Stanford Health Care-Sponsored Stanford University Program

Program Identity & Fit

Stanford's Radiation Oncology residency is a four-year, PGY2-entry program embedded in a flagship academic medical center whose department pioneered the linear accelerator, CyberKnife, SBRT/SABR, and, most recently, an ultracompact proton therapy platform developed with Mevion and Leo Cancer Care. Residents train across Stanford University Hospital, Palo Alto VA, and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, managing roughly 2000 new patients annually with a notably broad case mix, including substantial pediatric and complex CNS/extracranial stereotactic disease, and comprehensive exposure to brachytherapy, IORT, and radiolabeled antibody therapy. Research is deeply embedded in program identity: residents present annual scholarly work, can pursue the ABR Holman Research Pathway or Kaplan Research Fellowship, and the department runs extensive radiobiology, medical physics, and translational labs alongside an annual research retreat and integration with the Cancer Biology Graduate Program. The program explicitly frames itself as training "future leaders" in radiation oncology, radiobiology, and physics, valuing candidates oriented toward technology-driven, translational, academic careers rather than solely community clinical practice.