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.