July 2025
Greetings on behalf of the KASTRO organizing committee!
We’ve had tremendous growth within KASTRO this year and are excited about new developments and achievements of our organization. We are grateful for your continued support and membership.
Our annual 2024 KASTRO meeting in Washington, DC at Saint Yves was a spectacular time with 47 in attendance and a buffet of delicious Korean food, no less! This was preceded by the 2nd annual KASTRO Dynamic Wedge golf tournament at the Army Navy Country Club. While we had a lower number of players than the year prior (and not the most ideal weather), a great time was had by all!
This year, we are excited to share that our proposal for a joint symposium with KOSRO was accepted at the ASTRO 2025 annual meeting thanks to the tireless efforts of our Scientific Chair Dr. Henry Park and the KOSRO Scientific Chair Dr. Jun Won Kim. The session will be held on Tuesday, September 30th at 8am and will be on the topic of radiation treatments for non-malignant diseases. We encourage a strong turnout and participation so that we can continue to share knowledge between our two organizations and with the larger community.
Our leadership team is working hard to bring value to your KASTRO membership with more opportunities for scholarship, travel and mentorship. We want to welcome our new officers this year including Early Career/Education Dr. Patrick Oh, International Relations Dr. Hye Ri Han and Dr. Yong Cha as well as our new Resident Representatives Drs. Jino Park and Justin Park. Our relationship with KOSRO is growing stronger every year and we anticipate there will be more cross-attendance at one another’s meetings. Your dues support the costs of our annual meeting, website maintenance, golf tournament and the research awards. If you are interested in volunteering at future meetings and events, please do not hesitate to reach out to us!
Please pay your dues and support KASTRO through donations: https://www.koreanastro.org/membership
We look forward to meeting all of you at the 2025 KASTRO meeting in San Francisco!
Best,
Yong Cha, MD
KASTRO President
Newsletter Contents
● KASTRO 2024 Annual Meeting Recap
● KOSRO 2024 Annual Meeting Recap
● KOSRO 2025 Spring Meeting Recap
● 2nd Annual Dynamic Wedge Golf Tournament Recap
● KASTRO 2025 Annual Meeting Registration
● KASTRO/KOSRO 2025 Joint Session
● Nominations for the KASTRO Lifetime Achievement Award [OPEN NOW]
● 3rd Annual Dynamic Wedge Golf Tournament Registration [OPEN NOW]
● Membership Dues
● Connect with us
● ASTRO 2025 Annual Meeting Brochure
● Merchandise
● Mentorship
● New Members and Current Member News
● Job Opportunities
● KASTRO Leadership 2025 & Changes
KASTRO 2024 Annual Meeting Recap
The 2024 KASTRO Annual Meeting was held on Tuesday, September 30th at Saint Yves in Washington, DC. We had welcome remarks from KASTRO President Dr. Yong Cha and KOSRO President Dr. Hee Chul Park, followed by a Varian sponsored session presented by Dr. Pat Kupelian. A great time was had by all at the after party held at the same venue.
Congratulations to the 2024 KOSRO/KASTRO Research Award winners, Dr. Ariel Choi (Wake Forest), Dr. Aaron Seo (MD Anderson) and Dr. Hyeok Choi (Yonsei Cancer Center). We are proud of the work you do as trainees and future leaders in our field! Dr Aaron Seo’s winning abstract was titled “Exploratory Analysis of Plasma Protein Abundance Kinetics from I-SABR, a Randomized Phase II Trial of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy with or without Nivolumab in Stage I-IIA or Recurrent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer,” and Dr Hyeok Choi’s was “Experience of Simultaneous Rectal Hydrogel Spacer Insertion during Low Dose Rate Brachytherapy for Prostate Adenocarcinoma.”
KOSRO 2024 Annual Meeting Recap
We had several members attend the KOSRO 2024 Annual Meeting that was held October 11, 2024 at the Kim Koo Museum & Library in Seoul, Korea. Our very own Dr. Ellen Kim gave a presentation on “Beyond AI: How Clinical Informatics Can Transform Radiation Oncology.” Research Award winner Dr. Ariel Choi presented “External Validation of Oligometastatic Genomic Signature in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.” Dr. Yong Cha represented KASTRO at the meeting as well.
The next KOSRO Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, October 17th, 2025, at the Seoul Dragon City Hotel in the Yongsan District of Seoul, Korea. If you are interested in attending, please contact Dr. Yong Cha at yong.cha@nortonhealthcare.org.
KOSRO 2025 Spring Meeting Recap
In the same theme of forging strong relationships with our Korean brethren, we had the largest KASTRO representation to date at the KOSRO-TASTRO spring meeting held on May 9th, 2025, in Busan. Drs. Yong Cha, Nathan Kim, Warren Suh and Robert Kwon were in attendance and Dr. Anna Lee gave a talk on “Brachytherapy for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer” while Dr. Albert Chang moderated the brachytherapy session. The group met with Seoul National University faculty, Dr. Hee Chul Park, and radiation oncologists from Taiwan for chicken and beer afterwards. A great time was had by all!
