University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Iowa Radiation Oncology residency is a four-year academic program serving as the only radiation oncology presence in its region, drawing a regional referral base of 60-90 patients under treatment at any time across a full range of modalities (MR-Linac, Gamma Knife, brachytherapy, SBRT, theranostics). Its defining structural feature is a mid-residency Pathways system (Clinical Medicine, Academic Medicine, Clinical Research, and a Holman Pathway for physician-scientists) that lets residents devote roughly 16 weeks of PGY4-5 to individualized career tracks, paired with a mandatory research curriculum and manuscript-submission requirement in the early years. In-house sufficiency of brachytherapy and pediatric cases eliminates the need for away rotations, and the program is small (about seven residents total), producing graduates who split fairly evenly between academic faculty appointments and community/private radiation oncology practice. The department values residents who can articulate a specific long-term niche early enough to build a pathway around it, whether that niche is basic science, clinical trials, or community-based clinical practice.