David Sher, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Radiation Oncology and Chief of the Head and Neck Radiation Oncology Service at UT Southwestern, is among an elite group of 48 physicians and medical physicists elected as Fellows of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the world’s largest society for radiation oncology professionals.

“I have been an attending radiation oncologist for over 15 years, and during that time I have been heavily involved in ASTRO as well as research and educational initiatives. It is gratifying to see this work recognized by this national body with the FASTRO designation,” said Dr. Sher, who is also Medical Director and Vice Chair for Clinical Operations and Quality in the Department of Radiation Oncology and a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UTSW.

Started in 2006, the annual Fellows of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (FASTRO) program recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the field through research, education, patient care, and/or service. To date, the FASTRO designation has been awarded to 498 of ASTRO’s 10,000 members worldwide. This honor recognizes Dr. Sher’s contributions in education and clinical care.

Following bachelor’s and master’s degrees in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University, Dr. Sher earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and then completed his residency training at Harvard while concurrently earning a master’s degree in public health.

“Teaching has been a core part of my academic identity, dating back to my first attending position in Boston, and I have tried to be involved in educational programs in every residency with which I’ve been associated. That also involves teaching on a more national scale, to share insights into head and neck radiotherapy with peers from other institutions and practice settings,” he said.

A board-certified radiation oncologist, Dr. Sher has focused on treating head and neck cancer since the beginning of his career and has a strong interest in treating patients with adaptive radiotherapy and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR).

Dr. Sher served as Chair of the ASTRO task force that recently created updates to the 2017 clinical guideline on best practices for using radiation therapy to treat patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. The new guideline was published in Practical Radiation Oncology, ASTRO’s clinical practice journal, in June.

“Our panel worked for over three years to produce this work, and I feel that it will meaningfully improve the care of this disease,” he said.

From a research standpoint, Dr. Sher is interested in leveraging novel technologies to improve short- and long-term quality of life in patients treated with head and neck radiotherapy.

“We have a variety of novel technologies here at UT Southwestern, including adaptive radiotherapy and medical AI (artificial intelligence), and we are using these tools to reduce normal-tissue toxicity,” he said.

Dr. Sher will receive his FASTRO designation Oct. 1 during ASTRO’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.