The biggest event of the year for radiation oncology is the annual ASTRO meeting, which will take place in Washington, DC, from September 29 thru October 2, 2024.

In preparation for the event, and to find out what attendees should expect, HCB News sat down with ASTRO president, Dr. Howard Sandler, for a wide ranging discussion about his background, the agenda for the meeting, and the ways cancer treatment is evolving.

HCB News: Who or what inspired you to follow a career in healthcare?

Dr. Howard Sandler: I grew up in a family that was exposed to careers in medicine: both my father and his brother, my uncle, were OB-GYN physicians in a small town in Connecticut, and medicine was present in our home environment. In high school, I enjoyed physics — thanks, Mr. Stearns! — and when I headed to college, I naturally became a physics major. But I was torn between developing a career in physics or heading to medical school to become a physician. When I was accepted to University of Connecticut's medical school, I learned that they were starting a new MD/PhD program. I applied and was accepted, intending to pursue an MD and a physics PhD. Ultimately, I graduated with a master's degree in physics and an MD, which prepared me for my next steps.

HCB News: Why did you choose radiation oncology?
HS: In medical school, I was exploring various specialties that connected medicine with physics. Perhaps a career in radiology or nuclear medicine? I providentially met an attending gynecologic oncologist who, after a discussion, encouraged me to consider radiation oncology, which had not been on my radar. I signed up for a fourth-year radiation oncology elective at a local academic medical center and quickly realized that radiation oncology had everything I desired in a medical specialty. It seemed that oncology was a part of medicine that was on the cusp of new developments, in both radiation oncology and drug therapies, and so I was excited to enter the oncology space.

HCB News: How did you first become involved with ASTRO?
HS: My first major interaction with ASTRO was through a previous experience with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2006-2007, I had a six-month sabbatical in The enter for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), the FDA device center in Gaithersburg, Va., learning how the FDA works and how new devices in radiologic health are approved. I provided radiation oncology input to the FDA regarding the latest in radiation oncology developments as they had minimum in-house radiation oncology expertise. After completing my sabbatical I engaged with ASTRO and joined the ASTRO FDA subcommittee and that experience led to participation on the ASTRO Government Relations committee, then a leadership role on the GR committee, and finally a Board of Directors role on the Government Relations council.

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