For those of us venturing online, it can seem vast and lonely. For radiation oncology, it’s hard also to know where to start without getting burned. How do we find others with similar interests?
In my opinion, the most productive networks are Twitter and LinkedIn. Twitter lets me connect with people I might not meet otherwise. LinkedIn is a professional social network with active groups discussing radiation oncology. The two are also a nice balance: brief, immediate but ephemeral (Twitter) with longer, more professional conversations (LinkedIn).
On Twitter, you can follow anyone. But they won’t ‘see’ you unless they follow back. And you don’t have to post anything. Here is a partial list of radiation oncology groups on Twitter:
| Professional Organization | Twitter Handle |
|---|---|
| ASTRO | @ASTRO_org |
| ESTRO | @ESTRO_RT |
| CARO | @caro_acro_ca |
| ASRT | @ASRT |
| AAPM | @aapmHQ |
| Oncology Nursing Society | @oncologynursing |
| ARRO | @ARRO_org |
| Royal College ANZ Radiologists | @RadiologyRANZCR |
| NVRO | @NVRO_NL |
| CAMRT/ACTRM | @CAMRT_ACTRM |
| Radiation Leadership Institute (ACR) | @RLI_ACR |
| Global Task Force on Radiotherapy for Cancer Control | @GTFRCC |
Currently, the only radiation oncology department is the University of Toronto @UofTDRO. SDN Network is more medical student/resident focused. Doximity is good if your interests is doctors only, but I haven’t been active. There are only so many places you can spend your ‘free time’. Lots of radiation oncologists are now on Twitter and LinkedIn. But not everyone wants to be public about it.
For those that do, I have set up a directory for people that want to connect. What else do we need to connect?