• Target Audience

    Brachytherapy Nurses ● Radiation Therapy Technicians ● Other care providers ● Africa only!

  • Format

    Online pre-recorded Lectures • Videos • Demonstrations • Links to Resources

  • Timing

    Opens June 15th 2025. Stays open 6 months! Learn when it suits you! Access lectures at any time.


 

This course will fill the gap in brachytherapy education, which has traditionally focused on doctors and physicists. For the first time, we offer a dedicated program for the nursing personnel.


Time to course closure

Make sure to complete it in time!

You can still register - click here
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Course curriculum

    1. Disclaimers, Terms and Conditions, and Informed Consent for Course-participation

    1. Introduction - Kayla Kafka Peterson

    2. Course Overview & Introduction. Primoz Petric

    3. Basic Needs Assessment Review for this Course - Ema Yoshioka

    4. Pre-Course Survey

    5. Pre-Course Quiz

    1. Epidemiology with emphasis on Africa - Sheynaz Bassa

    2. Cervical cancer pathology and common subtypes - Onyinye Balogun

    3. HIV and Cervical Cancer - Biemba K. Maliti

    1. Brachytherapy as a Nursing Specialty - Kayla Kafka-Peterson

    2. Oncology Nursing in Africa - Biemba K. Maliti

    1. Radiobiology and Radiosensitivity - Kayla Kafka-Peterson

    2. Stages and prognosis of cervical cancer. Primoz Petric

    3. Selection of patients for radiotherapy based on stage. Primoz Petric

    4. Combining External Beam Radiotherapy & Brachytherapy. Primoz Petric

    5. Concurrent chemotherapy with radiotherapy - Primoz Petric

    6. Clinical brachytherapy for beginners - Primoz Petric

    7. HDR versus LDR Brachytherapy - John Hollman

    1. The basic science of radiation - Iyobosa B. Uwadiae

    2. Radiation Safety – Can we truly be safe working around radiation? - Iyobosa B. Uwadiae

    3. Emergency drills and preparation (if source gets stuck, etc) - Iyobosa B. Uwadiae

About this course

  • Free
  • 89 lessons
  • 20.5 hours of video content

Kayla Kafka Peterson

Course Director

Kayla Kafka-Peterson RN BSN is a nurse from Los Angeles, California, USA. She provides operations leadership and oversight for the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology HDR Brachytherapy Program and greater Radiation Oncology locations. Kayla coordinates all aspects of patient care, program operations, case scheduling, staffing, program flow and is responsible for ongoing quality improvement, education and process development for the division. Kayla also teaches direct bedside patient care for nurses and teams. Since 2022, Kayla has worked to promote a global brachytherapy nursing and RTT community and works extensively with teams around the world providing brachytherapy nursing and team education. She also consults with physicians and teams on how to optimize efficiency, safety, and education for their brachytherapy programs to promote growth. Prior to working in brachytherapy, Kayla was a trauma ICU nurse. Kayla serves as the nursing liaison to the board of the American Brachytherapy Society and serves as the chair of the ABS Brachytherapy Nursing/Dosimetry/RTT Council. Kayla continues to collaborate with multiple medical societies and non-profit organizations on creating educational resources for brachytherapy nurses worldwide.

Biemba Kahalu Maliti

Course Director

With 25 years of nursing experience 16 years of which have been in cancer care practice. I have championed the development of BSc Oncology Nursing, Advanced Diploma in Registered Oncology Nursing and palliative care training programs in Zambia. I have presented at several international, regional and local conferences such as the International Conference on Cancer Nursing, ONS Congress, AORTIC, MD Anderson's Global Academic Platform, ECSACON, Best of ASCO, SIOP and National Cancer and Palliative Care Conference. Over the years I have participated in many research initiatives both local and international with publications in CJON, ecancer, sarjnhc, cancer, Annals of Palliative Care, APJON. I have contributed to development of strategic and policy documents at national level such as Nursing and Midwifery Protocols, National Cancer Control Strategic Plan, National Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan, Palliative Care Strategic Plan, Early Breast Cancer Diagnosis Manual, Palliative Care Training Manual and serve on the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Zambia Standards and Compliance Committee. I am the founding president of the Zambia Oncology Nurses Society, have served on the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care member council, East Central and Southern African College of Nursing Clinical Practice Faculty, World Health Organisation GICC nurse lead for Zambia and current nurse representative on the SIOP Africa Board. I recently got attached to the Lusaka College of Nursing and Midwifery as a lecturer from September 2024.

