Communiqués de presse

First Australian and Asia/Pacific Hospital to Demonstrate Commitment to New Standard in Radiosurgery

Alfred Health Radiation Oncology promotes patient safety and treatment quality with rigorous and independent Novalis Certified audit
Melbourne, Victoria/Australia, August 26, 2015 — Alfred Health Radiation Oncology (AHRO), based at The William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre, announced today that it has become the first cancer centre in the Asia and Pacific region to receive a Novalis® Certified certification of compliance for quality and patient safety standards in radiosurgery. AHRO was presented with Novalis Certification after an independent audit by accredited Novalis Certified auditor, Timothy D. Solberg PhD. Through Novalis Certified, patients in Victoria and Australia now have the highest measure of safety and treatment quality when  researching radiosurgery options for their cancer treatment.

“At AHRO, we sought an external validation of our processes and systems to identify any potential for improvement or efficiencies and to prove objectively that our program is at the forefront of modern stereotactic radiosurgery practice,” stated Associate Professor Jeremy Millar, Director of AHRO.

Novalis Certified is an independent accreditation program that promotes a very high standard of efficacy and safety for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments. The Novalis Certified audit includes a review of organizational, personnel, technological and quality assurance requirements.

“Novalis Certified audits, carried out by Novalis Circle accredited auditors, follow the Novalis Standard which focuses on best practice clinical and technical protocols and procedures, robust quality assurance, continual self-assessment and quality improvement, and peer-review, and is based on international standards and publications of various radiation oncology organizations”, commented Timothy D. Solberg, Professor in Medical Physics, University of Pennsylvania and Novalis Circle Expert Group member. “As Asia/Pacific’s  first Novalis Certified Center, AHRO joins a group of leading oncology centers from across the globe.”

To learn more about Novalis Certified, visit Novalis Circle.

About Brainlab

Brainlab develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology, enabling access to advanced, less invasive patient treatments.

Brainlab technology powers treatments in radiosurgery as well as numerous surgical fields including neurosurgery, orthopedic, ENT, CMF, spine and trauma. Founded in Munich in 1989, Brainlab has over 8,900 systems installed in about 100 countries.

About Alfred Health Radiation Oncology (The William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre)

Alfred Health Radiation Oncology (AHRO, comprising a facility at the William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, and a facility at Latrobe Regional Hospital, Traralgon, Australia, is located within one of the largest tertiary referral and academic medical centres in Victoria. The Alfred-located centre was the first service in Victoria and the second in Australia to provide a stereotactic radiosurgery service. Two senior radiation oncology specialists provide stereotactic services, Dr Jeremy Ruben FRANZCR who heads up the service and Dr Sasha Senthi FRANZCR PhD. The Alfred was also the first public hospital in Australia to provide permanent seed implant brachytherapy for men with prostate cancer.

AHRO is a well-equipped modern radiation service, with a full complement of “state-of-the-art” radiotherapy treatment, planning, and quality-control equipment. The WBRC is committed to delivering the very best “patient-centred” care with this equipment, and to achieve this have recruited and trained an outstanding staff. The various staff at the WBRC work together in a team to achieve the best possible outcomes for cancer patients.

The close association with both the Alfred Hospital and Latrobe Regional Hospital allows close coordination with other cancer specialists – surgeons, medical oncologists, haematologists, and palliative care physicians – within a large modern tertiary hospital and a key regional hospital service. Furthermore the department is part of the Monash University Medical School, and participates in a broad range of teaching and research. This ensures that our patients benefit from the most up-to-date information and research available on cancer treatments, from both local and international research groups.

Staff

Director: Associate Professor Jeremy Millar
Assistant Director: Associate Professor Sidney Davis
Radiation Oncologists:
•    Dr Raj Hedge
•    Dr Michelle Jalilian
•    Dr Arman Kuyumcian
•    Dr Bronwyn Matheson
•    Dr Ian Porter
•    Dr Jeremy Ruben
•    Dr Sasha Senthi
•    Dr Karen Taylor
Radiation Therapy Manager: Leigh Smith
Chief Radiation Oncology Physicist: Dr Trevor Ackerly
Radiation Therapy Manager Traralgon: Catherine Beaufort