Event Details

My prior posts discussed the challenges of IO training, and highlighted the WCIO Fellows’ Travel Scholarship, generously sponsored by our corporate partners. In addition to the 80 Fellows who attended WCIO 2012 in Chicago, there were 140 residents and medical students, who enjoyed a dedicated evening symposium introducing them to Interventional Oncology.  Comments from one resident about to start her IR Fellowship follow.

The World Conference on Interventional Oncology has bolstered my growing passion for interventional oncology and interventional radiology as a whole.  As a radiology resident about to enter fellowship, I am looking forward to an exciting career in the ever evolving field of interventional oncology.  Attending the conference affirmed the reasons why I decided to enter this exciting field. 

The multidisciplinary sessions, with topics ranging from hepatocellular carcinoma treatment to musculoskeletal sarcoma treatment, emphasized the research to clinical spectrum of the field.  Hearing from medical oncologists, surgeons and interventional oncologists on how they apply the research available to them to a team approach of treating patients emphasized the exciting clinical nature of this field. 

Being able to hear from the leaders at the forefront of interventional oncology in both the multidisciplinary sessions and the live cases opened my eyes to the research potential in the field. The sessions showed that each case or problem can have multiple solutions and experts in the field have varying favored approaches with specific reasons supporting their method.   This is exciting for two reasons. One, the arsenal for treatment is large and can be tailored to patients, again emphasizing the clinical aspect of the field.  Two, there is so much potential for innovation and research, making the field wide open for people like myself who are just starting their careers.   

The best part of the conference was being able to interact with other residents and fellows, as well as a variety of interventional oncologists who are practicing in both private and academic centers.   The coffee breaks and receptions gave me a chance to talk to people about their experiences, interests and practices.  I gained lots of advice on getting the most out of fellowship, applying for jobs and molding my career.  There is a strong network in the interventional oncology world and I am happy that I was able to become part of it at the World Conference on Interventional Oncology.