Welcome to the UC San Diego Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences (RMAS) Radiation Oncology Residency Program. Our Program offers an accredited 4-year residency constructed to surpass the standards laid out by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Approved for 12 residents (3 per year), our program offers outstanding clinical education, superb faculty mentorship, diverse research opportunities, and state-of-the-art facilities. Overall, this broad educational experience strives to create leading physicians and physician-scientists in the field of radiation oncology.

I am especially proud of several distinguishing features of our Residency Program. Our exceptional didactic program includes a wide range of lectures and conferences based on a disease month system, ensuring that residents receive in depth exposure to all disease sites. In addition to the clinical didactic program we provide a wide range of instruction on specialized topics including classes on Humanism, Business of Radiation Oncology, and Professionalism & Leadership. To enhance and optimize resident education we have implemented a novel one- on-one teaching curriculum within each disease site rotation. Our dedicated faculty teach residents the core concepts unique to each disease site over the course of 6-7 one-hour sessions extending over each resident’s three month rotation. This personalized approach to resident education strives to complement our overall didactic program.

Our residents partake in a wide array of research opportunities during residency, with the goal of developing a unique skillset to optimally position them for the next phases in their careers. Residents have up to 12 months of protected research time during residency, during which they participate in an array of research domains including basic science, translational research, clinical trial design, imaging, genetics, data science, as well as health disparities research. Among those with an interest in education our residents have taught in the school of medicine, worked on innovative education applications, and led education focused research trials. For residents with a proclivity towards research we encourage and support applications for research grant support. I can proudly say we have residents who have successfully competed for numerus grants through ACRO, RSNA, ASCO, AHRQ, and the NIH.

Finally, at the core of our program, we have a steadfast commitment towards equity, diversity, and inclusion, which includes a curricular thread woven throughout all years of residency. Our patient catchment area encompasses a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse cohort of cancer patients. Lastly, another unique feature of our program is an international elective during the PGY4 or 5 year that allows residents to spend a month abroad working in clinical radiation oncology at a location of their choice. We encourage our residents to make this international elective in a developing country for a unique experience and valuable perspective on the intersection of radiation therapy and global health.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly, or contact our Residency Program Coordinator at JLBazo@ucsd.edu.

Sincerely,

James Murphy, MD, MS
Associate Professor and Residency Program Director