Afolakemi Oyedele

Course Director

Afolakemi began her nursing career with a Diploma in Nursing from the Seventh-Day Adventist School of Nursing in 2014. Following her graduation, she worked as an Oncology Nurse at The Grace Hospital, Ibadan, for two years. In 2018, she advanced her education by earning a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree from Babcock University, Ilishan. She furthered her academic pursuits by obtaining a Higher National Diploma in Public Health from the College of Health Technology, Offa, Kwara State. Her professional journey at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, began as a Nursing Officer. Over the years, she gained diverse experience working in the Psychiatric Unit and Medical Ward, which earned her a promotion to Senior Nursing Officer in 2022. Currently, Afolakemi is part of the Radiation-Oncology Clinic, specializing in the Brachytherapy Suite at UCH. She is also furthering her expertise by pursuing a Master of Science degree in Psychiatric Nursing at Lead City University. Afolakemi is a dedicated professional committed to excellence in patient care and continuous learning in her field.

Iyobosa B. Uwadiae, PhD, DIMPCB

Course Director

Dr Iyobosa is a Board Certified Medical Physicist and currently serves for the second time, as the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Association of Medical Physicists (NAMP) and board member of the NAMP Clinical Training and Certification Board (NCCB). She is the Head of Medical Physics unit, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria and an Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Radiation Biology, Radiotherapy, and Radiodiagnosis, College of Medicine, University of Lagos. She earned a B-Tech in Physics (with Electronics) from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria; MSc Medical Physics from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland; and PhD Medical Physics from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. She is passionate about the development of Medical Physics in Nigeria and the region. She serves on different committees and has initiated and coordinated several projects towards the cause of Medical Physics education, training and professional development in Nigeria. She is the coordinator of the annual Harmattan School for Medical Physics which is targeted towards creating awareness on the role of medical physics amongst undergraduate and postgraduate students, and one of the program directors of the CAMPEP accredited AAPM global medical physics continuing education course for clinical medical physicists which won the AAPM’s Arthur Boyer Award for Education in 2024, and has become a benchmark model. She currently serves as a consultant to the Global Medical Physics Education and Training Committee (GMPETC) of the AAPM, member of the IOMP women’s subcommittee and Chair of the Professional Development Committee, FAMPO. She is a fellow of the IAEA, GI-CORE and has received awards among which is the IPEM LMIC award. She is actively involved in mentorship, teaching and loves to sing.

Sylvia Hanna

Course Director

Sylvia Hanna is a Senior Brachytherapy Radiation Therapist at Austin Health, Melbourne Victoria. Sylvia started her career at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and moved to Austin in 2016 to lead the gynaecological brachytherapy program. With over 10 years' experience, she has driven the MRI-guided adaptive gynaecological brachytherapy program and developed a credentialing program in gynaecological brachytherapy for radiation therapists. Sylvia’s passion for brachytherapy education extends to volunteering her time to her time with brachytherapy professional organisations and advocacy networks, helping to promote awareness and advance the field.

Ema Yoshioka

Course Director

I am a registered nurse with a Master’s degree in Biomedical Science (Cancer Research). During my time in a cancer research lab, I was involved in project development, grant writing, and manuscript preparation - including a publication in biomedical science. After completing my nursing degree, I worked as a float nurse across step-down, surgical oncology, and medical-surgical units, which gave me a broad perspective on various areas within nursing and patient care. In 2023, I joined the brachytherapy team at UCLA and quickly found that I truly enjoy and connect with this field. I’m fortunate to work in a collaborative, high-volume department, which has given me unique clinical experience and deepened my understanding of patient-centered radiation oncology. This setting has also provided the opportunity to contribute to ongoing research projects in this field. While my earlier research focused on the biomedical sciences, I’m now passionate about advancing nursing research, particularly in the context of brachytherapy. Outside of my everyday role, I enjoy working as a volunteer in this field and contribute to the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS), where I help develop nursing competencies and educational materials. I find it incredibly rewarding to connect with brachytherapy professionals around the world and continue advocating for evidence-based, multidisciplinary care.

Primoz Petric

BrachyTerra Founder, Program Director, Course Director

I founded BrachyTerra. I am Radiation Oncologist at the Cantonal Hospital in Lucerne, Switzerland, and Assoc. Prof. at the Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. From 2009-2022 I was teaching at the ESTRO course on gynaecological cancer. I teach at other events, including IAEA courses and several workshops. I am member of Gyn GEC ESTRO Working Group and EMBRACE study group. I was consultant to the ICRU 89 Report, and authored many scientific works, book chapters, guidelines, and conference lectures.

