Radiotherapists honor Yale expert on tumor biology

Sara Rockwell, Ph.D., professor of therapeutic radiology and pharmacology, and associate dean for scientific affairs, has been named a fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). She received the award at ASTRO’s 51st Annual Meeting, held in Chicago last November.

Rockwell, who joined the medical school in 1974, is an expert on the biology of solid tumors. Many regions of these tumors are profoundly oxygen- and nutrient-deprived, factors that have diverse effects on their physiology and on their response to treatment with radiation and anticancer drugs. In over 200 scientific publications, Rockwell has described these distinctive features and reported on approaches aimed at using these features to improve cancer therapy.

Rockwell, editor-in-chief of Radiation Research, teaches in courses on radiation biology, pharmacology, cancer biology, and ethics. She directs the Tracking and Evaluation Program for the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI), and is a member of its executive committee. Rockwell is the medical school’s representative to the American Association of Medical Colleges’ Group on Research and Development, and Yale University’s representative to the Federal Demonstration Partnership.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society, with more than 10,000 members worldwide. A small number of long-standing ASTRO members who exemplify “excellence in research, patient care, education, and leadership/service” are chosen as fellows each year.