Construction has started for the new $400M Cancer Center in Princeton, NJ.  Concrete was poured for the Linear Accelerators starting at 2am on February 17, 2026 with a line of 101 trucks pouring 1,008 cubic yards of concrete. The new center is planned to open in the Fall of 2027.

Featured in the Media

Uro Today

Neha Vapiwala, MD discussed the ongoing phase 3 INDICATE trial, which is designed to test whether adding stronger systemic therapy or targeting PET detected spots with radiation truly improves outcomes for men whose prostate cancer returns after surgery.

Medpage Today

Neha Vapiwala, MD and John Nikitas, MD were featured in a commentary for JAMA Oncology about treating a reoccurance of prostate cancer after an initial treatment with radiation therapy.

Penn Medicine News & Views

John Plastaras, MD, PhD discusses radiation therapy being used for more than just oncology patients, highlighting the growing use of radiation for other conditions, including osteoarthritis.

Penn Today

In an article about "New Applications for Radiation Therapy", using low-dose radiation therapy to provide substantial, minimally invasive pain relief to more than 150 people with osteoarthritis was highlighted.

Penn RadOnc on Social Media

Did you know that Penn Radiation Oncology and OncoLink are on social media? Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok:

LinkedIn

Instagram

• Penn Radiation Oncology: https://www.instagram.com/penn_radonc/@penn_radonc
• Penn Radiation Oncology Residency Programs: https://www.instagram.com/pennradonc/@pennradonc
• Penn Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Residency Program: https://www.instagram.com/pennmedphys/@pennmedphys
• Penn Radiation Oncology Medical Physics Graduate Program: https://www.instagram.com/pennmedicalphysics/@pennmedicalphysics
• Oncolink: https://www.instagram.com/oncolinkteam/@oncolinkteam

Committee on Community Engagement

We invite you to visit the site regularly, as we continue to update resources, add information on ongoing initiatives, and expand educational materials.

PennCobalt provides mental health resources for Penn staff and faculty.

Logan Barnes

Logan joins the department as an Advance Practice Provider, Functional Radiation Medicine Program. Previously, Logan worked as a sports medicine PA at Princeton Orthopedic Associates. He earned his Bachelor of Sciences in May 2018 from The College of New Jersey, his Master of Medical Sciences, Physician Assistant Program in May 2022 from Northwestern University. You can contact Logan at logan.barnes1@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Hannah Brubaker

Hannah joins the department as a Social Worker with the Head & Neck team and Radnor team. Previously, Hannah worked as a social worker at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in the Pulmonology department. She earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Health Sciences from Duquesne University. Originally from Lancaster, PA, Hannah and her fiancé will be married there this fall. In her spare time, Hannah loves exploring Philadelphia and trying new restaurants. You can contact Hannah at hannah.brubaker@PennMedicine.upenn.edu.

Promotions

Kristen Kitchen, PA-C was appointed as the Associate Clinical Manager, PCAM APPs.

Open Positions

Staff Open Positions

Please go to Careers.PennMedicine.org to see the full job posting for staff open positions. Below are open job positions within the department:

• 305741 PRN Rad Therapist - Berwyn, PA (Per Diem)
• 300914 PRN Rad Therapist - Radnor, PA (Per Diem)
• 237634 PRN Rad Therapist - Philadelphia, PA (PAH) (Per Diem)
• 304314 PRN Rad Therapist - Philadelphia, PA (HUP) (Per Diem)
• 262401 Physicist - Lancaster, PA
• 291648 Director of Radiation Therapy - Philadelphia, PA
• 301293 Patient Services Associate - West Chester, PA
• 299783 Radiation Therapist - Plainsboro, NJ
• 297868 Radiation Therapist - Philadelphia, PA
• 306818 Dosimetrist Treatment Planner (Photon) - Philadelphia, PA
• 296298 Dosimetrist Treatment Planner (Proton) - Philadelphia, PA
• 305356 New Patient Coordinator - Philadelphia, PA
• 302602 Senior Practice Manager - Philadelphia, PA

Faculty Open Positions

Please click on the link below to view the full job description for faculty open positions on Workday.

• Penn Medicine Clinician [Chester County]: JR00094977
• Penn Medicine Clinician [Cherry Hill]: JR00103891
• Penn Medicine Clinician [Lancaster]: 266585

Quality & Safety

The Rad Onc Department’s Culture of Safety Survey is open! Everyone in the department received and email (and a link) from Dr. Metz on February 9. The Department of Radiation Oncology initiated an internal safety culture survey in 2010 and continues to offer the survey approximately every two years.  This survey was designed to provide all members of the department with an opportunity to provide an anonymous evaluation of our patient safety culture. Using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) survey, the survey is comprised of questions that are both valid and reliable.  We benchmark our results with national results from AHRQ.  The survey is focused on patient safety culture, defined by AHRQ as “the beliefs, values and norms shared by providers and staff throughout the organization that influence their actions and behavior”. The Department of Radiation Oncology dedicated itself to continuously fostering a strong safety culture.  A safety culture is built on organizational culture and organizational support of and promotion of the prevention of harmful events.  Fundamental to a strong safety culture are leadership, major events (internal and external), organizational culture and subcultures, and the people who interact with the organization. The Department’s survey seeks to understand, from the people who work in the organization, what cultural factors, leadership considerations, and concerns could affect patient safety. The Quality Management team manages the survey and completes the analysis.  They provide a full summary of the results to the department and provide specific summaries based on employee role.  This work informs action plans created by managers and leaders across the department focused on the opportunities for improvement identified in the survey. Our 2026 survey opened recently.  By now, some of our colleagues have completed the survey.  Please take the time to complete the survey, providing your input to the department.

ACES Valentine's Celebration

The Beam of Life Team

https://www.breakthrough-challenge.org/

Save the Date: Next year's Breakthrough Challenge will be on Sunday, September 27, 2026

Five Questions With...

Shervin Tabrizi, MD

1. What is a typical work day like for you? I'm a physician-scientist, so I split my time between the lab and clinic. On research days, I'm usually in lab or meeting with potential collaborators to work on developing and applying novel technologies for detecting and monitoring cancer. One day a week, I'm seeing patients with prostate cancer at the Philadelphia VA.

2. What led you to work at Penn Radiation Oncology? I was really excited by the deep commitment to innovation and excellent patient care. I felt that Penn Radiation Oncology is a place where I can have a real impact on cancer care and outcomes.

3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? We're working on ways to non-invasively track how cancer and normal tissue responds to radiation therapy using just a blood draw. This type of technology could help us better personalize radiation therapy for our patients.

4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? Japan is top of my bucket list! I'd love to travel more throughout Asia in general.

5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? I grew up in Calgary, Canada and I love to ski when I can. But also can't beat a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate when it's really cold out.