RTi3 2024 Program

Program at a Glance

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FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2024


Reception & Breakfast - 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM EDT

Program - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDT

Social - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT

Cody Hall | 9:00 AM - 9:10 AM EDT

Conference Start | Welcome Remarks

  • UTDRO Chair Welcome | Dr. Laura Dawson
  • Conference Co-Chairs Opening Remarks | Lori Holden and Vickie Kong

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to extend a warm welcome to each of you to the RTi3 2024 conference, hosted by the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto on March 22-23! As Canada’s premiere Radiation Therapy conference, we look forward to insightful presentations, engaging discussions, and invaluable networking opportunities as we continue to Inspire, Inquire and Innovate in the field of Radiation Therapy. 

We are privileged to have an exceptional lineup of researchers from across Canada and beyond, presenting on various topics including supportive care and patient outcomes, treatment planning, and education/knowledge dissemination, just to name a few. With close to 40 proffered abstracts, their contributions to the conference program showcase the research and practice innovation done within their departments and we look forward to their presentations and discussion. To inspire the leaders of tomorrow, we offer both a rapid-fire presentation session and a “speed-networking” session dedicated to radiation therapy student attendees. We will also hear from our keynote and top-ranked abstract speakers, as they showcase how RTs continue to inquire, inspire and innovate to raise the bar. With this lineup of speakers, we are certain RTi3 2024 will not disappoint! You can find the submitted abstracts from this year in the online supplement of the Journal of Medical Radiation Imaging and Radiation Sciences.

Continuing on from the success of last year, another patient and caregiver session will take place, titled “Our Take: Patients and Caregivers Share their Experience through Digital Storytelling.” This workshop gives patients and caregivers the opportunity to share their stories and convey what is meaningful in their care experience. We hope that by reflecting on these narratives, attendees will garner a greater appreciation of the importance of the human-touch and the need for health advocacy in their everyday work. Additionally, the National Innovation Snapshot, sponsored by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists, will showcase the many initiatives our colleagues are involved in, as they bring their innovations to the forefront.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to members of the organizing committee and subcommittees who have all been instrumental in shaping the program we bring to you this year. We also extend a huge thank you to the abstract reviewers who volunteered their time and expertise to build and uphold the high-quality program for the RTi3 Conference. You can access up-to-date conference information by visiting www.RTi3.com. We look forward to seeing you at the RTi3 conference!

- Lori Holden and Vickie Kong, Co-chairs RTi3 2024

RTi3 2024 Innovate Keynote Nicole Harnett

Innovate Keynote Address | Nicole Harnett (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)

Moderated by Lori Holden

Title

"I Can Help": 40 Years of Raising My Hand

More Details

Cody Hall | 10:00 AM - 10:30 PM EDT

2024 Top-Ranked Innovate - Carrie Bru (Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists)

Responding to Emerging Practice: Canadian Clinical Competencies for MR in Radiation Therapy. So What? What Now?

Moderated by Darby Erler

Cody Hall | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

Concurrent Session 

Proffered Session 1Quality

Moderated by Ruvette Coelho

  • Investigating Delays Between Surgery to Initiation of Post-Operative Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
    – Madette Galapin (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)
  • Radiation Treatment for Patients with Implanted Medical Devices 
     Brian Liszewski (Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario Health)
  • Eliminating Permanent Tattoos for Pediatric Patients 
     Tatiana Ritchie (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Navigating Artificial Intelligence in Radiation Therapy: Understanding Radiation Therapists’ Perspective
     Caroline Marr (Junior Investigator)

Great Hall | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

Concurrent Session 

Proffered Session 2Operations

Moderated by Megan O'Donnell

  • Multi-Pronged Approach to Improving a Policy Review Process in Radiation Oncology
    – Catarina Lam (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Early Engagement: The Role of MRT Student Externs in Mitigating Health Human Resources Shortages 
     Caitlin Gillan (University Health Network)
  • How to Navigate During a Cyberattack - Palliative Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist Role in Manual Delivery of Palliative Patients 
     Henna Parmar (Windsor Regional Cancer Centre)
  • Clinical Deployment and Evaluation of an Automated Patient Scheduling Platform in a Radiation Oncology Department
     Anita Vloet (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Shaping the Future of MRIT Employment: Recruitment and Retention Strategies from a New Graduate Perspective 
     Charlotte Sole (Junior Investigator)