Patricia Frrokaj

BrachyTerra Course Coordinator

I am Dr. med. Patricia Frrokaj, resident physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. I completed my medical studies at the University of Prishtina in Kosovo and gained initial clinical experience as general practitioner in my home country before beginning my residency in Switzerland. I am passionate about advancing equitable access to high-quality cancer care through education, collaboration, and global engagement. Since February 2025, I have been part of the BrachyTerra team, supporting its mission to promote knowledge-sharing and strengthen gynecologic brachytherapy in regions with limited resources.

Onyinye Balogun

Faculty

Dr. Onyinye Balogun is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine specializing in the treatment of breast and gynecologic malignancies. She is a graduate of Harvard University and Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Balogun initiated her residency training at the University of Chicago and completed her final year at New York University. Her research focuses on eliminating domestic and global cancer disparities in gynecologic and breast cancer. She engages in global health activities with a focus on improving the delivery of radiation therapy in low and middle income countries through capacity building, continuing medical education and research collaboration. As a Cancer and Ethnicity Scholar at the New York Genome Center, she oversees the Polyethnic 1000 project, an initiative to study the genome's contribution to cancer disparities, and serves as the co-Principal Investigator of the Polyethnic 1000 endometrial cancer project. She has expanded her genomics research internationally to interrogate endometrial cancer genomics among women of African ancestry. She is also an inventor with a patent for a modernized brachytherapy device that improves that patient and physician experience.

John Hollman

Faculty

John has worked in radiation oncology since 2003 in a variety of roles, including senior nurse manager of radiation oncology covering seven clinics in Orlando, Florida and currently as a radiation clinical nurse educator for Texas Oncology covering 78 clinical sites in the state of Texas. John has also served as adjunct professor in the radiation therapy program at Texas State University teaching radiation therapy students patient care in radiation oncology.

Shelbie O'Hara

Faculty

Shelbie has been in radiation oncology for 4 years at Allegheny Health Network, Cancer Institute, division of radiation oncology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She started as a staff nurse in the department seeing clinic patients and was heavily involved with different brachytherapy procedures. Gynecological brachytherapy became a true passion of hers, which led Shelbie to take a clinical coordinator position which also focused on brachytherapy coordination for the health network. In this current position, Shelbie coordinates brachytherapy procedures, and the departments involved while also creating staff and patient education about the different types of brachytherapy performed.

Nancy Marou

Faculty

I am Nancy Marou, RN,MS, OCN, Clinical Manager of Radiation Oncology at the Highland Wilmot Cancer Center in Rochester, New York, with over 40 years of nursing experience, including 24 years dedicated to oncology care. My journey in oncology began with chemotherapy administration and evolved into a deep passion for radiation oncology, where the rapid advancement in technology continues to inspire my leadership and clinical practice. I am committed to mentoring and empowering the nursing team to stay at the forefront of innovation in cancer care. I believe nurses play a vital role in supporting patients and contributing meaningfully to the interdisciplinary care team. I am a member of the Genesee Valley Oncology Nurses Association, Chair of the Highland Hospital Nursing Research Council, and an instructor for CPR and ACLS at the hospital. I have presented two posters at the ONS Congress, with three accepted abstracts, and was honored to be Highland Hospital's “Leader of the Year” in 2014.

Christian Kirisits

BrachyTerra Program Director and Faculty

I am lead Brachytherapy Physicist at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna. I (co-)authored >150 peer-reviewed articles and made numerous contributions to conference proceedings, as a book editor and as invited speaker at international conferences. I was chairman of the GEC ESTRO Committee. I was faculty member at the ESTRO Course on Gynaecological cancer and several other periodic and non-periodic teaching courses. I was Coordinator of the Committee for the ICRU 89 report and I am one of Coordinators of the EMBRACE I & II studies.

Umesh Mahantshetty

BrachyTerra Program Director and Faculty

I am Director of Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Visakhapatnam. When I worked at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, I led the GYN Radiation Oncology group. I have been the Secretary of Indian Brachytherapy Society & member of Executive Committees of Association of Radiation Oncologists and GYN Oncologists of India since many years. I delivered many lectures at various forums. I am faculty member at ESTRO School for GYN cancers, Advanced Technologies, IAEA training Activities and Director of AROI – ESTRO Course in India. I have ~200 publications, book chapters and international guidelines for Gyn Cancer. I was consultant to the ICRU 89 Report. January 2021 I was labelled “world expert” by Expertscape for being in the top 0.1% scholars in the field of Uterine Neoplasms in the past decade.