Radiation Oncology Program Overview and Biographies

The Radiation Oncology Program is built on three main pillars of strength; Radiation Oncology, Medical Physics and Radiation Therapy and offers state of the art radiation based clinical services primarily located in Winnipeg with an additional site in Brandon.  The program is committed to person-centered care; meeting or exceeding national wait time standards, and the creation of quality improvement initiatives to support a safe environment for all, while continuing to change and develop with the implementation of new technology.

Radiation Oncologists see approximately 3500 consultations per annum from Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario encompassing a population of 1.3 million. The program has seven linear accelerators and three CT simulators of which one linear accelerator and one CT simulator are located in Brandon. The radiation therapy computer systems have an integrated electronic medical record which allow for the safe and efficient documentation, communication and transfer of patient treatment information across cancer services in Manitoba.

The program offers IMRT, IGRT, VMAT and DIBH treatment techniques along with SBRT in major disease site groups. The Winnipeg site also offers high dose-rate brachytherapy for gynae patients, low dose rate brachytherapy for prostate patients and an orthovoltage unit for superficial treatment of skin cancers. CancerCare Manitoba also has a partnership with Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and operates a dedicated SBRT Radiosurgery system and a Gamma Knife SRS unit located at the Health Sciences Centre Hospital.

Presently there are over 150 staff including; 17 radiation oncologists, 13 radiation medical physicists and 70 radiation therapists.  Program members hold major leadership positions within both Canadian and International organizations, such as the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC), CARO, ASTRO and various international platforms.

The Research Portfolio is broad, producing 15 peer-reviewed publications per year, and supporting a total of four full time equivalent physician positions dedicated to research. We participate in numerous national and international clinical trials and lead various research and cancer epidemiology and health outcomes programs through our partnership with CCMB’s Research Institute in Hematology/Oncology  and the Provincial Cancer Registry.  High profile research interests include: Advanced Imaging with Calypso system for lung and prostate SBRT, in vivo patient dose verification, and various research projects in collaboration with Manitoba Prostate Centre, UFW and UFM.

We also offer and support province wide Imaging and Radiation Protection Services in accordance with the CancerCare Manitoba Act, the Radiation Protection Act and the College of Physicians and Surgeons Diagnostic Imaging Bylaws and Standards.

• Radiation Oncology Residency Program: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) accredited 5 year residency training programs in Radiation Oncology and advanced (post-residency) training in sub-specialties such as brachytherapy, SBRT or Gamma Knife.
• Medical Physics Undergraduate, Graduate and Residency Training Programs: The graduate program offers M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees through the University of Manitoba (UFM) and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP).
• Diploma/BSc Degree in Radiation Therapy Program: The CancerCare Manitoba/University of Winnipeg (UFW), Department of Physics Joint program is accredited by the Accreditation Canada - Health Education Accreditation - Equal Canada.

• Radiation Oncology Fellowship Program: A one-year clinical fellowship position is offered at the UFM in the section of Radiation Oncology, located in CancerCare Manitoba.  The focus of this fellowship is advanced clinical training in precision radiation therapy with training in SBRT.