Newswise — The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology is pleased to announce its 2008 class of ASTRO Fellows. These 30 distinguished members will receive their awards at a special ceremony during the 50th Annual Meeting to be held September 21-25, 2008, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston.

"I am pleased to honor these individuals who have dedicated their careers to radiation oncology, ASTRO, and the men and women battling cancer that we serve every day," said Patricia Eifel, M.D., FASTRO, ASTRO president and a professor of radiation oncology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "In its third year, this class of ASTRO Fellows is an impressive group of some of the brightest in our field; it is a pleasure to recognize them for their outstanding achievements."

Members of ASTRO are eligible to become a Fellow if they have been part of the Society for at least 20 years, served in a leadership role for the organization and have made a significant contribution to the field of radiation oncology. The primary pathways to becoming a Fellow are excellence in research, patient care, education and leadership/service. The Society values contributions to all four areas; however, each nominee needed to have a truly outstanding contribution to at least one of the pathways to be named a Fellow.

The nominations were reviewed by a nine-member Fellows Selection Committee who made recommendations to the ASTRO Board of Directors to make the final decision.

Below is the list of the 2008 ASTRO Fellows:John M. Bedwinek, M.D., Missouri Cancer Care, Wentzville, Mo. Chu Huai Chang, M.D., Tenafly, N.J. Donald S. Childs Jr., M.D., Rochester, Minn. Florence H. C. Chu, M.D., New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center, New York Joseph P. Concannon, M.D., East Falmouth, Mass.Louis S. Constine, M.D., University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.Laurie E. Gaspar, M.D., M.B.A., University of Colorado Health Science Center, Aurora, Colo.Shankar P. Giri, M.D., Michael DeBakey V.A. Medical Center, Houston Ruth J. Guttmann, M.D., Southampton, N.Y. Bruce G. Haffty, M.D., UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, N.J. Louis B. Harrison, M.D., Beth Israel Medical Center, New YorkJoseph S. Kong, M.D., Beaumont, Texas Mary K. Martel, Ph.D., M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston John L. Meyer, M.D. St. Francis Memorial Hospital, San FranciscoLowell S. Miller, M.D., Nada, Texas Donn G. Mosser, M.D., MinneapolisWalter T. Murphy, M.D., Lake Park, Fla. Dattatreyudu Nori, M.D., New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center, New YorkJames R. Oleson, M.D., Ph.D., Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.Ajmel A. Puthawala, M.D., Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Long Beach, Calif.Abram Recht, M.D., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, BostonRobert Robbins, M.D., Redding, Calif. Robert H. Sagerman, M.D., SUNY Upstate Medical University, Fayetteville, N.Y. Paul W. Scanlon, M.D., Marco Island, Fla. Brenda Shank, M.D., Ph.D., J.C. Robinson, M.D. Regional Cancer Center, San Pablo, Calif. Edward G. Shaw, M.D., Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C. Lawrence J. Solin, M.D., Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia Orliss Wildermuth, M.D., Seattle Albert L. Wiley Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Salter Path, N.C. Steven R. Zeidner, M.D., Toledo Radiation Oncology, Toledo, Ohio

For more information on ASTRO's 50th Annual Meeting, visit www.astro.org. To learn more about radiation therapy treatments, visit www.rtanswers.org.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 9,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy.