Stanford Radiation Oncology

02/27/2026

Today is Thank a Resident and Fellow Day!

We’re celebrating our incredible Therapy and Physics residents and fellows for their dedication, resilience, and clinical excellence. From research to patient care, your contributions are shaping the future of Radiation Oncology.

Join us in saying a huge thank you to this amazing team!

02/17/2026

Please join us in celebrating Ruijiang Li, PhD, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, for being named the Himalaya Foundation Faculty Scholar! This faculty scholar fund was established with a gift from the Himalaya Foundation to support an early-career faculty member in the Department of Radiation Oncology engaged in research involving artificial intelligence and cancer, or any other promising emerging technology in the department. Congratulations, Dr. Li!

02/06/2026

How do we move from a thought to an action? Dr. Lei Xing and his researchers at Stanford are using AI to find out. 🧠✨

By treating brain activity as a "movie" rather than a series of snapshots, their new model (BCNE) helps scientists see how emotions, decisions, and perceptions travel through the brain in real-time.

Dr. Xing’s lab is bridging the gap between complex data and clinical care, with the goal of helping patients recovering from brain tumors and those living with neurological disorders.

Take a look at how they’re mapping the human mind:

Stanford researchers have developed a deep learning model that transforms overwhelming brain data into clear trajectories, opening new possibilities for understanding thought, emotion, and neurological disease.

01/28/2026

A major hurdle in bladder cancer (NMIBC) treatment has been the "field effect"-mutations in normal tissue that mimic cancer in urine tests.
New research from Maximilian Diehn and team introduces a "field-effect-informed" liquid biopsy that filters these out, accurately identifying who will respond to BCG vs. surgery.
This is a huge step toward personalized MRD monitoring.
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Read the full study, published in Science Direct, here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009286742501503X?dgcid=coauthor

01/12/2026

Please join us in celebrating and congratulating Dr. Richard Hoppe, MD, on officially beginning his next chapter: retirement!
Dr. Hoppe joined Stanford as a resident in 1972 and later served as Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology for 19 years, from 1992 to 2011.

Throughout his career at Stanford, Dr. Hoppe has been responsible for numerous breakthroughs and advancements in the treatment of cancer and the application of innovative techniques for radiation delivery. He is an ASTRO Gold Medal Recipient and is recognized nationally and internationally for his seminal contributions in the areas of Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and cutaneous lymphoma.

As co-founder of the Stanford Interdisciplinary Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, Hoppe also helped to develop many of the current treatment regimens used in the cutaneous lymphomas, including mycoses fungoides. Hoppe and his colleagues optimized the “Stanford Total Skin Irradiation Technique” uniquely suited to treat this lymphoma.

In 2022, Dr. Hoppe received the Albion Walter Hewlett Award, a prestigious honor recognizing an exceptional physician with ties to Stanford.

Thank you, Dr. Hoppe, for your leadership, your wisdom, and your friendship. Wishing you a retirement filled with as much joy and discovery as you brought to our department every day!

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).