Michalski elected president-elect of American Society for Radiation Oncology

Jeff M. Michalski, MD, MBA, the Carlos A. Perez Distinguished Professor and vice chair and director of clinical programs in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected president-elect of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) board of directors.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and others who specialize in treating patients using radiation therapies.

Michalski will serve a one-year term as president-elect, beginning at the ASTRO annual meeting, Oct. 24-27 in Chicago. He then will serve single-year terms as president, board chair and immediate past chair.

In these roles, he plans to focus in part on protecting equitable patient access to lifesaving cancer treatment and on building a pipeline of diverse radiation oncology clinicians and researchers.

“Radiation oncologists have led many essential and innovative clinical research advances that enhance patient outcomes and extend survival,” said Michalski, who treats patients at Siteman Cancer Center. “We face ever-growing challenges, however, and as the world emerges from a transformative pandemic, we are reminded that collaboration, inclusion and equity are indispensable for progress, whether within our specialty, with our partners in multidisciplinary oncology or with our patients. I will work to ensure that ASTRO’s membership and leadership more closely represent the diverse populations we care for and that we protect access to critical and cost-effective cancer therapy for all communities.”

A nationally recognized expert in genitourinary cancers, pediatric cancers and cancer survivorship care, Michalski has extensive experience leading and supporting clinical trials and developing clinical guidelines with ASTRO and other organizations, including the National Cancer Institute. He also co-chairs the radiation oncology section of the NRG Oncology national clinical trials group.

At ASTRO, Michalski has held a number of leadership roles. He previously was elected to serve secretary/treasurer and led the organization’s finance committee. He also is a current executive editor of Practical Radiation Oncology, ASTRO’s clinical practice journal, and a member of the joint Blue Ribbon Panel between ASTRO and the Veterans Health Administration to improve prostate cancer care.