New yESTRO committee member: Sophie Perryck - PDF Version

What is your current position?

 am head of the radiotherapists (RTTs) at the University Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland.

What is your educational background?

I received my Bachelor of Science degree in 2011 in Amsterdam. After my graduation, I worked for four years in the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam. My focus was on different imaging modalities and image fusions, to smooth over the delineation process. I completed a course on the basics in magnetic resonance (MR) and helped to establish MR-guided treatment positioning at The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI). In June 2015, I moved to Switzerland. In the past four years in Zurich, I have received the Swiss degree for clinical education experts in health care and completed several courses in didactics and education methods.

What is your area of research?

The research that I am doing is focused on expiration breath-hold for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) in liver and abdominal tumours. It is a feasibility study that considers patient tolerability and tumour localisation reproducibility.

How long have you been an ESTRO member?

I have been an ESTRO member since 2017.

What role has ESTRO played in your career?

I took part in the Foundations of Leadership course in 2019 and attended the annual ESTRO meeting as well. I’ve had the honour of being in the faculty for the ESTRO Course on Clinical Practice and Implementation of Image Guided Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy.

What ESTRO activities have you been involved in so far? And in the future, are there some specific missions within the Society that you would like to participate in?

In the coming years I would like to keep teaching in ESTRO courses and focus on the educational side and ESTRO missions. I see opportunities in creating successful courses for all professions as well as creating an environment in which newly graduated RTTs and others can find ways to keep educating themselves and developing their potential.

Why did you want to join the Committee?

 believe in being part of the solution and creating a European/worldwide standard for radiation oncology. All professions in radiation oncology have the same goal but different means to reach it. The yESTRO committee is a beautiful example of collaboration between clinicians, physicists, biologists and RTTs, and I’m honoured to be part of the Committee.

Why would you recommend to students and young radiation oncology professionals to become members of ESTRO?

ESTRO can help young professionals after they complete their education. There is still so much to learn after getting your degree and ESTRO provides you with the means to learn from your (international) colleagues. Sharing knowledge with fellow young radiation oncology professionals who have the same background but are from different hospitals or nations is one method to keep challenging yourself to be the best you can be.  

Sophie Perryck
University Hospital of Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland