University of North Carolina Hospitals Program

Program Identity & Fit

UNC's Radiation Oncology residency is an academic, university-based program anchored in the NCI-designated Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, serving as the specialty oncology referral center for the entire state of North Carolina with over 2,500 patients treated annually across a main Chapel Hill facility and eight affiliate clinics. The four-year curriculum builds in a 6-12 month dedicated research block with faculty preceptors spanning treatment planning, molecular radiation/cancer biology, nanotechnology, immunotherapy, and healthcare engineering, and offers a Holman Research Pathway for residents with demonstrated research productivity plus the option of an MPH through UNC Gillings. The department is a recognized leader in computer-aided treatment planning and human-factors/patient-safety research, with a small, tight-knit complement of eight residents (two per year) training alongside co-located medical physics, dosimetry, and radiation therapy trainees and full brachytherapy/SRS/IORT procedural exposure. The program values residents oriented toward multidisciplinary academic oncology, comfortable with an integrated research culture and progressive procedural autonomy in a high-volume, complex-case tertiary environment.