Celebrating 20 Years of RTi3: A Look Back at a Remarkable Conference

On March 22–23, 2025, the RTi3 Conference marked a major milestone - our 20th anniversary as Canada’s premier Radiation Therapy conference. Hosted at the beautiful St. Paul’s on Bloor, this year’s event brought together nearly 170 delegates for two days of inspiring discussions, knowledge sharing, and professional growth.

This year’s co-chairs, Dr. Vickie Kong (UTDRO & Princess Margaret Cancer Centre) and Ms. Madette Galapin (Odette Cancer Centre), led a dedicated team of radiation therapists from cancer centres across Ontario in crafting an engaging and impactful program.

“RTi3 brings together a radiation medicine community that extends provincially, nationally, and internationally,” said Dr. Kong. “This collaboration allows us to drive advancements in our profession by showcasing innovations and best practices.”

“Over the past two decades, RTi3 has established itself as a leading international conference in radiation therapy,” added Ms. Galapin.

With 60 presentations across oral and poster sessions, RTi3 2025 featured an outstanding group of researchers from across Canada and the U.S. Topics ranged from treatment delivery and planning to patient experience, supportive care, and advancing practice.

We were also honored to host eight keynote speakers and three top-ranked abstract presenters, all of whom highlighted how radiation therapists continue to push the boundaries of inquiry and innovation.

“I always appreciate the broad range of speakers, especially those in keynotes, likely given the specific attention to the 3 'pillars'.”

– Anonymous, Post-Event Evaluation

To inspire the next generation of leaders in our field, we introduced a rapid-fire student presentation session, as well as a dedicated panel discussion for student attendees. Additionally, keynote speaker Dr. Mira Keyes shared valuable insights into the strengths and perspectives of Gen Z students, fostering cross-generational dialogue on creating a sustainable and inclusive future for the profession.

“I’ve attended the event for three consecutive years, and this year was the best one yet!”

– Faraz Ahmad, RTi3 Conference 2025 student attendee

In partnership with the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT), RTi3 once again hosted the National Innovation Snapshot, highlighting groundbreaking initiatives from eight radiation therapists across Canada. Another key moment was our patient session, which featured Julie Deleeman, a patient-turned-researcher whose inspiring journey demonstrated the power of lived experiences in shaping impactful research.

In honor of our 20th anniversary, we introduced a special awards ceremony to recognize excellence in the field:

1. RTi3 Top Ranked Abstract Awards

Recognizing outstanding research that aligns with RTi3’s pillars of Inquire, Inspire, and Innovate:

• Inspire – Maria Dimopoulos (Mount Sinai Health System)
  • Getting Schooled: Insights from an Exploratory Survey on the Academic Preparation for Advanced Practice Radiation Therapy Roles  
• Inquire – Michele Cardoso (Juravinski Cancer Centre/Hamilton Health Sciences)
  • Contouring a New Path: Ontario’s Collaborative Approach to AI in Radiotherapy
• Innovate – Mackenzie Smith (Odette Cancer Centre/Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre)
  • Advancing Education for Prostate Brachytherapy: Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Simulator and Needle Insertion Module
• Student Top Ranked Abstract – Amy Yiping Xu (The Michener Institute of Education at UHN)
  • Sparing or Spilling – Comparison of Bone Marrow Dose in Standard vs. Bone-Marrow Sparing VMAT in Genitourinary Cancer Patients

2. RTi3 Leader of Tomorrow Award

Recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions to radiation therapy through enhanced models of care, technical innovation, or excellence in patient-centered care.

• Natasha McMaster (Nova Scotia Health)

A special thank you to our sponsors for this year:

• Platinum: Elekta, Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company
• Gold: Nova Scotia Health
• Silver: BC Cancer, Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences (OAMRS), RaySearch Laboratories
• Partners: Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT), the Michener Institute of Education at UHN

We are deeply grateful to this year’s committee members and external reviewers who volunteered their time and expertise to ensure the high quality of the RTi3 Conference program.

All abstracts presented at RTi3 2025 will be published in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, further extending the knowledge shared during the conference.

Thank you to everyone who was part of this landmark year for RTi3. We look forward to welcoming you to RTi3 2026!