Clinical and Experimental Radiobiology Course

Page Contents:

Program Overview
Course Details
Final Exam
Course Faculty List & Suggested Textbook
Registration
Policies for Registration, Cancellation, Transferring Ticket, and Health and Safety
Event Photo and Video Release

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Program Overview

Clinical and Experimental Radiobiology is an award-winning five-day course that takes place at the University of Toronto in the Spring every year.

This program provides a comprehensive overview of radiation biology with a particular emphasis on aspects of direct relevance to the practice of radiation oncology. It addresses the molecular and cellular responses to radiation-induced damage that influence cell death in both tumors and normal tissues. Quantitation of radiation effects and the underlying biological basis for fractionation of radiotherapy and dose-response relationships in the clinic are covered in depth. The biological basis for current approaches to improve radiotherapy will be described including novel fractionation schemes, retreatment issues, targeting hypoxia, biological modifiers and combined radiotherapy/chemotherapy.

Course Details

Dates: April 7-11, 2025 (Monday to Friday)
Time: 10:00AM - 6:00PM (EDT)
Location: Room 126, Woodsworth College, University of Toronto (119 St. George St., Toronto, ON M5S 1A9)
Format: Hybrid mode
- Local learners: In person at the University of Toronto St. George campus
- Non-local learners: Option to attend in person or online via Zoom

Final Question Period (Optional): TBD.

Program Schedule

Program schedule will be released in early 2025. Check out the 2024 program schedule here.

Program Goals and Learning Objectives

Apply novel forms of therapy, including combination therapy with chemotherapy and targeted agents to improve patient outcomes;
Improve the safety of radiation therapy and reduce side effects through an understanding of the biological principles involved;
Describe the key aspects of radiation biology that are of particular relevance to the practice of radiation oncology;
Predict the molecular and cellular responses to radiation-induced damage that influence cell death in both tumors and normal tissues;
Quantify the radiation effects and the underlying biological basis for fractionation of radiotherapy and dose-response relationships in the clinic;
Evaluate the biological basis for side effects that limit safe doses of treatment and retreatment.

Topics Covered

Molecular and cellular responses to radiation-induced damage that influence cell death in both tumors and normal tissues.
Quantitation of radiation effects and the underlying biological basis for fractionation of radiotherapy and dose response relationships in the clinic.
Biological basis for current approaches to improve radiotherapy, including novel fractionation schemes, combined radiotherapy/chemotherapy, biological modifiers and retreatment issues, targeting hypoxia.

Target Group

The course is designed primarily to address the needs of radiation oncology residents and physics residents who are in radiation oncology departments, including STARS21 trainees. In addition, the course will be valuable to new researchers in radiation biology and to radiation oncology fellows or practicing oncologists who recognize a lack of basic science or want to update their knowledge.

Final Exam#

Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)*
Location: Room 1200 and 1210, Bahen Centre for Information Technology (40 St George St, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4)
Format:
- Local learners: In person on the computer
- Non-local learners: Online

*The exam time and location for non-local learners will be determined on a case-by-case basis. (Exam proctored locally - details will be sent directly to course participants and local coordinators).

Please be advised that power outlets are limited in the room. We kindly ask that you come with a fully charged laptop for the duration of the 3-hour exam.

^#Please read the next section carefully to understand if you need to take the exam to receive your preferred credits.

Who needs to take the exam?

The exam is mandatory for students seeking course credit at their educational institution. Learners who are taking this course for other reasons are not required to take the exam.

Learners who take and pass the exam will receive:

University of Toronto Certificate of Completion
Credits according to your institution, or CPD credits if applicable.

Learners who do not take the exam or do not pass, will get:

University of Toronto's Certificate of Attendance

Exam Passing Grade

70%

Course Faculty

The 2025 course features internationally renowned faculty, including:

University of Toronto Faculty

Dr. Marianne Koritzinsky, Course Director
Dr. Scott Bratman
Dr. Hanbo Chen
Dr. Tim Craig
Dr. Deepak Dinakaran
Dr. Kathy Han
Dr. Shane Harding
Dr. David Hodgson
Dr. Andrew Hope
Dr. Jennifer Kwan
Dr. Patricia Lindsay
Dr. Hedi Mohseni
Dr. Monica Serban
Dr. David Shultz
Dr. Amandeep Taggar
Dr. Edward Taylor
Dr. Bradly Wouters

The complete list of faculty will be available in early 2025.

