Mock Orals Course
Presented by the University of Maryland Department of Radiation Oncology
Virtual one-on-one mock orals held on Friday, April 12, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 4:40 PM ET
Question & answer sessions for pre-recorded didactics held on Sunday, April 21, 2024 from 9:30 AM to 3:15 PM ET
Didactic lectures are pre-recorded for attendees to watch on their own between April 12 and April 21. The course is intended for those taking their exam in 2024.
About the Course
The purpose of this interactive course is to simulate a radiation oncology oral board examination through series of virtual one-on-one timed interviews reviewing high yield cases with individual feedback (day one on Friday) and a didactic half-day session (day two on Sunday) with disease-site experts providing an overview with practical tips.* Pre-recorded didactic lectures will be shared for attendees to view on their own. Then on Sunday, disease-site experts will hold live virtual 30-minute question and answer sessions. The instructors for this course include a combination of invited nationally recognized faculty and our own top-ranked faculty in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland.
Pictured above: 2019 University of Maryland Mock Orals Course examiners
*Faculty/guest examiners of this course are not current oral board examiners. Examiners for this course do not have a role in the development or administration of examinations. Course material presented at the event will not appear on any oral board examination.
Course Support
The University of Maryland Department of Radiation Oncology gratefully acknowledges the following course supporter:
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to/ will:
- Experience one-on-one case-based interviews for all disease sites which are important for the final oral examination.
- Practice delivery of answers in an examination atmosphere.
- Obtain individualized verbal feedback at the end of each session.
- Receive tumor site specific group feedback.
- Review high-yield cases with practical tips by site experts.
Target Audience
The course is dedicated to aid young practicing radiation oncologists across the country prepare for the oral board examination. The course is intended for:
● First year residency graduates preparing for initial certification
● Practicing physicians preparing for re-examination
Course Director
Breast Cancer - Lead
Kamila Nowak Choi, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Lead Examiners
Head & Neck - Lead
Matthew J. Ferris, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Medical Director for the Maryland Proton Treatment Center
Billing & Compliance Director
Department of Radiation Oncology
Lymphoma-Lead
Jillian R. Gunther, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Central Nervous System - Lead
Jonathan W. Lischalk, MD
Associate Professor and Director of Research
Department of Radiation Oncology
New York University Long Island School of Medicine
Thoracic - Lead
Russell Kenneth Hales, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
and Molecular Radiation Sciences
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Gynecologic - Lead
Pranshu Mohindra, MD
Clinical Professor of Radiation Oncology
Case Western Reserve University
Vice Chair, Operations and Quality
Department of Radiation Oncology
Director, Proton Therapy Center
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Genitourinary - Lead
Jason Kyle Molitoris, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Medical Director
UMMC Department of Radiation Oncology
Gastrointestinal - Lead
Keith R. Unger, MD
Professor of Radiation Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Physician Executive Director of Radiation Oncology Service Line
Chief of Radiation Oncology
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Medical Director of RadAmerica
Pediatrics - Lead
Young Kwok, MD
Professor of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Co-Examiners
|
Gynecologic |
Gynecologic |
| Breast Rashmi Benda, MD Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology University of Maryland School of Medicine |
Breast Sara Dudley, MD Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology University of Maryland School of Medicine |
|
Gastrointestinal |
Gastrointestinal William F. Regine, MD, FACR, FASTRO, FACRO Chair and Professor of Radiation Oncology Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs University of Maryland School of Medicine President, University of Maryland Faculty Physicians Executive Director, Maryland Proton Treatment Center |
| Head & Neck Antony I. Koroulakis, MD Radiation Oncologist Annapolis Radiology Associates |
Head & Neck |
|
Central Nervous System |
Central Nervous System Tejan P. Diwanji, MD Radiation Oncologist Kaiser Foundation, Maryland |
| Thoracic Stephanie Rice, MD Radiation Oncologist Cancer Centers of Northern Arizona Healthcare – Flagstaff |
Thoracic Melissa Vyfhuis, MD, PhD Associate Professor University of Maryland School of Medicine Medical Director, Capital Region Medical Center Department of Radiation Oncology |
| Genitourinary Arpit M. Chhabra, MD Assistant Clinical Professor Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Siani Attending Radiation Oncologist New York Proton Center |
Genitourinary Shang-Jui Wang, MD, PhD Radiation Oncologist The Ohio State University |
| Pediatrics Cristina M. DeCesaris, MD Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology The University of Utah |
Pediatrics Sujith Baliga, MD Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center |
|
Lymphoma |
Lymphoma Zaker H. Rana, MD Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology University of Maryland School of Medicine |
Registration is SOLD OUT
To maximize the one-on-one time with examiners, we have a limited number of examination spots available for this virtual course. This course is intended for those taking their exam in 2024.
