PART I: Interview with Claudio Votta, the Newly Elected Co-chair of the RTT Alliance

The ESTRO Radiation Therapists’ Alliance (RTT Alliance) was established in 2017 to enhance the representation and recognition of RTT professionals in Europe and beyond. The alliance provides a platform for networking and ideas exchange, and forms a unified group of RTTs with shared interests. With 26 national societies as members, the RTT Alliance fosters collaboration and professional growth.

In March 2024, Claudio Votta was elected as co-chair of the RTT Alliance with Ilija Curic, who was re-elected. In this interview, Claudio shares insights and plans for the future of the alliance. Stay tuned for Part II, which will be an interview with Ilija Curic, who will discuss the achievements of the alliance.

How do you envision the RTT Alliance evolving over the next three years, and what key initiatives do you think will drive this evolution?

In the next three years, I envision the RTT Alliance evolving into an even more influential entity, enhancing the representation and recognition of RTT professionals across Europe.

Our key initiatives will be focused on strengthening collaboration with member national societies and identifying joint projects, ensuring that new members fully share our common goals.

Additionally, we will commit to monitoring membership and retaining individual members, ensuring they clearly perceive the value of their membership.

These initiatives will guide our evolution; they will foster greater unity and have a significant impact on our profession.

Can you discuss any specific challenges that RTTs currently face in Europe, and how the RTT Alliance aims to address these issues?

One of the main challenges that RTTs face in Europe is the diversification of training among different nations. This disparity creates significant challenges in terms of uniformity of skills and professional recognition of RTTs at the European level.

The RTT Alliance is uniquely positioned to address this issue and, through the promotion and dissemination of targeted training initiatives, can work to bridge the gaps between countries. Our goal will be to make the role of an RTT more uniform and clear, regardless of the nation of origin, to ensure that each professional is adequately trained and recognised according to common standards.

Networking and professional development are core benefits of RTT Alliance membership. Can you share some upcoming opportunities or events that members should look forward to?

Networking and professional development are indeed at the heart of what the RTT Alliance offers its members. There are numerous opportunities for both training and networking that are organised by ESTRO and promoted through the RTT Alliance. One such opportunity is the annual ESTRO RTT workshop, which provides a focused environment to discuss challenges and explore future directions.

However, the highlight of our calendar is undoubtedly the annual ESTRO Congress. This event represents a unique opportunity for RTT Alliance members. During the congress, we have the privilege of organising a live 'meet & greet' session, which allows RTTs from different countries to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss common challenges and solutions in an informal and collaborative setting.

What strategies will you implement to ensure that the voices of all RTTs, regardless of their geographic location, are heard and represented within the alliance?

Ensuring that the voices of all RTTs, regardless of their geographic location, are heard and represented within the RTT Alliance is one of our top priorities. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to strengthen communication channels to ensure that there are multiple ways for RTTs from all regions to share their perspectives and concerns.

A concrete example of this initiative is the promotion of article submissions to the ESTRO newsletter. To facilitate this process, each national society should act as a filter for the submission and translation of articles, in order to ensure that the voices and experiences of RTTs from every country are adequately represented and disseminated.

As the new RTT Alliance representative, what are your primary goals for your tenure?

As the new representative of the RTT Alliance, my primary goal is to ensure that all RTTs in Europe become aware of ESTRO through their national societies and join it. This would not only promote unity and networking among RTT professionals, creating bridges between different national realities, but also allow us to collaborate more closely with other professional groups, such as societies of radiation oncologists and medical physicists.

I firmly believe that a cohesive and inclusive community like ESTRO, where all radiotherapy professionals are involved, can significantly contribute to improving the quality of patient care.

Claudio, coming into this role, what unique perspectives or experiences do you bring that you believe will benefit the RTT Alliance and its members?

In my professional career, I have had the opportunity to work in stimulating environments with cutting-edge technologies and to closely collaborate with doctors and physicists in both research and clinical practice. These experiences have allowed me to understand how new technologies are profoundly transforming our clinical practice and daily activities.

A significant example is artificial intelligence, which will not only optimise and automate processes but also enable RTTs to focus increasingly on providing human support to patients. This will require RTTs to acquire new competencies to integrate better the use of advanced technologies with the need to maintain empathetic and human contact with patients, which is a fundamental aspect of our profession. From this perspective, I believe that ESTRO and the RTT Alliance can play a key role in supporting their members through this historic change, helping them to integrate technological advancements without losing sight of the human aspect that characterises our profession.

Finally, how can individual RTTs and national societies get more involved in the RTT Alliance and contribute to its mission?

Individual RTTs and national societies can get more involved in the RTT Alliance by actively engaging with ESTRO and continuously sharing ideas and projects within our community. Opening up to ESTRO means not just being a member but also contributing actively, participating in discussions, and collaborating on initiatives that drive our mission forward. Every contribution helps to strengthen our collective voice and enhance our impact in the field.

If you are an RTT and interested in joining the RTT Alliance, please contact your national society for further details.

Claudio Votta

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

Rome, Italy