Feasibility of an education-focused travel award for radiation oncology trainees

Abstract

Background Most travel grant opportunities available to radiation oncology trainees are for research, with selection criteria focused on the scientific merit of an abstract submitted by the applicant. Despite increasing interest in trainees serving as educators, there are few opportunities to encourage scientific meeting participation for those interested in education. In 2022, the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) launched a novel industry-supported travel grant for the ACRO Annual Meeting for trainees who successfully contributed new cases to the free online contouring reference eContour.org. Methods Applications for the grant were solicited via email, social media, the ACRO and eContour websites, and word of mouth. Applicants were required to complete a form with details for their proposed case for eContour, including disease site, stage, and literature that would be used to guide contouring recommendations. Selection criteria included the novelty of the proposed case, the strength of the available evidence base, case feasibility, and credentials of the identified mentor. Each aspect of this rubric was rated on a 1-5 scale by two reviewers independently to generate preliminary scores. Final rankings were then determined by consensus of the entire review committee. Recipients were awarded $500 for travel expenses supported by an industry partner and complimentary registration courtesy of ACRO ($100 value). Recipients were instructed to upload their educational cases to eContour where they were peer-reviewed prior to publication. Results A total of 24 submissions were received from 16 institutions in the United States and Canada. Applicants primarily learned about the award via word of mouth from colleagues/mentors (n=6, 25%), twitter (n=5, 21%), email (n=5, 21%), and a banner on the eContour website (n=4, 17%). The median training level of submitters was PGY-3 (range MS-4 to PGY-5). Disease sites with multiple case proposals included gynecologic cancer (n=7, including 5 vulvar cancer), CNS/pediatrics (n=4), lymphoma (n=2) and prostate (n=2). 10 grants were awarded, resulting in successful initial submission of 10 new cases. Four cases were finalized and uploaded to the eContour website coinciding with the ACRO interactive contouring session on March 10, 2022. The remaining cases are in final stages of quality assurance prior to publication. Almost all recipients (n=9, 90%) were able to attend the ACRO annual meeting. Discussion Education-focused travel grants are feasible and generated significant interest from a diverse cohort of radiation oncology trainees. Recipients successfully generated novel educational content and attended a national radiation oncology meeting. Most travel grant opportunities available to radiation oncology trainees are for research, with selection criteria focused on the scientific merit of an abstract submitted by the applicant. Despite increasing interest in trainees serving as educators, there are few opportunities to encourage scientific meeting participation for those interested in education. In 2022, the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) launched a novel industry-supported travel grant for the ACRO Annual Meeting for trainees who successfully contributed new cases to the free online contouring reference eContour.org. Applications for the grant were solicited via email, social media, the ACRO and eContour websites, and word of mouth. Applicants were required to complete a form with details for their proposed case for eContour, including disease site, stage, and literature that would be used to guide contouring recommendations. Selection criteria included the novelty of the proposed case, the strength of the available evidence base, case feasibility, and credentials of the identified mentor. Each aspect of this rubric was rated on a 1-5 scale by two reviewers independently to generate preliminary scores. Final rankings were then determined by consensus of the entire review committee. Recipients were awarded $500 for travel expenses supported by an industry partner and complimentary registration courtesy of ACRO ($100 value). Recipients were instructed to upload their educational cases to eContour where they were peer-reviewed prior to publication. A total of 24 submissions were received from 16 institutions in the United States and Canada. Applicants primarily learned about the award via word of mouth from colleagues/mentors (n=6, 25%), twitter (n=5, 21%), email (n=5, 21%), and a banner on the eContour website (n=4, 17%). The median training level of submitters was PGY-3 (range MS-4 to PGY-5). Disease sites with multiple case proposals included gynecologic cancer (n=7, including 5 vulvar cancer), CNS/pediatrics (n=4), lymphoma (n=2) and prostate (n=2). 10 grants were awarded, resulting in successful initial submission of 10 new cases. Four cases were finalized and uploaded to the eContour website coinciding with the ACRO interactive contouring session on March 10, 2022. The remaining cases are in final stages of quality assurance prior to publication. Almost all recipients (n=9, 90%) were able to attend the ACRO annual meeting. Education-focused travel grants are feasible and generated significant interest from a diverse cohort of radiation oncology trainees. Recipients successfully generated novel educational content and attended a national radiation oncology meeting.