CHAPEL HILL, NC - Joel E. Tepper, M.D., professor of radiation oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, is being honored by the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology (ASTRO), as one of two recipients of the Gold Medal Award.

The Gold Medal is ASTRO's highest honor. It is bestowed on revered members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of radiation oncology, including research, clinical care, teaching and service. Tepper will receive his award during ASTRO's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston during the Gold Medal Ceremony on Tuesday, September 23.

Tepper is the Hector MacLean Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research and a professor of radiation oncology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He served as chair of the radiation oncology department for 20 years. He is a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and served as its associate director for clinical research and the protocol review committee.

Louis Harrison, M.D., chairman of ASTRO’s Board of Directors, said, “It seems particularly fitting that we recognize this leader in the field of radiation oncology and former leader of ASTRO as part of our 50th anniversary celebration, Dr. Tepper has served as a role model to me and I will take great personal pride in
being able to present him with his medal.”

Tepper is past president and chairman of the Board of ASTRO. At UNC he is the principal investigator of the UNC Lineberger’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Gastrointestinal Cancers, one of five such programs in the US funded by the National Cancer Institute. Tepper is a pioneer in the use of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), when radiation therapy is administered during surgery so that higher doses can be given without damage to surrounding tissue, and was one of the first to be involved in treating patients with proton therapy, a therapy that uses special radiation beams to enhance delivery of radiation.

He is co-chair of the GI Steering Committee for the National Cancer Institute. This group organizes clinical trials within the national cooperative group structure. He serves as a member of the Clinical and Translational Advisory committee that oversees National Cancer Institute clinical trials and translational research. Tepper is founding editor of the professional journal Seminars in Radiation Oncology and is co-Editor of books on radiation oncology and gastrointestinal tumors.  He has published extensively on gastrointestinal tumors and combined modality therapy.

Prior to joining the UNC faculty, Tepper was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and Massachustetts General Hospital and a Senior Investigator at the National Cancer Institute.  He earned his BS degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, and his MD at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. He completed his residency and fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Note: Tepper may be reached at (919) 966-0400