Cody Hall | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT

Concurrent Session 

Visual Abstract

Moderated by Kitty Chan

  • CSRTs at the Helm: Unveiling Essential Traits for Successful Change Leadershi
    – Michele Cardoso (Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton Health Sciences)
  • Creating a Tool to Maximize Scheduling Efficiency on a Magnetic Resonance Linear Accelerator Unit 
     Yannie Lai (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)
  • Comparison of DWI to T2 Bladder Target Volume Analysis for Treatment Adaptation in Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer 
     James Tallon (The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, UK)
  • On Treatment Consultations – Where We Were and Where They Can Take Us
     Amanda Lamb (Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre)
  • A Critical Evaluation of the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Managing Radiation Induced Toxicities in Head and Neck Cancer 
     Deanna Ng Humphreys (R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, Lakeridge Health Oshawa)
  • Precision Medicine or Personalized Medicine: Where Does Radiotheranostics Fit? A Scoping Review 
     Zaynab Muraj (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Everything Everywhere All at Once: Considerations for Selecting the First Site to Adapt 
     Kenny Zhan (Queen Elizabeth II Cancer Centre, Nova Scotia Health)
  • Comfortable Precision: Preliminary Results of the Prototype Head Cushion for GK ICON Immobilization
     Teresa Cheng (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)

Great Hall | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT

Concurrent Session

Student Session | RT Panel "Speed Networking"

Moderated by Alfred Lam, Nawroz Fatima, Zabin Mawji

Panelists list:

  • Advanced Practice & Research Therapist – Michele Cardoso (Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton Health Sciences)
  • MRI Therapist – Jennifer Dang (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Adaptive Radiotherapy – Jennifer DeGiobbi (Queen Elizabeth II Cancer Centre, Nova Scotia Health)
  • Educator – Natasha McMaster (Queen Elizabeth II Cancer Centre, Nova Scotia Health)
  • Brachytherapist – Mackenzie Smith (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)
  • Floor Therapist – Karen Tse (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)

Cody Hall | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT

Concurrent Session 

Proffered Session 3Education and Knowledge Dissemination

Moderated by Brian Liszewski

  • Evaluating the Feasibility and Utility of Machine Translation for Radiation Therapy Patient Education Materials
     Zaynab Muraj (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN
  • Patient and Provider Perceptions on the Cultural Inclusiveness of Patient Education for Radiation Related Skin Reactions 
     Jugdip Aulakh (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)
  • Evaluation of The Impact of An Education Session on CT-MR Image Registration for Brain Stereotactic Radiosurgery 
     Tanya Bigg (R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, Lakeridge Health Oshawa)
  • Development of a Virtual Reality Training Simulator for Prostate Brachytherapy
     Mackenzie Smith (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)
  • Gender Disparities in Publication Productivity in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences 
     Amanda Bolderston (University of Alberta)