Suggested Textbook

The suggested textbook for this course is Basic Clinical Radiobiology. It is strongly recommended that you read specified sections of this book before attending the course.

Registration

Registration is open until March 31, 2025, 11:59 PM (EDT).

All tickets are subject to HST.

UofT affiliates*: CA$280.00
Non-UofT affiliates: CA$380.00

Register Now

(You will be redirected to the Eventbrite registration page to complete your order.)

*NOTE for graduate students: To have your course fee waived, please ensure that you have registered for the course through MBP before registering on Eventbrite.

Professional Accreditation

Accreditation details for 2025 will be released in early 2025.

In 2024, Continuing Professional Development in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Toronto granted the Clinical and Experimental Radiobiology Program the following credits:

Royal College Maintenance of Certification Section 1: 22.5 hours
Royal College Maintenance of Certification Section 3 Self-Assessment: 6.0 hours
American Medical Association Category 1: 28.5 credits
European Union for Medical Specialists UEMS-EACCME®: 28.5 credits

More Information

Please email the Department of Radiation Oncology: radiation.oncology@utoronto.ca

Last updated November 13, 2024 at 11:30 AM ET

Registration Policies

1. Cancellation Policy

1.1 Cancellation by Attendee

Cancellation requests can be sent to UTDRO by email (radiation.oncology@utoronto.ca). The following policies apply:

Refunds will be given only if written notification is received on or before March 31, 2025.
Registration refunds will be processed within 7 business days from the request date to the original method of payment. Please note, the Eventbrite processing fee is non-refundable.
No refunds will be given for registrations for failure to attend, late arrival or early departure from the course.
UTDRO accepts no responsibility and offers no reimbursement for airfare or other expenses participants may incur.

1.2 Cancellation by UTDRO

Full refunds will be issued if the course is cancelled, including the Eventbrite registration processing fee. UTDRO accepts no responsibility and offers no reimbursement for travel or other expenses participants may incur.

2. Change of Event Delivery Format

UTDRO is going forward with a fully in-person Radiobiology Course for 2025. However, should this be no longer possible due to unforeseen circumstances relating to COVID-19 or any other health and safety issue, the course will move to online delivery, if it is feasible to do so.

Should this occur, attendees will be given a partial refund of their registration fee to match 2025 online ticket fees (to be announced when necessary). UTDRO accepts no responsibility and offers no reimbursement for travel or other expenses participants may incur.

3. Transferring Registration Policy

Registration transfers must be requested by email to UTDRO at radiation.oncology@utoronto.ca. The following policies apply:

Paid registration is transferrable to another attendee at Radiobiology Course up to March 31, 2025. A $50 CAD transfer processing fee will be applied.
Starting April 1, 2025, all transfer requests will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Complimentary registrations given by UTDRO are intended for the original recipient and cannot be transferred.

Last updated November 13, 2024, at 11:30 AM ET

Health and Safety

The health and safety for our attendees, partners, and sponsors remains a top priority. We appreciate your support in working with us to host a safe and successful Radiobiology Course.

Health and Safety Measures

Face Masks

UTDRO will comply with local guidelines and requirements at the time of the course.
While mask wearing is currently optional in Toronto, UTDRO supports our attendees choice and will have masks available on-site for those that wish to wear one.

Symptom Monitoring

Please monitor your health and check for signs of symptoms of COVID-19. If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, we ask that you notify us by email at radiation.oncology@utoronto.ca, and refrain from attending the course.

On-Site Health and Safety Measures

Our venue, Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto, is committed to providing a clean, safe, and healthy event space for the safety and well-being of their guests and employees.

Monitoring of Health and Safety Recommendations

UTDRO will monitor local health and safety recommendations and will update these protocols based on the current conditions at the time of the course, if necessary.

All attendees agree to comply with the most up to date version of the Radiobiology Course Health and Safety Policies.

COVID-19 Waiver and Assumption of Risk

All attendees who register to attend Radiobiology Course acknowledge that they are aware of the inherent risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Attendees voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 when attending the Radiobiology Course and WAIVE LIABILITY against UTDRO, its organizers, employees, contractors, venue and volunteers for any loss, damages or suffering related to exposure to COVID-19.