The young ESTRO committee is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to participate in a focus group discussion - PDF Version

During the Covid-19 pandemic, most researchers within radiation oncology were forced to work part- or full-time from home. At the same time, those who continued to work on location had to adjust to a new working environment that involved implementation of Covid-19 safety regulations. Social isolation, remote working and other measures have been crucial to the control of the virus but have had a significant impact on both productivity and mental health [1].

Following this first study, the young section of the European SocieTy for Radiotherapy and Oncology (yESTRO) further investigated the specific challenges that young researchers in radiation oncology have faced during the pandemic. Diverse experiences were gathered and discussed in three consecutive focus-group discussions (FGDs)* to provide more insight into the underlying impact factors and variables that can lead to challenging situations.

To finalise the study, yESTRO is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to participate in a final online FGD. In this FGD, you will help us to validate the results that were obtained in the first three FGDs. Further, the aim of the study is to produce guidelines regarding ways in which remote working should be implemented in order to cause minimal negative impact on mental health, and to investigate the potential benefit of flexible working arrangements. The results of the study will be submitted for publication in a scientific journal, and will guide further action by the yESTRO committee in the context of the broader goal of improving working conditions for young researchers.

*An FGD is a form of qualitative research in which questions are asked about perceptions, attitudes, beliefs or ideas. In a FGD, discussion with other participants is encouraged, since it leads to new and in-depth insights.

TARGET GROUP

We are looking for:

• researchers from European institutions (research institutes, hospitals, universities)
• who have less than 10 years of research experience
• and who have not participated in any of the three previous FGDs.

 

FACILITATOR

Dr Carina Pittens

Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

 

DATE / TIME

Selected candidates will participate in an online FGD from 16:00 to 18:00 central European summer time (including a 15min break) on one of the following dates (the most popular date will be selected):

• 11 March
• 18 March

 

Please register as a possible** participant by completing the short survey that you will find by following the link or QR code below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W8HH6RR

**Please note that we strive for balanced characteristics within the FGD and you might not be selected despite your application. Notifications will be sent out before 1 March.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to conducting this study with your help

Jennifer Dhont
Clinical physics research
Maastro Clinic
Maastricht, The Netherlands

Reference

 [1] Dhont J, Di TellaM, Dubois L, et al. Conducting research in Radiation Oncology remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic: Coping with isolation. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol. 2020;24:53-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctro.2020.06.006