The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently welcomed Judy Keen, PhD, as its Director of Scientific Affairs, a position created to expand research participation and collaboration in the field of radiation oncology.
As the ASTRO lead on scientific affairs, Dr. Keen will develop and implement initiatives that promote clinical, translational, and basic radiation research, with the ultimate goal of advancing both science and evidence-based patient care throughout the radiation oncology community. Efforts involved in this push to grow research participation among radiation oncologists include managing the various funding mechanisms offered by ASTRO (such as its junior faculty awards and seed grants), as well as finding and promoting opportunities from external funding agencies to share with ASTRO members.
Dr. Keen also will spearhead efforts to develop broader collaborations within the cancer research community, thereby responding to the growing need to eradicate the silos that can impede scientific progress. Among other roles, Dr. Keen will serve as ASTRO’s primary scientific liaison to internal and external partners involved in performing and promoting biomedical research, including the ASTRO Science Council; federal agencies; other medical societies; coalitions; the biopharmaceutical industry; and policymakers.
Past Experience
Dr. Keen brings a wealth of diverse experience conducting and managing research projects to her new position. Prior to joining ASTRO, Dr. Keen was Director of Research Collaborations for the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), where she led scientific oversight for multiple programs. Before NBCC, she worked at the National Cancer Institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), first as a Health Science Analyst in the Office of Science Planning and Assessment, then as Program Director for the NIH Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) project within the Biorepository and Biospecimen Research Branch. The GTEx effort included curating a collection of genomic and clinical data from more than 900 donors, which was designed to explore genetic variability in humans and the changes that lead to disease.
Dr. Keen also spent several years as Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where she focused on ways to improve responses to chemotherapy in breast cancer.
Dr. Keen earned her doctorate in physiology and completed her postdoctoral training in breast cancer research at Johns Hopkins University in its Schools of Public Health and Medicine, respectively. ■
