ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S4228

RTT - Education, training, advanced practice and role developments

ESTRO 2025

1914

Digital Poster Establishing the UK's First Allied Health Professional Doctoral Academy in Radiotherapy

Cynthia L Eccles 1,2 , Rachel Chown 2,3 , Marianne Aznar 2 , Alan McWilliam 2 , Ganesh Radhakrishna 4 , Mairead Daly 2,1 , Amerah Alshamrani 2 , Rekaya Shabbir 2,1 , Robert Chuter 5,2 , ananya choudhury 4,2 , Peter Hoskin 4,2,6 , Robert Bristow 2 1 Radiotherapy, The Christie NHS FT, Manchester, United Kingdom. 2 Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. 3 School of Oncology, The Christie NHS FT, Manchester, United Kingdom. 4 Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS FT, Manchester, United Kingdom. 5 Clinical Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS FT, Mancheter, United Kingdom. 6 Clinical Oncology, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Northwood, United Kingdom Purpose/Objective: The Allied Health Professional (AHP) Doctoral Academy (DA) in Radiotherapy, addresses underrepresentation of radiographers and other AHPs in radiotherapy research. The DA creates a structured pathway for AHPs to become clinical academics, fostering a team science research culture and integrating findings into clinical practice. Material/Methods: The DA leverages a strong local interdisciplinary radiotherapy ecosystem of academic radiographers, clinicians and physicists to provide a comprehensive academic pathway. A formal launch event was held to attract interest and recruit candidates. Initial funding was secured through a successful research grant, including enhanced stipends to attract candidates with clinical experience, ensuring competitive recruitment. PhD projects were strategically aligned with clinical priorities and approved by the University’s Division of Cancer Science. Candidates were selected by formal application and interview. Further funding was secured through National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Professional Doctoral Academic Fellowship (PCAF) applications and self-funded students. AHPs act as primary supervisors, supported by interdisciplinary co-supervisors, fostering a culture of mentorship and leadership development. Results: Between 2020 and 2024, the DA recruited four PhD candidates, meeting its goal of supporting one PhD student per year. With one position becoming vacant after a year, funds were re-aligned to develop the first post-doctoral research associate (PDRA) position in 2023. The first successful PhD candidate has been appointed to a second PDRA position with funding secured for a third starting in 2026. AHP-led mentorship was reinforced with all trainees being supervised by AHPs, with interdisciplinary support from medical physicists and clinical oncologists. PhD trainees have co-authored six peer-reviewed publications, presented at 10+ international conferences, and contributed to advancements in magnetic resonance (MR)-guided adaptive radiotherapy. The DA's structured trajectory effectively supports AHPs along the full academic pathway, demonstrating success in developing a research-oriented workforce. This has included the co-supervision of one external AHP PhD, one local Physics PhD, and the examination of 3 PhD students by the DA’s AHP co-lead. The DA has been externally peer-reviewed by the Institution’s International Advisory Board, who assessed it as a truly unique and world leading asset. Conclusion: The AHP DA is increasing AHP representation in UK radiotherapy research and building a workforce driving innovation in radiotherapy. This scalable model can be adopted by other institutions to advance clinical practice through AHP-led research. Importantly, current efforts are underway to position successful AHP PhD graduates as team leaders in cancer research using newly-defined career paths to optimally enhance radiotherapy research and clinical impact.

Keywords: Doctoral Training, Clinical Academic, Radiotherapy