Honoring Excellence: 2026 Speed of Light and ARRO Publication Award Winners

Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation and the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) are proud to celebrate four exceptional early career investigators who are helping advance discovery in radiation oncology and powerfully transform outcomes for patients. Through their award-winning manuscripts, they are driving innovation in cancer treatment and helping to ensure that every person has access to the best radiation therapy to live a longer, healthier life. Join Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation in recognizing these emerging leaders in radiation oncology during the Research Honors presentation at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, September 28, before the keynote address at the ASTRO Annual Meeting in Boston.

Speed of Light Publication Excellence Award Winners

Jalal Ahmed, MD, PhD, is senior author of “Tumor irradiation promotes antigen dressing of dendritic cells to enhance CAR T cell persistence and efficacy in lung metastases” published online in Nature Cancer on May 22, 2026. Using syngeneic models of extensive lung metastases, Dr. Ahmed and his colleagues showed that adding radiation to CAR T cell therapy increased the number of CAR T cells within the tumor but not in nearby normal lung tissue leading to robust control of the tumor without increased toxicity. This important research provides a mechanistic rationale and practical framework for harnessing radiotherapy to overcome key limitations of CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors. Dr. Ahmed is Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and leads a laboratory in the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Zihang Chen, MD, is first author of “Harnessing deep learning to optimize induction chemotherapy choices in nasopharyngeal carcinoma” published in the October 2025 issue of Radiotherapy and Oncology. Dr. Chen and her colleagues developed and validated deep learning–based models that integrate pretreatment MRI and clinical information to identify patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who are more likely to respond to specific induction chemotherapy regimens delivered before definitive chemoradiotherapy. The model has the potential to improve the sequencing and personalization of treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which could improve response rates, strengthen the effectiveness of subsequent chemoradiotherapy, and ultimately contribute to improved survival and quality of life. Dr. Chen is a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. 

Kara Ruicci, MD, PhD, is first author of “The role of stereotactic body radiotherapy in oligoprogressive prostate cancer: A site-specific analysis of the prospective, phase II RADIANT trial” published in the September 2025 issue of Radiotherapy and Oncology. In this study, Dr. Ruicci and her colleagues demonstrated that more than half of patients who received SBRT for oligoprogressive prostate cancer remained on their existing systemic therapy one year after SBRT delivery and had a high local control rate, low toxicity, and stable quality of life. This work provides supportive prospective evidence for expanding the role of ablative radiation therapy as a tool for prolonging systemic therapy lines, with potential to impact the overall disease trajectory of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Dr. Ruicci is a PGY-5 Resident in Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto in Canada, studying at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the Odette Cancer Centre (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre).

ARRO Healthcare Access Publication Award Winner

John Butler, MD, PhD, is first author of “Everything the light touches: Radiation oncology access and availability in the state of Oregon” published online in Journal of Clinical Oncology: Global Oncology on April 29, 2026. This study represents the first statewide geospatial characterization of radiation oncology access across Oregon, addressing fundamental questions regarding the total number of radiation oncology centers, their individual capabilities, the size of the populations they serve, and the regions that need additional resources. Dr. Butler and his colleagues intentionally designed this project as a scalable framework, and similar studies are now underway with collaborators from Oregon Health & Science University, University of Washington and Dartmouth to complete Washington, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont with a goal to eventually expand to a national database. Dr. Butler is a PGY-5 Resident in the Department of Radiation Medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

In addition to being honored during the 2026 ASTRO Annual Meeting, all of this year’s publication award winners will receive a $1,500 cash award. Congratulations to these brilliant early career investigators on their recent research achievements!