IBPRO - A Novel Short-Duration Teaching Course in Advanced Physics and Biology Underlying Cancer Radiotherapy

Clinical Physics Boot Camp for Radiation Oncology Residents: A Pilot Study

The physics curriculum is a source of anxiety both for medical students considering radiation oncology (RO) as a possible career and for current residents facing the physics boards. To improve the orientation process for residents and medical students, we created a physics boot camp using clinically relevant patient vignettes to teach physics fundamentals. The initial boot camp was a week-long program of 1.5 to 2 hours daily, with each day consisting of a didactic session and hands-on laboratory. Boot camp topics covered included physics fundamentals, electron treatments, photon treatments, brachytherapy, and urgent clinical setups. Learners completed pre- and postsurveys, where each rated their knowledge and comfort level with RO workflow on a 5-point scale. Learners also completed daily knowledge-based assessments testing the information presented before and after these daily sessions. A total of 10 participants were included in the initial boot camp: 8 residents and 2 medical students. A repeat, single-day, multi-institutional boot camp a year later included 5 of the original resident participants. Participant scores were paired for analysis using student t tests. For the initial boot camp, all participants reported significantly increased confidence in the physics aspects of the RO workflow (mean 3.24 vs 4.18; P = .0023). However, when comparing those self-assessment scores from participants with more than a year of physics background to those earlier in their training, only the early training participants' scores remained significant (advanced learners: mean 4.0 vs 4.38, P = .129; early learners: mean 2.66 vs 4.02, P = .0025). All participants had improved scores on their knowledge-based assessments (mean 74% vs 89%; P = .0001), which remained statistically significant for both early learners (mean 68% vs 87%; P = .0005) and advanced learners (mean 84% vs 93%; P = .0447). For repeat participants, preboot camp knowledge showed continued improvement (mean 61% vs 79%; P = .049) at 1 year. A formal physics boot camp orientation improves both resident comfort level and knowledge base with clinical physics, with participants early in their training deriving the greatest benefit.

Final Report from IBPRO: Impact of Multidisciplinary Collaboration on Research in Radiation Oncology

An important hallmark of the field of radiation oncology has traditionally been multidisciplinary collaboration among its clinicians and scientists. Increased specialization, resulting from increased complexity, threatens to diminish this important characteristic. This article evaluates the success of a short-term educational environment developed specifically to enhance multidisciplinary collaboration. This NIH-funded educational course, named "Integration of Biology and Physics into Radiation Oncology (IBPRO)," was developed at Wayne State University, and designed to facilitate engagement among radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiobiologists in activities that foster collaborative investigation. The question we address here is, "Did it work?" The 240 clinicians and researchers participating in IBPRO over the five years of the course were surveyed to quantify its effectiveness. In total, 95 respondents identified 45 institutional protocols, 52 research grant applications (19 of which have been funded thus far), 94 research manuscripts and 106 research presentations as being attributable to participation in IBPRO. The majority (66%) of respondents reported generating at least one of these research metrics attributable to participation in IBPRO, and these participants reported an average of nearly five such quantitative research metrics per respondent. This represents a remarkable contribution to radiation oncology research within a relatively short period through an intervention involving a relatively small number of radiation oncology professionals. Nearly two thirds of respondents reported ongoing collaborative working relationships generated by IBPRO. In addition, approximately 50% of respondents stated that specific information presented at IBPRO changed the way they practice, and 95% of respondents practicing in a clinical setting stated that, since participation in IBPRO, they have approached clinical dilemmas more collaboratively. Many collaborative working relationships generated by this course continue to actively drive research productivity. Additionally, one of the many enduring legacies of this course is the creation of a new debate series in a professional journal. IBPRO serves as a model for our ability to leverage collaborative learning in an educational intervention to foster multidisciplinary clinical and research collaboration. It has already had a profound impact on the profession of radiation oncology, and this impact can be anticipated to increase in the future.

Improving Research in Radiation Oncology through Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The contribution of radiation oncology to the future of cancer treatment depends significantly on our continued clinical progress and future research advancements. Such progress relies on multidisciplinary collaboration among radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiobiologists. Cultivating collaborative educational and research opportunities among these three disciplines and further investing in the infrastructure used to train both clinicians and researchers will therefore help us improve the future of cancer care. This article evaluates the success of a short-term educational environment to foster multidisciplinary collaboration. The NIH-funded educational course developed at Wayne State University, called "Integration of Biology and Physics into Radiation Oncology" (IBPRO), was designed to facilitate the engagement of radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiobiologists in activities that enhance collaborative investigation. Having now been delivered to nearly 200 participants over the past four years, the relative success of IBPRO in fostering productive interdisciplinary collaboration and producing tangible research outcomes can be evaluated. The 140 IBPRO participants from the first three years were surveyed to quantify the effectiveness of the course. In total, 62 respondents reported developing 23 institutional protocols, submitting more than 25 research grants (nine of which have been funded thus far), and publishing more than 30 research manuscripts attributable to participation in IBPRO. Nearly one-half (45%) of respondents reported generating at least one of these research metrics attributable to participation in IBPRO and these participants reported an average of over four such quantitative research metrics per respondent. This represents a very substantial contribution to radiation oncology research by a relatively small number of researchers within a relatively short time. Nearly one-half of respondents reported ongoing collaborative working relationships generated by IBPRO. In addition, approximately one-half of respondents stated that specific information presented at IBPRO changed the way they practice, and over 80% of respondents practicing in a clinical setting stated that, since participation in IBPRO, they have approached clinical dilemmas more collaboratively. We believe that educational opportunities such as IBPRO can have a significant impact on interdisciplinary collaborative research. In addition, such interventions have the ability to effect significant clinical change. Both of these should have a positive impact on future advancements in radiation oncology and affect the future contribution of radiation oncology to the treatment of cancer.