Great Hall | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT

Concurrent Session

Student Rapid-Fire Session 

Moderated by Zabin Mawji

  • Breathe In and Hold: A Retrospective Analysis of Patients with Limited English Proficiency Who Receive Radiotherapy for Left-Sided Breast Cancer and Their Access to Deep Inspiratory Breath Hold Techniques 
     Daniel McRae
  • Retrospective Comparison of 2 Different Planning Techniques in the Treatment Delivery of Palliative Patients with Femoral/Hip Prosthesis 
     Rubbab Abass
  • Offline CBCT Review of Prostate Patients Treated on Halcyon: Assessing Patient Rotations 
     Alvin Cuni
  • Dose Accumulation in REirradiation (DARE) Study to Improve the Accuracy of Normal Tissue Dosimetry
     Hillary Ho
  • Classification ofGeographic Miss with Dosimetric Metrics in Radiation Therapy 
     Eva Cao
  • Efficacy of Density Override of Gas Bubbles in Radiation Planning for Gynaecological Patients 
     Haley Gillett
  • An Investigation of Pitch and Roll Variance Between Three Non-Custom Immobilization Devices in Pelvic Radiation Therapy 
     Janelle Kroondijk
  • Evaluating AccuFix Shoulder Immobilization for Head and Neck Radiation Therapy 
     Serena Chan
  • Exploring the Use of Cannabis Among Radiation Therapy Patients Treated at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre 
     Hannah Bazinet
  • Analyzing Technical Factor Selection for Exposure Index and Patient Dose: A Study of Portable X-ray Imaging in the NICU 
     Adam Magliozzi
  • Determining the Attitudes and Perceptions of Medical Cannabis for Anxiety and Claustrophobia, in Patients Currently Undergoing Radiation Treatment on the Gamma Knife ICON Treatment Unit 
     Amy Tam
  • Determining How the Covid-19 Pandemic Impacted Palliative Radiotherapy and Radiation Therapy Operations and Delivery:  A Retrospective Chart Review Study 
     Claire-Marie Peck

Cody Hall | 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM EDT

2024 Top-Ranked Inspire - Henna Parmar (Windsor Regional Cancer Centre)

The Impact of a Code Grey on a Radiation Therapy Department: Early Lessons Learnt

Moderated by Winnie Li

RTi3 2024 Inquire Keynote Melissa O'Neil

Inquire Keynote AddressMelissa O’Neil (London Health Sciences Centre)

Moderated by Vickie Kong

Title

Diagnostic CT-Enabled Radiation Therapy (DART): A Road Map to “Sim-Free” RT

More Details

Day 1 End | Closing Remarks

Cody Hall | 4:50 PM - 5:00 PM EDT

  • Co-Chair Closing Remarks | Lori Holden and Vickie Kong

Great Hall | 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT

Friday Night Social

Connect with old friends and get to know new ones!

Join us for drinks and hors d'oeuvres as we reflect on the day, unwind, and catch up with colleagues. See you there!

SATURDAY, March 23, 2024


Reception & Breakfast - 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM EDT

Program - 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM EDT

Cody Hall | 9:00 AM - 9:10 AM EDT

Conference Co-Chairs Opening Remarks

Conference Co-Chairs Opening Remarks | Lori Holden and Vickie Kong

RTi3 2024 Inter-professional Keynote Sten Myrehaug

Inter-Professional Keynote AddressSten Myrehaug (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)

Moderated by Lori Holden

Title

Integration of Theranostics into Cancer Care: The Evolution of Multidisciplinary Radiation Therapy

More Details

Cody Hall | 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM EDT

2023 Top-Ranked Inquire - Brian Liszewski (Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario Health)

Ontario Health-Cancer Care Ontario Re-Irradiation Symposium Webinar: A Provincial Initiative to Enhance Quality and Safety in Radiation Treatment

Moderated by Caitlin Gillan

Cody Hall | 10:45 AM - 11:45 PM EDT

Concurrent Session 

Proffered Session 4Supportive care & Patient outcome

Moderated by Nawroz Fatima

  • Caring for Patients with Cancer and A Substance Use Disorder: An Integrative Review of the Consequences of Stigma
     Tara Rosewall (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • GTV Boost for Prostate Cancer: Early Comparison of Patient-Reported QoL with MR-Linac vs HDR Brachytherapy 
     Amanda Moreira (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Outcomes from a Single Institution Cohort of 248 Patients with Stage I-III Esophageal Cancer Treated with Radiotherapy: Comparison of the Younger and Elderly Populations 
     Carrie Lavergne (R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, Lakeridge Health Oshawa)
  • pCSRT Pre-RT Pain Assessment – Improving Pain Control for Boney Metastases
     Henna Parmar (Windsor Regional Cancer Centre)
  • The Association of Change in Weight During Radiotherapy Treatment with Clinical Outcomes: A Single Institution Cohort of 247 Patients with stage I-III Esophageal Cancer Treated with Radiotherapy 
     Carrie Lavergne (R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, Lakeridge Health Oshawa)