Advanced registration is required. Once a registration is submitted, you will have 24 hours to submit a request for refund. After that time, a refund cannot be provided.
Course Coordinator
For questions about the course, please contact the course coordinator Jessica White (she/her) at jessica.white@umm.edu or 410-328-7618.
Testimonials from 2023
"Organization was stellar. Mock exam format was streamlined. Examiners were excellent. Feedback after each section was very helpful."
"Everything was incredibly well run and organized. But the experience, knowledge, friendliness and professionalism of the examiners was the biggest strength."
"I found all aspects of the course helpful, especially the debrief after each oral exam which really solidified the material, and identified areas where I really needed to focus a lot of studying. I found it was great to have different faculty for the mock session than the review, because the faculty had fantastic perspectives. I would have loved to take this course as a resident!"
"I found that by doing the mock orals and getting feedback from the instructors that I had a better understanding of what the boards would be like and what I should focus my studying on with my remaining time. I also felt like the instructors were very positive and encouraging and thus I felt more confident going into the exam, and also more confident answering questions during the exam which was huge."
100% of attendees would recommend the course to a colleague, and 92% reported that they passed their oral boards in 2023.
Testimonials from 2022
"I could tell all the mock board examiners wanted us to learn and do well. They gave appropriate and helpful critiques, and I was grateful there was a course like that to help me prepare for the actual exam."
"This experience was invaluable. It reflects extremely well on the commitment to education by the faculty at the University of Maryland and the guest examiners."
"Everything was excellent top to bottom"
"Fantastic examiner, ran through several cases with relevant side questions, and the lecture afterwards was unbelievably helpful and clear."
100% of attendees in 2022 reported that they passed their oral boards.
Testimonials from 2021
"Getting a real life full day experience of the examination made me feel so much more confident when it came to the actual exam day."
'"The virtual Mock Orals Course and didactic lectures were instrumental in preparing attendees for the oral board examination. The Mock Orals accurately simulated the environment and testing style of the examination, and the didactic lectures included a comprehensive review of the disease sites and relevant literature that solidified knowledge of the subject matter."
"High quality examiners. Realistic degree of difficulty. Awesome 30-45 minute recap videos. Great Q & A season with examiners afterwards."
"This is the best oral board prep course I had. I genuinely appreciate everyone who took their time to put this course together and to teach us. I feel more confident for my real exam after I took this course. Thank you!"
Testimonials from 2019
"This is perhaps the best type of course for board preparation. I would encourage anyone who is taking the oral boards to enroll."
"The closely simulated atmosphere. To calm my nerves at the boards I just imaged I was back in Maryland going from room to room and that took some stress off."
"Going through the actual process of sitting through cases with an examiner and moving from room to room for each disease site was instrumental in preparing me for the real thing."
Testimonials from 2018
"The quality of the exam and thoughtful individualized feedback with each session far exceeded expectations."
“The mock orals was an accurate depiction of the actual test. It showed me my strengths and weaknesses, helped focus my study, and the feedback was invaluable.”
"I truly cannot thank the organizers enough. This was incredibly valuable for me and I will certainly recommend the course to the next group."