telehealth brigades
Creating sustainable solutions to address the world's growing burden of cancer
Educational Sessions
Format
RCC runs telehealth educational sessions which each focus on a unique radiation oncology treatment technique. We recruit experts in the field to create a longitudinal curriculum consisting of several sessions, and recruit regional cancer centers in LMICs to participate in the training. The curriculum not only trains clinics to practice excellence in new radiotherapy treatment techniques, but also empowers them to become local regional training centers. The sessions run once or twice a week through live Zoom® video conferences. At each session, the educator shares a presentation on the specific weekly topic, allowing for the participating centers to ask questions and clarify concepts. This is a unique opportunity for educators to help address the global knowledge gaps that exist in radiation oncology techniques, with the opportunity for onsite training at the regional cancer centers after the completion of the curriculum. There is also a session moderator and session host on each call, the duties for which are detailed below. See our full HDR-Brachytherapy and SBRT/SRS curriculum here!
Session Moderator
The session moderator is fundamental to create not just a webinar, but an engaging virtual classroom. The responsibilities for the moderator include encouraging written questions from the participating clinics, as well as facilitating pauses during the educator's presentation for clarification and to field questions. They also engage the audience by sending personal messages through the Zoom chat, which makes centers feel like they are active participants. The moderator can participate in 1 or more sessions during the curriculum, as the schedule is available in advance. They are usually experienced individuals in the radiation oncology field, such as a resident, medical physicist, or oncologist. Below is a graphic entailing the duties of a session moderator:
Session Host
The session host is fundamental for the session to run smoothly. The responsibilities for the host include logging onto Zoom fifteen minutes prior to the start of the session to start the call, recording each session and uploading the recording to YouTube to create a playlist for each curriculum. They also take attendance on each call to regularly update on the curriculum's spreadsheet, and mute noisy microphones throughout the session to create a lecture-style environment. The host is usually a pre-medical or medical student interested in learning more about radiation oncology, who volunteers their time with RCC.
Course Director
The course director is an advanced role with substantial responsibilities to ensure the highest quality education and training experience is provided. For inquiries regarding this position, please contact us.
Faculty Mentor
A Faculty Mentor is someone with radiation oncology knowledge to support medical students and residents involved in running training programs. The Faculty Mentor may help with feedback on a curriculum outline, identifying additional educators to help, and guidance for research publications.