- Hosted in collaboration with the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the program is designed to enhance clinical understanding around treatment planning and delivery of radiotherapy in veterinary medicine

- Reflects Varian's focus on advancing patient-centric solutions, and enhancing awareness of and access to the latest innovations in veterinary-specific cancer care

PALO ALTO, Calif. and URBANA, Ill. - August 10, 2022 - Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company, and the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital will collaborate to offer a two-day clinical educational program in veterinary radiation oncology, building on Varian's commitment to expanding access to cancer care. As radiation therapy has increasingly become a common form of cancer treatment in veterinary medicine, Varian has worked to develop and deliver innovative solutions for clinical partners to help them treat veterinary patients around the world.

The inaugural clinical "school," which will be hosted by Varian Veterinary Oncology, will take place from August 12 - 13, 2022. The curriculum for the clinical "school" is custom designed for the veterinary radiation oncology team, with a focus on clinical workflows, clinical implementation, treatment planning, and treatment delivery. Participants will receive didactic instruction on radiotherapy and related topics and will engage in hands-on workshops to experience course content in action.

"This program is the first of its kind in Varian's history and reflects our commitment to advancing patient-centric solutions," said Eric Stewart, Global Managing Director, Veterinary Oncology, at Varian. "As veterinary oncology continues to evolve and expand, it is critical that we also enhance awareness of and access to the latest innovations in veterinary-specific cancer care technologies and treatment methods."

The courses will include instruction from guest speakers Dr. Michael Kent, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology) DACVR (Radiation Oncology) from UC Davis and Dr. Jessica Lawrence, DACVIM (Oncology), DACVR (Radiation Oncology) from the University of Minnesota. Participants, including Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVMs), Radiation Therapy Technologists (RTTs), Medical Physicists, and Certified Veterinary Technicians (CVTs), will explore potential real-world scenarios involving positioning, verification, and linear accelerator operation, as well as examine why and how radiation is delivered to animals.

"We are excited to collaborate with Varian on this unique clinical school," said Kim A. Selting, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology), DACVR (Radiation Oncology), University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. "Our team is dedicated to teaching veterinary radiation oncology teams all over the world about patient care, specialist training, and translational research, and we're eager to build on these educational efforts and share our combined expertise."

About the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital

The University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital is a 265,000-sq.-ft. facility that provides routine and specialty care for more than 25,000 animal patients each year. As part of ongoing hospital expansion to accommodate growth, a new wing was added in 2019 for a Varian TrueBeam® linear accelerator. The radiation team, which serves between 150 and 200 patients a year, is part of a robust and active integrated oncology service that is known as a leader in patient care, specialist training, and translational research. Unique capabilities offered by the radiation team at Illinois include stereotactic radiation therapy, adjustable dose-rate, respiratory tracking for gated radiation therapy, and a wide array of electron energies. To learn more about veterinary cancer care services at the University of Illinois, visit: https://go.vetmed.illinois.edu/oncology

About Varian Veterinary Oncology

At Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company, we envision a world without fear of cancer. For more than 70 years, we have developed, built, and delivered innovative cancer care technologies and solutions for our clinical partners around the globe to help them treat millions of patients each year - including veterinary patients. Radiation therapy has increasingly become a common form of cancer treatment in veterinary medicine. Our products not only encompass our leading radiation therapy technology, but also incorporate software and services designed to alleviate the administrative and time burden of treatment planning. Our goal is to help veterinary oncologists spend less time planning and more time focused on what matters most: their patients. For more information on Varian, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter, and to learn more about Varian Veterinary Oncology, visit https://www.varian.com/products/veterinary-oncology.

Press Contacts

Katie Villany
Corporate Communications, Varian
[email protected]

Christine A. Beuoy
Director of Communications and Marketing, University of Illinois
[email protected]

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.