| Fairfax, Va., October 8, 2012 – The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has named Mark P. Carol, MD, a distinguished leader in the fields of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), as its 2012 Honorary Member, which is the highest honor the Society bestows upon distinguished cancer researchers and leaders in disciplines other than radiation oncology, radiation physics or radiobiology. Carol will be recognized with this honor during the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, at 10:45 a.m., at ASTRO's 54th Annual Meeting, October 28-31, 2012, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. With more than 30 years of experience in the medical device and health care services arenas, Carol is often considered the father of IMRT. Since 1992, he has developed and created many novel and crucial devices and techniques that have influenced and shaped modern radiation oncology, such as CT/MRI image fusion with ultrasound treatment room-based localization, intensity modulated treatment delivery, DVH-based prescriptions, simulated annealing optimization and image-guided therapy. Most recently, Carol has been developing an innovative way to deliver radiation therapy that uses a multiplexed photon beam to treat patients in sitting and standing positions, thereby reducing overall costs while at the same time allowing advanced multimodality imaging to be introduced seamlessly into the treatment room. "Throughout the years, Dr. Carol, who trained as a neurosurgeon, has been a pioneer and innovator in the field of radiation oncology," said Michael L. Steinberg, MD, FASTRO, ASTRO president. "His groundbreaking approach to the development of IMRT and IGRT has provided tremendous benefits for radiation oncology patients. He is most deserving of this year's honor." Serving as a founder, CEO and president for numerous corporations, Carol has constantly proven himself to be a successful innovator within the field of radiation oncology. He was awarded the Pittsburgh Business Times' Health Care Hero Competition Award and the Ira Sohn Research Conference Prize in Pediatric Oncology from the Gotham Prize for Cancer Research. In 2004, Carol also garnered honorary membership in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). Carol is a graduate of Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., as an independent scholar, and he graduated with distinction in research from the University of Rochester's School of Medicine & Dentistry in Rochester, N.Y. At the University of Rochester, Carol worked on developing an artificial heart, for which he now holds a patent. From 1978-1984, he served as a neurosurgical resident and a fellow in neurotraumatology at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., and he later went on to practice at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, N.Y. He has also taught as an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Columbia University in New York, the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla., and the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, Ohio. Since 2009, Carol has been an adjunct assistant professor of radiation oncology at Brown University in Providence, R.I. He is currently the chief development officer at US HIFU, an innovator in the use of high intensity focused ultrasound for thermal ablation, based in Charlotte, N.C. For a photo of Dr. Carol, contact Michelle Kirkwood at 703-286-1600, press@astro.org. ASTRO's 54th Annual Meeting, held in Boston, October 28-31, 2012, is the premier scientific meeting in radiation oncology and is expected to attract more than 11,000 attendees including oncologists from all disciplines, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, radiation oncology nurses and nurse practitioners, biologists, physician assistants, practice administrators, industry representatives and other health care professionals from around the world. The theme of the 2012 Annual Meeting is "Advancing Patient Care Through Innovation" and examines how innovation in technology and patient care delivery can lead to improved patient outcomes. The four-day scientific meeting includes six plenary papers and 410 oral presentations in 63 oral scientific sessions, and 1,724 posters and 130 digital posters in 18 tracks/topic areas. ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org. ### |