Great Hall | 10:45 AM - 11: 45 PM EDT

Concurrent Session

Proffered Session 5 | Practice

Moderated by Darby Erler

  • Enhanced Practice in Radiotherapy: the Development of a Schema to Support Education and Training in the United Kingdom (UK)
     Melanie Clarkson (Sheffield Hallam University)
  • Empowering Radiation Therapists through Medical Directives: A Progressive Step in Radiation Therapy 
     Joanna Javor (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • What’s in a Name?: Advocacy for the Use of Advanced Practice Titles 
     Natalie Rozanec (Southlake Regional Health Centre)
  • Advanced Practice Radiation Therapists in Ontario: Our Contributions to Cancer Care Pathway
     
    Kitty Chan (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Finding the Flow: Defining Roles and Responsibilities in the Adaptive Radiation Therapy Process 
     Jennifer DeGiobbi (Queen Elizabeth II Cancer Centre, Nova Scotia Health)

Cody Hall | 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM EDT

Patient Session | Our Take:  Patients and Caregivers Share their Experience through Digital Storytelling

Moderated by Kitty Chan, Ruvette Coelho

In this special patient, family and caregiver session, patients will get the opportunity to share their stories and convey what is meaningful in their care experience. By reflecting on these narratives, Radiation Therapists will garner a greater appreciation of the importance of the human-touch and health advocacy in our everyday work.

Cody Hall | 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

Concurrent Session

National Innovation Snapshot (CAMRT-sponsored)

Opening by Carrie Bru, Director of Education, Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT). 
Moderated by Brian Liszewski, Merrylee McGuffin, Madette Galapin.

  • The Push and Pull of Safe Patient Handling – Reducing Injury with the Ambulatory Safety Check (ASC)
     Samantha Skubish (Mount Sinai Health System)
  • Enhancing In-Hospital Patient Transportation at Our Institution’s Radiation Medicine Program: A Data-Driven Analysis and Process Flow Optimization 
     Karen Tse (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Implementation of the Orfit ALL-IN-ONE (AIO) Patient Positioning System 
     Francois Gallant (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)
  • Re-irradiation Assessment - A Holistic Approach for Workflow
     Mina Yaver (Trillium Health Partners)
  • The Return of the Stone Tablet, Inter-Departmental Communication Challenges in a Code Grey
     Jaclyn Jacques (Windsor Regional Cancer Centre)
  • Establishing and Supporting the Radiation Therapy Treatment Timeline
     Deanna Ng Humphreys (R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, Lakeridge Health Oshawa)

Great Hall | 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

Concurrent Session

Proffered Session 6 | Treatment Planning

Moderated by Shaziya Malam

  • Deformable Contour Propagation of the Simultaneous-Integrated Boost Volume for Bladder Radiotherapy
     Vickie Kong (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Simulation Free Stereotactic Body and Palliative Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastases 
     
    Joanna Javor (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)
  • Skin Brachytherapy with Custom Three-Dimensional Printed Surface Mould Applicators: Expanding the Role of the Radiation Therapist 
     Mackenzie Smith (Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook)
  • End-to-End Testing with Agarose Gel Phantoms in Cervical HDR Brachytherapy: Quantifying Digitization and Dosimetric Differences with MRI-Guided Planning
     Sonia Liang (Junior Investigator)
  • MRL Prostate GTV Focal Boost: Is Prep Relevant? 
     
    Jennifer Dang (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN)

RTi3 2024 Inspire Keynote Maria P. Dimopoulos

Inspire Keynote Address | Maria P. Dimopoulos (Mount Sinai Health System)

Moderated by Vickie Kong

Title

On Inspiration: Pushing Past “It Does Not Exist

More Details

Cody Hall | 3:20 PM - 3:30 PM EDT

Conference End | Closing Remarks

  • Conference Co-Chairs Closing Remarks | Lori Holden and Vickie Kong

RTi3 2024 Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors and partners for their generous support!

Platinum Sponsors:

Silver Sponsors:

Our Partners: