Research/Conferences

We have up to 12 months of elective time that can be used for research or additional clinical rotations (your pick!). You can take the time in 2 month blocks throughout PGY 3-5 years or as a continuous year. Holman Research Pathway candidates welcome!

Our research ranges from prospective investigator-initiated trials (started by residents and attendings alike!), to retrospective series, population database studies, and basic science collaborations with immunology and other departments. Our site-specific attendings are supportive in helping us develop our own research interests and connect us with our institutional review board or statistical support.

Residents have a generous annual stipend to attend ASTRO and/or any other national conference as long as you have a poster or oral presentation. We love to use this time to spend time to explore new cities with our co-residents, former graduates, friends, colleagues and faculty!

There are also several annual local conferences such as LARS (Los Angeles Radiological Society) and USC’s annual Breast Cancer Symposium that provide opportunity to learn from other experts in radiation oncology.

Peruse some of our most recent publications:

  1. Chau BL, LaGuardia JS, Kim S, Zhang SC, Pletcher E, Sanford NN, Raldow AC, Singer L, Gong J, Padda SK, Kamrava M, Cohen T, Mitra D, Atkins KM. Association of Parental Status and Gender With Burden of Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards Among Oncology Physicians. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Oct 2;6(10):e2340663. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.40663. PMID: 37906191; PMCID: PMC10618838.
  2. Chau B, Abuali T, Shirvani SM, Leung D, Al Feghali KA, Hui S, McGee H, Han C, Liu A, Amini A. Feasibility of Biology-guided Radiotherapy (BgRT) Targeting Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Avid Liver Metastases. Radiat Oncol.2024 Sep 18;19(1):124. doi:10.1186/s13014-024-02502-w. PMID: 39294733; PMCID: PMC11412044.
  3. Karnwal A, Chau B, Chang B, Tsotras MP, Yeo C, Olch AJ, Wong K. Nth Slice Eraser: An Automated Algorithm to Ease Editing Workflow of Organ Contours Generated by Artificial Intelligence. Cureus. 2024 Nov 13;16(11):e73640. doi:10.7759/cureus.73640. PMID: 39677271; PMCID: PMC11645465.
  4. Zhang H, Wong K, Olch A, Han HR, Chau B, Lukas L, Chang EL. Initial Experience of Spatially Fractionated Lattice Radiation Therapy for Palliative Treatment of Pediatric Bulky Tumors. Front Oncol. 2025;15:1648847. doi:10.3389/fonc.2025.1648847. (In press).
  5. Chau B, Chang EL, Garsa A. Modern Radiosurgery Approaches for Brain Metastases. Cancer J. 2025. (In press).
  6. Chau B, LaGuardia J, Hui C, et al. Narrative review of immunotherapy and radiation therapy in elderly patients. Transl Cancer Res. 2021;10(5):2620-2631. doi:10.21037/tcr-20-2637
  7. Hui C, Chau B, Gan G, Stokes W, Karam SD, Amini A. Overcoming Resistance to Immunotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer Using Radiation: A Review. Front Oncol. 2021;11:592319. Published 2021 Jul 1. doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.592319
  8. Chau B, Ituarte PH, Shinde A, et al. Disparate outcomes in nonsmall cell lung cancer by immigration status. Cancer Med. 2021;10(8):2660-2667. doi:10.1002/cam4.3848
  9. Schiff J, Park J, Badiyan S, Cai B, Park H, Amini A, Vitzthum L, McCall N, Chang E, Ye J. Biology-guided Radiotherapy: A New Frontier in PET-guided Radiation Oncology. Clin Nucl Med Open. 2025;2. doi:10.1097/nm9.0000000000000027.
  10. Park JJ, Qureshi MM, Lam CM, Faden DL, Truong MT. A national cancer database analysis on stereotactic body radiation therapy of head and neck cancers. Am J Otolaryngol. 2021;42(3):102913. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.102913
  11. Kang I, Park J, Yang C, et al. Radiation therapy in a ductal carcinoma in situ patient with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: a case report. Radiat Oncol J. 2025;43(4):214-219. doi:10.3857/roj.2025.00423
  12. Mohaghegh N, Ahari A, Zehtabi F, et al. Injectable hydrogels for personalized cancer immunotherapies. Acta Biomater. 2023;172:67-91. doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2023.10.002
  13. Schiff JP, Guevara B, Ahari A, Price AT, Henke LE. Adaptive radiotherapy for gastrointestinal malignancies. Radiat Oncol. 2025;20(1):173. Published 2025 Nov 20. doi:10.1186/s13014-025-02722-8
  14. Ganesh A, McQueen B, Tang B, Choi S, Woods K, Chang EL, Ye JC. A dosimetric analysis of lumbosacral plexopathy in spine stereotactic body radiotherapy. J Radiosurgery SBRT. 2026;0:1-10.
  15. Trivedi S, Lam K, Ganesh A, et al. Hepatic Encephalopathy after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation. Semin Intervent Radiol. 2023;40(1):9-14. Published 2023 May 4. doi:10.1055/s-0043-1764282
  16. Ganesh A, Korpics M, Pasquinelli M, Feldman L, Spiotto M, Koshy M. Increased Utilization of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy is Associated with Decreased Disparities and Improved Survival for Early-Stage NSCLC. Clin Lung Cancer. 2023;24(1):60-71. doi:10.1016/j.cllc.2022.09.006
  17. Ganesh A, Katipally R, Pasquinelli M, Feldman L, Spiotto M, Koshy M. Increased Disparities in Patients Diagnosed with Metastatic Lung Cancer Following Lung CT Screening in the United States. Clin Lung Cancer. 2022;23(2):151-158. doi:10.1016/j.cllc.2021.11.006
  18. Choi S, Dreyfuss I, Taswell CS, Cyriac J, Butkus M, Takita C. Proton Beam Therapy for Breast Cancer. Crit Rev Oncog. 2024;29(3):67-82. doi:10.1615/CritRevOncog.2023050319
  19. Desai A, Padilla C, Choi S, et al. Comparative Outcomes of Proton versus Photon Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy in Prepectoral Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2025;156(6):853-862. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000012232
  20. Choi S, Borowsky PA, Rojas KE. ASO Author Reflections: The Great MRI Debate-For Some But Not For All. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024;31(5):3194-3195. doi:10.1245/s10434-024-15027-z
  21. Choi S, Borowsky PA, Morgan O, et al. A Multi-institutional Analysis of Factors Influencing the Rate of Positive MRI Biopsy Among Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024;31(5):3141-3153. doi:10.1245/s10434-024-14954-1
  22. Choi S, Cassidy D, Castillo P, Mellon EA, Calfa C. Cerebrospinal Fluid Testing in Leptomeningeal Progression of HER2-Negative Breast Cancer Reveals HER2 Positivity, Leading to HER2-Targeted Therapy: A Case Report. Cureus. 2024;16(3):e55483. Published 2024 Mar 4. doi:10.7759/cureus.55483
  23. Borowsky PA, Choi S, Moore JF, et al. The Association of Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) With Surgical Management in Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer. J Surg Res. 2022;280:114-122. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2022.06.066
  24. Jalfon MJ, Sakhalkar OV, Lokeshwar SD, et al. Local therapeutics for the treatment of oligo metastatic prostate cancer. Curr Urol Rep. 2023;24(10):455-461. doi:10.1007/s11934-023-01173-6
  25. Mehra M, Brody PA, Kollapaneni SS, Sakhalkar O, Rahimi S. Evaluating the quality, readability, and activity of online information on brain arteriovenous malformations. Cureus. 2023;15(9):e45984. doi:10.7759/cureus.45984
  26. Beatty C, Sakhalkar OV, Byrd JK, Grubb WR. Human papillomavirus related multiphenotypic sinonasal carcinoma: report of a case with metastatic disease to the brain. Oral Oncol. 2025;167:107441. doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2025.107441
  27. Ullah A, Yasinzai AQK, Sakhalkar OV, et al. Demographic patterns and clinicopathological analysis of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma in US population. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2024;22(1):38-46. doi:10.1016/j.clgc.2023.07.010
  28. Smart AC, Giobbie-Hurder A, Desai V, et al. Multicenter Evaluation of Radiation and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Mucosal Melanoma and Review of Recent Literature. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2023;9(1):101310. Published 2023 Jul 9. doi:10.1016/j.adro.2023.101310
  29. Gasho JO, Desai V, Lozano-Calderón S, et al. Osteosarcoma of the mobile spine: a single-institution experience of 32 patients. Spine J. 2025;25(11):2527-2535. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2025.03.017