From the December 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Fraass’ work has enhanced the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation therapy (RT) for scores of patients facing a number of cancer types, including diseases in sites such as the liver and lung that may be difficult to treat. He and his group led efforts in the 1980s to understand and implement three-dimensional planning for radiation treatment, and pioneered the introduction and validation of computer-controlled radiation delivery systems in the 1990s. As one of Fraass’ letters of support noted, clinical trials under his leadership have pioneered the “ability to combine technical and clinical research toward the goal of tailoring each treatment course in an optimal fashion to suit individual patients through their entire treatment.”
Concurrent with his work in tumor visualization and radiation treatment planning, Fraass was, and continues to be, instrumental in several patient safety initiatives, including founding the Radiation Oncology Safety Stakeholders Initiative and leading the development of the ASTRO Safety White Papers. Fraass is the current co-chair of ASTRO’s Integrating Healthcare Enterprise – Radiation Oncology (IHE-RO) Committee, which guides efforts to improve interoperability among the multiple technologies involved in treating patients with RT. He also serves on the Radiation Oncology Healthcare Advisory Council (RO-HAC), which is associated with the Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System (RO-ILS). Fraass’ record of service to the medical physics and radiation oncology communities crosses multiple organizations, initiatives and achievements.
He has served on more than two dozen study sections for the National Cancer Institute and either organized or participated in more than 50 workshops, panels and symposia for scientific and professional organizations. Since joining ASTRO in 1984, Fraass has also participated extensively in teaching activities at the ASTRO Annual Meeting, delivering lectures on topics such as treatment optimization, quality assurance and patient safety. Fraass earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, as well as a Master’s degree and Doctorate in physics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He also completed a fellowship in radiation oncology at the National Institutes of Health prior to joining the Michigan faculty.
Dr. Christopher G. Willett, FASTRO, has improved the lives of many patients with gastrointestinal and other cancers through a career that has brought achievements in a number of interwoven areas. As one of Dr. Willett’s nominating letters explained, he is “a compassionate radiation oncologist fully committed to providing the very best possible care to patients, an innovative translational researcher who has made seminal contributions to the field, and a committed teacher, mentor and leader, whose tireless service has enriched the field of radiation oncology.” Willett is the chair and professor of radiation oncology for the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