2nd Annual Dynamic Wedge Golf Tournament Recap
KASTRO held the 2nd Dynamic Wedge Golf Tournament at the Army Navy Country Club. The winning team included Dr. Shaan Kataria, Dr. Lawrence Lee, Dr. Christopher Mack and Dr. Bobby Hong.
Thank you to all the participants and we look forward to having them back this year for the 3rd Dynamic Wedge Golf Tournament. Please contact Dr. Yong Cha with any questions at yong.cha@nortonhealthcare.org.
KASTRO 2025 Annual Meeting Registration
Save the date for the next KASTRO annual meeting to be held on Tuesday, September 30th at 6pm at a location TBD. At the meeting, we will announce the winners of our annual abstract research award competition and allow them the opportunity to present the novel research being performed by our young members. We will also provide updates on new initiatives being undertaken and other new developments. Please make sure that your Membership is up to date (https://www.koreanastro.org/membership). We hope to see all of you there!
RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIol7GZPboQKi6ww7qPiLL7j2brKVD_qB-jnWuBrOaGNIkEQ/viewform?usp=dialog
KASTRO/KOSRO 2025 Joint Session
This year, we are excited to share that KASTRO’s proposal for a joint educational symposium with KOSRO was accepted at the ASTRO 2025 annual meeting thanks to the tireless efforts of our Scientific Chair Dr. Henry Park and the KOSRO Scientific Chair Dr. Jun Won Kim. The session will be held on Tuesday, September 30th at 8-9 am in Room 314 and will be on the topic of “Radiation Therapy for Nonmalignant Disease: Transcontinental Perspectives on Newer Indications from Korea and the United States.” We encourage a strong turnout and participation so that we can continue to share knowledge between our two organizations and with the larger community.
8am Introductions
Speaker: Stella Yoo, MD- LA General Medical Center, Los Angeles
8am KASTRO/KOSRO Joint Session: Radiation Therapy for Nonmalignant Disease: Transcontinental Perspectives on Newer Indications from Korea and the United States
Speaker: Stella Yoo, MD- LA General Medical Center, Los Angeles
8:02am Low-dose Irradiation for Neurodegenerative Disease
Speaker: Weon Kuu Chung, MD, PhD- Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gandong, Seoul
8:17am Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis
Speaker: James Yu, MD, FASTRO, MHS- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon
8:32am Cardiac Radioablation for Ventricular Tachycardia
Speaker: Ji Hyun Chang, MD, PhD- Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul
8:47am Questions & Answers
Speaker: Stella Yoo, MD- LA General Medical Center, Los Angeles
Nominations for the KASTRO Lifetime Achievement Award [OPEN NOW]
We would like to invite submissions of nominations for the KASTRO Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes lifetime achievement and lasting contributions to KASTRO and to the Korean oncology community. The awardee will be notified prior to the meeting. Presentation of the award will take place at the KASTRO Annual Meeting on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 in San Francisco, CA and will include a plaque and $1000 toward travel expenses.
Nominations are accepted from all active KASTRO members (link to pay dues here: https://www.koreanastro.org/membership). More than one nomination per nominator allowed. All nominations will be reviewed by the KASTRO executive board and officers.
Dr. Chul Ha received the inaugural award 2 years ago. We are forever grateful to Dr. Ha and he still remains passionately involved and available to the organization.
Nomination form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrAU0xU4E_bHgeIOElcVWeyUrMy25HS_KePELC3r05sDLstA/viewform
3nd Annual Dynamic Wedge Golf Tournament Registration [OPEN NOW]
As you may already know, KASTRO has a long history (https://www.koreanastro.org/news/kastro-meeting-1997) of getting together to play golf at ASTRO meetings. This year, we are excited to announce the 3rd Annual Dynamic Wedge Golf Tournament is now open for registration! The $240 registration fee includes 18 holes at Presidio Golf course and includes cart fees and prizes – register by 8/1/2025 for a discounted rate of $200! Club rentals will be available. Limited spots available for purchase online (https://www.koreanastro.org/golf-tournament-2025).
Membership Dues
We would like to invite you to pay your annual KASTRO membership 2025 dues of $150 before ASTRO begins ($175 after the KASTRO Annual Meeting begins).
Your membership dues will help support the KASTRO program and KASTRO Research Awards. We can all fondly remember our days as radiation oncology residents, and this is an important way for each of us to continue to foster our relationship with the next generation. KASTRO does not charge radiation oncology residents a membership fee due to the generosity of its members.
