Winship’s Department of Radiation Oncology announced the recipients of the 2nd annual Mentorship and Service Awards during the monthly faculty meeting in January.
January 23, 2020
Winship Cancer Institute's Department of Radiation Oncology announced the recipients of the 2nd annual Mentorship and Service Awards during the monthly faculty meeting in January. Pretesh Patel, MD and Richard Castillo, PhD, received the Outstanding Service Award in the Physician and Medical Physicist categories respectively, and Joseph Shelton, MD, medical director of the Loughlin Radiation Oncology Center at Grady Memorial Hospital, received the Outstanding Mentorship Award.
In his role as Director of the Physician Residency Program, Patel has transformed the trainee experience by improving the balance of service and educational duties for residents. As department technology lead, he has also been a key player in the revamp of the department's clinical workflow.
Castillo, who was recently awarded a $2.9 million R01 grant by the National Cancer Institute, has established a new educational program in the Department of Radiation Oncology for post-doctoral physics students interested in clinically-oriented research. The new didactic program will equip graduates with the necessary pre-requisites to enter a practice as professional medical physicists.
Shelton was selected as outstanding mentor for optimizing the educational experience of residents by leading the reorganization of the physician residency program clinical rotation and being consistently involved in resident training. He is known for welcoming in-depth discussions on patient cases, reviewing resident contouring and treatment plans, and encouraging trainees to ask questions.
"We are proud of the dedication and hard work that our faculty members exhibit in the many roles they undertake to promote the success of the department," says Walter J. Curran Jr., MD, Lawrence W. Davis Chair in Radiation Oncology and Winship executive director. "The Outstanding Service and Mentor Awards showcase our appreciation for their efforts."
Hyunsuk Shim, PhD, professor and Crocker Family Chair of Innovation, facilitated the nomination and selection process.