ASTRO bolsters its quality improvement team with two promotions
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) strengthened its commitment to improving clinical quality in radiation therapy with two recent promotions in its clinical affairs decision. Angela Kennedy has been named director of quality improvement, and Samantha Dawes has been promoted to assistant director of quality improvement.
As the association’s quality improvement director, Kennedy will spearhead multiple efforts focused on patient safety and clinical quality and provide strategic leadership for initiating, developing, managing and evaluating the organization’s quality improvement programs and initiatives. She will oversee various programs under the umbrella of ASTRO’s Target Safely initiative, including the recently-launched APEx®, the Accreditation Program for Excellence, and RO-ILS®, the Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System, as well as developing clinical quality measures for radiation oncology. Kennedy joined ASTRO in July 2013 as senior manager of coverage and practice management, became a senior manager of practice accreditation in 2014, and was then promoted to assistant director of quality improvement.
Prior to joining ASTRO, Kennedy managed health information and policy projects for multiple federal programs within the Department of Health and Human Services for Booz Allen Hamilton, developed and managed courses for the American College of Radiology Education Center, and led creation of the 3D medical imaging division at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Kennedy earned her master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in operations management from Loyola University, a bachelor of science in biological sciences degree with a concentration in genetics from the University California, Irvine, and a doctor of chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic West.
Dawes, in her role as assistant director of quality improvement for ASTRO, will continue her work with APEx® and take on the management of clinical guidelines, which help radiation oncology teams stay current on the most effective avenues to treat different types of cancer. Before joining ASTRO as its practice accreditation manager in July, Dawes gained experience as a clinician in four different continents, including nearly 10 years as a medical dosimetrist in the U.S. and U.K. and 15 years as a radiation therapist in the U.K., Saudi Arabia and Australia. Dawes previously worked for a number of hospitals and health centers, including Inova Alexandria Hospital, The London Clinic, Perth Radiation Oncology Centre in Australia, and King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dawes has earned a degree in applied science with an emphasis in therapeutic radiography from the University of Sydney, certification from the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board, and accreditation from the Australian Institute of Radiography.
“Angela and Samantha’s leadership on quality improvement efforts has helped helps to ensure cancer patients receive the best possible care from their radiation oncology teams,” said Laura Thevenot, chief executive officer of ASTRO. “I am thankful for their hard work and look forward to continued success in our accreditation and patient safety initiatives under their leadership.”
Liz Gardner
703-286-1600
liz.gardner@astro.org
ABOUT ASTRO
ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with nearly 11,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals that specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (www.redjournal.org), Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org) and Advances in Radiation Oncology (www.advancesradonc.org); developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers (www.rtanswers.org); and created the Radiation Oncology Institute (www.roinstitute.org), a nonprofit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.
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