West Virginia University School of Medicine Program

The West Virginia University School of Medicine offers a four-year, ACGME-accredited Radiation Oncology Residency Program. This program is part of the WVU Cancer Institute and involves coordination with surgical and medical oncology services. Residents participate in national and regional trials related to cancer treatment, screening, and prevention. The training is designed to develop skills in both comprehensive oncology and radiotherapy.

The educational features of the program include residents being embedded with surgical, radiological, and physics/therapy teams to enhance their understanding of decision-making processes in multidisciplinary care. The curriculum involves progressive responsibility, with junior residents focusing on basic cancer knowledge, while senior residents concentrate on advanced treatment decision-making, planning, and leadership roles. Didactic training includes lectures, seminars, journal clubs, and quality control conferences.

Application to the program is through ERAS, with specific criteria including graduation from a medical school within four years, passing scores on Step 1, Step 2C CK, and Step 2 CS, and having three letters of recommendation. International Medical Graduates must be ECFMG eligible for a J-1 visa and are encouraged to have three months of US clinical experience.

The program offers structured interactions with WVU fellows, protected research time, and a pediatric radiation oncology experience at St. Jude's Children Research Hospital. The department supports the practice of radiation oncology in West Virginia and aims to develop leadership in the field.

WVU operates advanced equipment including Varian linear accelerators, a dedicated wide-bore CT scanner, Elekta Perfexion Gamma Knife, and HDR brachytherapy unit. The software environment is integrated using Varian ARIA with Eclipse treatment planning.

Residents have dedicated time for educational sessions, journal clubs, morbidity and mortality rounds, case-based presentations, and research projects. A 6-month block is allocated for resident research, and opportunities for interdisciplinary projects are available within the WVU system.

For further details and specifics, interested applicants should visit the official West Virginia University School of Medicine website.