An Interdisciplinary Model for Education: Patient Care and Technological Innovation in Interventional Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy)
It was an honor to support today’s honorary lecture by Kayla Kafka-Peterson at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS in Rome: “An Interdisciplinary Model for Education: Patient Care and Technological Innovation in Interventional Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy).”
Organized by Luca Tagliaferri and the team at Gemelli ART the event brought together over 180 nurses, radiographers, and students – a testament to the growing interest in interdisciplinary collaboration in our field. Special thanks to Prof. Evis Sala, Prof. Maria Antonietta Gambacorta, Prof. Stefano Margaritora, Prof. Gianfranco Damiani for their support and introduction, emphasizing the importance of this topic for Healthcare.
Kayla shared her inspiring journey – from starting as a neuro/trauma ICU nurse 18 years ago to becoming a leader in brachytherapy nursing at UCLA’s HDR Brachytherapy Division. With minimal educational programs in this field, she took the initiative to develop her own, eventually becoming Chair of the Global Nursing/RTT Council at the American Brachytherapy Society.
Her lecture highlighted:
✅ The critical role of nurses and RTTs in treatment success
✅ The power of leadership, teamwork, and advocacy
✅ The importance of proactive learning and interdisciplinary collaboration
A key takeaway: Leadership isn’t given – it’s taken. Nurses and RTTs must advocate for themselves, ask questions, and persistently seek the training and recognition they deserve. Successful treatments don’t just rely on technology; they depend on strong relationships between specialties, from oncologists to interventional radiologists.
Thank you to Luca Boldrini, Bruno Fionda, Danilo Pasini, Leonardo Bannoni, Antonello Cocchieri, Lucia Zaino, Elena Cristofori, Sara Scalise, and the audience for their valuable insights during the discussion.
At BrachyAcademy we fully support interdisciplinary education. That’s why on March 26th, we launched the 3rd edition of the GYN interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) practical course at Gemelli – this time, with a dedicated track for nurses and RTTs. Excited to see this field continue to evolve!