Neha Vapiwala, MD, named president-elect of ASTRO

PHILADELPHIA – The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) have selected Neha Vapiwala, MD, FACR, FASTRO, FASCO, the Eli Glatstein Professor in Radiation Oncology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, as president-elect of the society. She will take office as president-elect on Oct. 1, 2024, at ASTRO’s 66th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, and then serve as president for a year beginning in fall 2025, followed by a year each as chair and immediate past chair of the Board of Directors..

As part of the elected leadership for ASTRO, Vapiwala will represent the society’s more than 10,000 members, who include physicians, physicists, biologists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, nurses and other professionals involved in radiation oncology care.

“We are incredibly proud to see our esteemed colleague Dr. Neha Vapiwala elected to such a prestigious role,” said James Metz, MD, Penn Medicine’s chair of Radiation Oncology. “This recognition reflects her leadership ability, clinical expertise, and significant contributions to the field of radiation oncology. I have known Neha since she was a medical student rotating in our department, and this leadership post is a well-earned milestone in her continued trajectory to the pinnacle of our field.”

Vapiwala serves in several leadership roles at Penn, including vice chair of education in the department of Radiation Oncology and associate dean of admissions in the Perelman School of Medicine. She is a member of the Abramson Cancer Center, where her clinical specialty is genitourinary (GU) cancers. Her research interests focus on biological and technological improvements in radiation therapy, integration of biomarkers including novel molecular imaging, and combination therapies aimed at improving the therapeutic ratio.

As a nationally recognized expert, Vapiwala is a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Prostate Cancer Task Force and the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Oncology. She also serves on committees involving prostate cancer detection and treatment with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the National Clinical Trials Network, and is the principal investigator of multiple clinical trials. She was recently elected to serve on the Nominating Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Founded in 1958, ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members across the globe who specialize in using radiation therapies to treat patients with cancer. Vapiwala previously served on the ASTRO Board of Directors as secretary/treasurer and chaired the ASTRO Finance/Audit Committee, playing a pivotal role in maintaining the society’s financial health during the pandemic.

“Serving ASTRO in this role is a tremendous honor,” Vapiwala said. “The practice of radiation oncology epitomizes our commitment to high quality, high value care, and we must continue to make advances in treatment efficacy and access through greater investment in patient-centered research, education and health policy. As president-elect, I look forward to supporting the continued evolution of radiation therapy as a lifesaving treatment for millions of people affected by cancer.”

Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.

The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.

Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.