through non-natural receptor pairings. The lab also studies how tumor cells evade immune attacks post-radiation, aiming to make them more susceptible to treatment.
Read more about the exciting research happening in the Kalbasi Lab!

The mission of the Kalbasi Lab, led by Anusha Kalbasi, MD, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, is to explore and manipulate the intricate connections between cancer and the immune system, aiming to build on the success of immunotherapy for patients with cancer. “We live in an era now where ...

10/17/2025

Cristabelle De Souza, PhD, Instructor of Radiation Oncology under the mentorship of Erinn Rankin, PhD, has received the Visiting Research Scholar Award from the France-Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Studies!
Her project, “The Roles of CAFs in Regulating Immune Activity and Therapeutic Response Across Solid Tumors,” exemplifies a globally collaborative effort to redefine cancer treatment. Congratulations, Dr. De Souza!

10/01/2025

Please join us in congratulating our department chair, Quynh Le, MD, for receiving the 2025 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Gold Medal Award. The ASTRO Gold Medal is reserved for individuals who have made truly extraordinary contributions to radiation oncology across multiple domains.

Dr. Le was awarded the Gold Medal during the ASTRO Annual Meeting Award Ceremony yesterday, September 30, 2025.

Our department held a special recognition for our department's Gold Medalists in San Francisco. Pictured from left to right are Amato Giaccia, Quynh-Thu Le, Sarah Donaldson, Richard Hoppe, and Martin Brown. Congratulations from all of us at Stanford Radiation Oncology, Quynh!

09/25/2025

Stanford’s Department of Radiation Oncology is breaking new ground in cancer treatment with RefleXion's X1 machine technology. Read all about it!

Stanford’s Department of Radiation Oncology is breaking new ground in cancer treatment with RefleXion's technology. This technology utilizes positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to deliver precise, targeted radiation therapy.

09/17/2025

Billy Loo featured in Stanford Momentum for his work with ultra-fast FLASH radiation therapy:

A radiation oncologist’s breakthrough in delivering ultra-fast radiation may make cancer treatment more effective—and less damaging.