National Cancer Institute - NCI Division of Cancer Treatment and ...

R A D I A T I O N R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M
The Radiation Research Program supports research to find new ways
of using radiation therapy more effectively and with fewer side effects,
which is paramount for maintaining patients’ quality of life.
Killing cancer cells while minimizing
damage to healthy cells is the
goal of radiation therapy. About
half of all patients with cancer undergo
radiation therapy, the majority of these
with curative intent. Finding new ways of
using radiation therapy more effectively
and with fewer side effects is paramount
for maintaining patients’ quality of life. This
entails innovative uses of technology and
biology and integration in multimodality
cancer care and research.
As part of an ongoing effort to stimulate
research in radiotherapy and radiation
biology, the Radiation Research Program
(RRP) supports clinical, translational, and
basic research at the Division of Cancer
Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD) by:
■ Providing expertise to investigators who
perform cutting-edge research using
radiation and other forms of energy
■ Assisting the radiotherapy research
community in establishing priorities
for the future direction of radiation
research
■ Providing medically underserved
communities with access to radiation
therapy
■ Evaluating the effectiveness of radiation
research being conducted by National
Cancer Institute (NCI) grantees
O V E R V I E W
RRP also coordinates its activities with
other radiation research programs at NCI,
the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
other federal agencies, and national and
international research organizations.
Additionally, RRP serves as a focal point for
extramural investigators concerned with
clinically related radiation oncology and
biology research.
Dr. C. Norman Coleman, Associate Director
C. Norman Coleman, M.D., holds an undergraduate degree
in mathematics from the University of Vermont and received
his medical training at Yale University School of Medicine.
Dr. Coleman completed his internship and residency in internal
medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and a
fellowship in medical oncology at NCI.
Board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology,
and radiation oncology, Dr. Coleman was a tenured faculty
member at the Stanford University School of Medicine before
joining Harvard Medical School in 1985 as the Viola D. Fuller American Cancer Society
Professor and Chairman of the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. In 1999, he became
Director of NCI’s Radiation Oncology Sciences Program. Dr. Coleman created this program
to coordinate all radiation oncology activities across all NCI components. He then
served as Chief of the Center for Cancer Research’s Radiation Oncology Branch from
1999 until 2004.
Dr. Coleman currently is Associate Director of the DCTD Radiation Research Program,
a Special Advisor to the Director of NCI’s Center for Cancer Research, and a Special
Advisor to the NCI Director. Since 2004, he has been the Senior Medical Advisor at the
Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness for the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. He also has written extensively in his field and has won numerous
awards, including the 2005 Gold Medal Award from ASTRO (American Society for
Therapeutic Radiation Oncology) for his many scientific and professional contributions
to the fields of radiation oncology and radiation biology.
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