Secretarial staff: The friendly personnel in the Clinical Support area will greet you at the time of your first visit to the Cancer Center and each day when you return for treatment. Carolyne and Glenda are always ready with a pleasant smile and a quick quip to brighten your day. They will be available to assist in arranging consultation with the social service and financial aid personnel if needed. The secretarial staff are specially trained to assist patients with the registration process in the Cancer Center and in triaging their needs when they come in for daily treatment. The secretaries can assist the patients in obtaining treatment documentation that might be needed for insurance purposes.

Department director: Tom is the department director and is also a registered radiation therapist. He manages all areas of the department operation. In addition he will help you with any billing questions you may have.

Our nurses: Denise, Mary and Sharon are our radiation oncology nurses, Mary and Denise are ONS certified.

Nurses that are specially certified in oncology are found throughout the oncology program of Union Hospital. This is also true in radiation therapy. The radiation oncology nurses have been specially trained in the care of patients with cancer who are also receiving radiation therapy. They meet with all of the patients receiving radiotherapy to discuss the patients' treatment course and review with them all of the potential side effects of the treatment. They are available to assist patients during their treatment course in the elimination of any side effects that might occur and are available to patients following treatment to assist with any problems that arise.

Our physicists: Gary and Michele are our radiation oncology physicists. Both are board certified in radiation oncology physics by the American Board of Radiology. Gary is also certified by the American Board of Medical Physics.

Medical physicists have overall responsibility for the technical aspects of your treatment. They consult with the radiation oncologist regarding the prescription of your treatment and supervise the computerized planning of all radiation treatments. They work with other members of the treatment team to make certain your treatment is "what the doctor ordered." Medical physicists oversee the weekly review of patient charts to ensure the treatments are progressing as prescribed by the physician and that the appropriate doses are being delivered.

Medical physicists are responsible for careful testing and measuring of the radiation from the treatment machines and radioactive sources before they are used for treatment. They oversee the routine testing and QA of the radioactive sources, treatment machines and treatment planning computers. Radiation therapy physicists are specially trained in the medical uses of radiation. The radiation physicists are responsible for the proper functioning of the radiation equipment and ensuring that the radiation delivered by the linear accelerators is appropriately calibrated. The physicists also oversee the safe functioning of the equipment in the Radiation Oncology Department. Radiation oncology physicists are assisted in their work by medical dosimetrists. The physicists and dosimetrists work with the radiation oncologists to develop computer plans for the treatment of tumors in various body locations. The dosimetrists and physicists calculate the dosage of radiation to be given based upon the oncologist's prescription. Every patient's chart is reviewed at least once per week by the physics staff to be sure that the appropriate dose of radiation is being delivered. The radiation oncology physicists also assist in the development of plans for brachytherapy. Special plans for implantation of seeds into the prostate and for administration of gynecologic implants are done by the physicists.

Our dosimetrists: Debbie and Russ are our medical dosimetrists. Both are cerified by the American Board of Medical Dosimetry.

Medical dosimetrists are members of the physics team who are thoroughly familiar with the physical and geometric characteristics of the radiation equipment and radioactive sources and have the training and expertise to calculate and generate dose distributions under the direction of the radiation therapy physicists and radiation oncologists. The medical dosimetrists assist the physicists in the routine checking of the patient's chart and associated calculations and measurements of the radiation beams and radioactive sources.

Our radiation therapists are Karen J., Sheila, Shelly, Karen M., Carol, Terri, Holli and Kelly. Radiation therapists are specially trained technologists who assist the radiation oncologists in the design of the patient's treatment fields and generally provide the daily administration of the radiation treatments as prescribed by the oncologists. All of the Hux Cancer Center radiation therapists are baccalaureate trained and certified by the American Society of Radiation Therapy. This is a national certifying body that tests the competence of radiation therapists and certifies that they have met the appropriate requirements for continuing education. All of the Hux Cancer Center radiation therapists participate in continuing education courses to maintain their skills

Our chaplain: Rev. Bill Bauer can frequently be seen visiting with patients in the department.

Rev. Bauer, who is a full-time chaplain, is specially trained in helping patients with acute and chronic illness deal with the emotional and spiritual dimensions of their illness. Rev. Bauer also provides grief support for the families of patients who have died from their illness.

Our dietician: The Hux Cancer Center Radiation Oncology Division is especially pleased to have a dietician available to assist patients during the course of treatment. Nutrition and proper diet is especially important for patients receiving radiation therapy. Angie will meet with every patient receiving radiation therapy and discuss proper diet with them and is available for special consultation with family members and patients if requested. Angie will be weighing each patient receiving treatment weekly to be sure that they are maintaining their weight.

Radiation oncologists: Dr. Scott Ackley and Dr. Robert Haerr are the radiation oncologists at the Hux Cancer Center. Both of the oncologists are board certified in radiation oncology. Additionally Dr. Haerr is certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology.

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