Congratulations to the Class of 2021 Post-Graduate Trainees!

On June 10, 2021, the University of Toronto’s Department of Radiation Oncology (UTDRO) hosted the Post-Grad Graduation Ceremony to celebrate the achievements of our newest graduands.  

Considering the COVID-19 situation, we proceeded with an interactive online Ceremony to commemorate the hard work, perseverance and dedication of our exceptional graduates, faculty, staff, and trainees. Despite the virtual format, the Ceremony upheld its celebratory atmosphere, and we were honored to be joined by over 100 guests from around the world.  

Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s leadership, Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, UTDRO Chair, and Dr. Glen Bandeira, Associate Dean of the Postgraduate Medical Education, opened the Ceremony with heartfelt congratulations, and an acknowledgement of the tenacity of the UTDRO community to excel, especially in this challenging environment, co-create solutions, and lead the future of medicine. 

UTDRO Education Leads, Dr. Andrea McNiven, Director of the Physics Residency Program, Dr. Andrea Bezjak, Director of the Radiation Oncology Residency Program, and Dr. Jennifer Croke, Director of the Fellowship Program, had the pleasure of announcing our 23 graduands. This being an interactive event, we were fortunate to hear directly from our graduating class, as each fondly described their time at UTDRO and their plans for leading change in their respective fields.  

Our Vice Chair Research, Dr. Michael Milosevic, revealed the names of 6 award winners from this year’s UTDRO Research Day. Despite the pandemic-related challenges, all the submitted research was of exceptional quality, and the panelists worked diligently to select the finalists.  

We also heard from Dr. Rachel Glicksman, Co-Chief Fellow, who spoke on behalf of Fellows at Odette Cancer Centre and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, acknowledging the efforts of UTDRO faculty to provide exceptional mentorship, and to staff for continuing to run everything smoothly in the face of pandemic-related challenges.  

Of course, the night would not be complete without recognizing the remarkable training that is so invaluable to the success of our graduates. Chief trainees – Drs. Hedi Katalmohseni and Michael Tjong – presented 3 awards to the outstanding educators within our programs in recognition of their unwavering dedication, mentorship, and support.  

Cody Copeman Hubert, Associate Director, Alumni Relations & Events, welcomed the graduates to the alumni community, highlighting the opportunities to keep connected and engaged in the future of UTDRO.  

Dr. May Tsao, Vice Chair Education, concluded the formal portion of the event with sincere congratulations and was joined by the Ceremony’s attendees for a round of applause to celebrate UTDRO’s exceptional graduands, faculty, trainees, and staff.  

Congratulations again to our 2021 graduates and welcome to our esteemed University of Toronto’s Radiation Oncology Alumni Community. We wish every one of you great success in your future pursuits!

UTDRO Graduating Post-Graduate Trainees 

Medical Physics Residency

• Jason Vickress
• Kelly McPhee
• Lee  MacDonald
• Victor Malkov
• Viktor Iakovenko

Radiation Oncology Residency

• Aisha Al-Qaderi
• Gordon Locke
• Kang Liang  Zeng
• Yonatan  Weiss

Radiation Oncology Fellowship

• Ahmad Bushehri
• Ahmed Abugharib
• Ahmed Elamir
• Archya Dasgupta
• Avinash Pilar
• Conrad Villafuerte
• Hendrick Tan
• JC Kennetth Jacinto
• Mark Corkum
• Meetakshi Gupta
• Michael Wang
• Rachel Glicksman
• Revathy Krishnamurthy
• Richard Moore

Trainee Selected Teaching Awards  

• Residents’ Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching: Jelena Lukovic 
• Residents’ Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching by a Fellow: Hendrick Tan 
• Physics Residents’ Award for Excellence in Physics Teaching: Beibei Zhang 

Research Day Awards 2021

• R. S. Bush Award - Academic Excellence in Research by a Radiation Oncology Fellow – Hanbo Chen 
• J. R. Cunningham Award - Academic Excellence in Research by a Physics Resident – Humza Nusrat 
• Richard P. Hill Award - Academic Excellence in Research by a Graduate Student – Nader Allam 
• W. J. Simpson Award - Academic Excellence in Research by a Radiation Oncology Resident – Badr Id Said 
• Best Poster Award for Academic Excellence in Research – Jun Won Kim 
• Chair's Award for Academic Excellence in Research – Dana Keilty