ASRT Foundation awards $50K to Mount Sinai researchers

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists Foundation has awarded $50,000 in research funding to 2 investigative groups at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Each group received a $25,000 traditional research grant, according to the foundation. The grants will support projects tied to inpatient radiation therapy and advanced practice radiation therapist training.

One project is titled “A Prospective Observational Survey Study Exploring Inpatients Receiving Radiation Therapy at a Single Academic Medical Institution.” Clodagh Starrs, MSc, PgC, a therapeutic radiographer, is the principal investigator.

Co-investigators on the inpatient radiation therapy study are Maria Dimopoulos, PhD, R.T.(T), Alex Ashley, BPS, R.T.(R)(T), Samantha Skubish, MS, R.T.(R)(T), Katherine Lynch, BS, R.T.(T), and Danielle McDonagh, DHSc, R.T.(T).

The second funded project is titled “Developing a Skills Acquisition Framework for Advanced Practice Radiation Therapists.” Dimopoulos is the principal investigator, with Starrs and Melanie Clarkson, MSc, PgCE, PFHEA, serving as co-investigators.

The awards highlight the foundation’s support for research led by radiologic science and radiation therapy professionals, rather than only physician-led academic studies. That distinction matters because radiation therapy care depends heavily on clinical workflow, technical expertise, patient interaction, and role development across the treatment team.

Starrs is an advanced practice radiation therapist at Mount Sinai Hospital with more than 20 years of clinical and leadership experience in radiation oncology. The ASRT Foundation said she is nationally recognized for work advancing the advanced practice radiation therapist role in the U.S. and contributes to international committees focused on APRT practice.

Dimopoulos is an assistant professor in radiation oncology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She leads radiation therapy and medical dosimetry programs and supports clinical staff in professional development and research, according to the foundation.

Her broader professional roles include supporting the ASRT Advanced Practice Radiation Therapy think tank, serving as a delegate for the ASRT Radiation Therapy Chapter, and leading the ASRT Foundation Research Grants and Advisory Panel.

The ASRT Foundation’s traditional research grant provides up to $25,000 per project. The program supports experienced researchers working on projects related to quality and safe patient care, the foundation said.

For radiation oncology departments, the funded projects point to 2 practical areas of interest: understanding the experience of inpatients receiving radiation therapy and defining how advanced practice radiation therapists acquire and demonstrate skills. Both topics sit close to daily clinical operations, where staffing models, patient complexity, and treatment coordination can affect care delivery.

The foundation said its mission is to support and empower medical imaging and radiation therapy students and professionals to positively affect patients.