Over the years, KASTRO has been an excellent organization in providing scholarships to deserving U.S. and Korean residents, mentorship of residents and young attending physicians, and fostering fellowship among the Korean radiation oncology community. It is a unique organization that has served its members well. We look forward to making this organization grow and continuing to meet the needs of its members.
You can pay your dues online (https://www.koreanastro.org/membership). You could also bring a check for the annual dues to the KASTRO dinner. If you need to mail a check, need a receipt for tax purposes, or have any other questions regarding dues payments, please email Dr Stella Yoo at stellakimyoo@gmail.com.
Membership Dues
Residents, fellows, medical students: Free
Member: $150 (tax deductible) prior to the beginning of the 2025 KASTRO Annual Meeting; $175 after September 27, 2025.
Board Member and Leadership team (excluding residents): $200 (tax deductible)
Donations: flexible (tax deductible)
https://www.koreanastro.org/membership
If you would like to receive a small gift from KASTRO, please provide our mailing address when you pay your dues.
Connect with us
@KoreanASTRO is on X/Twitter. Follow us and we can follow you back and help to amplify the voices of KASTRO members! https://twitter.com/KoreanASTRO
We’re also still on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/koreanastro
ASTRO 2025 Annual Meeting Brochure
Similar to many departments, we will develop a brochure of all presentations, posters, panels, educational and scientific sessions as well as ASTRO related award recipients for KASTRO members. If you are presenting or moderating at this year’s ASTRO, please send the information below to Dr Patrick Oh at patrick.oh@yale.edu. This will allow us to promote it on our Twitter/X account and encourage one another to attend your talk.
If you are presenting at this year’s ASTRO conferences, please send the information below:
Date:
Time:
Location:
Session Type:
Title/Topic:
Presenter:
List of Author’s (Full Names – Including Degrees):
If you are the recipient of any ASTRO related award or achievement, please send the following information:
Name of Award/Achievement:
Brief Description:
Term (If applicable):
Merchandise
Guess what? We have merch! Thanks to Dr. Hye Ri Han for working with a vendor and developing our offerings. We look forward to seeing folks proudly displaying their KASTRO merch this year!
Purchase shirts, hats, fleeces, bags, and other items with the KASTRO logo here: https://www.allensuniforms.com/hospitals/index.php/clubs-teams-corporate-other/kastro.html. If you don’t meet the free shipping minimum, select “Allens Group Delivery” and you can pick it up at the KASTRO dinner in San Francisco.
Mentorship
Are you interested in being a mentee or a mentor? Please email Dr Hye Ri Han at hyeri.han@med.usc.edu so we can connect you.
New Members and Current Member News
Please continue to tell your colleagues and trainees about KASTRO and our upcoming Annual Meeting! If you have graduated or moved to a new job, please submit an update using the registration form here: https://www.koreanastro.org/membership with your new information.
Also, if you have news to share with everyone, please submit here and we will include it in the next newsletter.
Job Opportunities
One of the primary missions of KASTRO is to provide a network of support for our residents and attendings throughout their career journeys. To that end, if you are aware of any available job positions, please email Dr Ellen Kim at ekim64@bwh.harvard.edu for distribution to the appropriate list.
● Permanent position in Bakersfield CA, 4 day work week. Email Dr. Yong Cha at Yong.Cha@nortonhealthcare.org with questions https://www.riobravo-cancercenter.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=wix_google_business_profile&utm_campaign=11092480258916379567
KASTRO Leadership 2024-25
This year, we have made changes to the leadership and board of directors structure. We will no longer have the Executive Committee and will keep the Board of Directors (BOD) for those who have been long-standing members and are active due-paying members and play an advisory role. Emeritus members will be those who may be retired and have been long-standing members and supporters of the organization.
KASTRO Officers
President Yong Cha, MD
Vice President Nathan Kim, MD
Secretary Anna Lee, MD
Treasurer Stella Yoo, MD
Membership Director & Webmaster Ellen Kim, MD
Public Relations Chair Joseph Kim, MD
Scientific Chair Henry Park, MD
Early Career/Education Patrick Oh, MD
International Relations Yong Cha, MD & Hye Ri Han, MD
Social Chair Robert Kwon, MD
Resident Representatives Jino Park, MD & Justin Park, MD
The 2024-25 Leadership Team would like to express sincere gratitude to our Board of Directors and Executive Committee for your service to KASTRO!
Board of Directors
● Chul S. Ha
● Isabelle Choi
● John Suh
● Joseph Song
● Julia Oh
● Sara Kim
● Seung Shin Hahn
● Song Kang
● Sung Kim
● Samuel Ryu
Emeritus Members
● Chung-Taik Chung
● Hak Choy
● Robert Y. Kim
● Song-Chu Arthur Ko