RTi3 - Enabling Radiation Therapists to Collaborate, Network and Grow

THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE 2017-2018 ANNUAL REPORT.

In 2004, a group of nurses and radiation therapists from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the Odette Cancer Centre (then called Toronto-Bayview Regional Cancer Centre) decided to launch a conference with a focus on radiation medicine. In its beginning, the conference focused on continuing education and took place outside of Toronto with a program consisting of invited external speakers. The conference then moved downtown, and the radiation therapy community took over its leadership, an evolution strongly supported by the former UTDRO Chair, Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz and former UTDRO Vice Chair, Education, Dr. Pamela Catton. The conference was officially branded as the RTi3 Conference in 2010 — the three “i’s” reflecting the pillars of Inquire, Inspire and Innovate.

“RTi3 has changed dramatically from its first iteration in 2004 to what it is today. It is very much a therapy-driven and therapy-focused conference,’’ said Lisa Di Prospero, a former Chair of the RTi3 organizing committee. Lisa has been involved with the conference since its initial launch, and has participated as a co-chair or in a supporting role.

Another key individual behind the success of RTi3 is Kieng Tan, Academic Coordinator of the MRS program, and also a former RTi3 committee co-chair. Kieng describes the radiation therapy community as having a hunger for opportunities. “They’re really wanting more out of their profession and wanting to get involved and find opportunities where they can showcase their knowledge and expertise.” A conference dedicated to radiation therapists and run by radiation therapists seemed a natural evolution.

Mandate and Program

The RTi3 Conference today has a mandate to cultivate the practice and the profession of radiation therapy, and to support the growth and development of junior practitioners. The three pillars of Inquire, Inspire and Innovate guide the philosophy of the conference and shape its program. Each of the selected keynote speakers is a radiation therapist reflecting a particular pillar. There is always an inter-professional speaker, sought from outside of the profession, who demonstrates a skillset applicable to the field of radiation therapy.

Another key component is highlighting the work of the community cancer centres. “The co-chairs of the committee really make it a point to make sure all of the centres are showcased,” said Lisa. The Practice Innovations segment of the program is geared for that purpose; profiling the selected centres’ activities, and inspiring other practitioners to share their work.

The committee also incorporated an Innovation Snapshot, which is a rapid fire session highlighting innovations within centres that describe the issue, the solution, and its impact.

Uniqueness

The RTi3 Conference is one of five radiation therapy conferences offered internationally that is therapy-themed and research-based. It is the only such conference in Canada, with three main streams of practice innovation, clinical research and education research. There is not necessarily a defined theme or focus for each year; in fact, the conference is very open and inclusive of the therapists’ work. One such idea emanated from Southlake Regional Health Centre: a Congratulations you’re finished your radiation therapy card that was presented as a practice innovation. The response from patients was overwhelmingly positive. After learning about this innovation, the Odette Cancer Centre connected with Southlake and adopted the same practice.

The program is built upon therapists’ research and scholarship including trainee research. Submitted abstracts undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review by a selection committee to ensure the proffered program is clinically relevant and evidence-based. “We have no idea what the program is going to look like. It really does reflect the trends that are happening, so the therapists drive the program,” said Lisa. “We specifically built it that way because we wanted to make sure it wasn’t a continuing education conference. We wanted therapists to build their own knowledge and change their practice — that’s been our motto.” The abstracts presented are all published in the Journal of Imaging and Radiation Sciences, where Lisa is the Editor-in-Chief.

RTi3 Organizers

The RTi3 organizing committee is comprised of UTDRO faculty from all the academic hospital sites and partners. The co-chairs, historically, have been from the Odette and Princess Margaret Cancer Centres. The co-chairs for 2018 were Dr. Michael Velec and Brian Liszewski. In 2019, Michael Velec will return with a new co-chair, Laura D’Alimonte. Kieng and Lisa coach and mentor the new co-chairs, which is fulfilling another conference mandate of building leadership capacity within UTDRO. “Although we’re not the face of the conference anymore, we will continue to be present behind the scene,” said Kieng. “We will continue to be on the organizing committee and help to shape its future.”

Looking Forward

The conference continues to grow each year. In 2018, there were over 150 delegates and 70 abstracts in oral and poster sessions. New faces continue appearing; particularly students and trainees, which is a great venue for them to connect to practitioners, network, and grow professionally. The conference continues to expand internationally with return delegates from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Kieng and Lisa have discussed the possibility of expanding the conference to the medical radiation sciences community and incorporating other disciplines such as Ultrasound, Magnetic Resonance, Radiological Technology and Nuclear Medicine. “I think when we’re looking at research within the field of medical radiation sciences, there’s a lot of opportunity for collaboration,” said Kieng.

Lisa and Kieng were recipients of the 2015–2016 Colin Woolf Award for Long-Term Contribution to Continued Education (CE) from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine for the RTi3 program. Their steadfast commitment and contributions to CE and continuing professional development has led to the development of a high quality program with global impact.

For more information about the conference, visit radonc.utoronto.ca/rti3.

RTi3 Conference number of delegates and abstracts since 2010 when it was officially named RTi3.
*2012: Conference not held due to International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologist World Congress.

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