Rad Chat

E226: Michelle Bates and Kim Whitlock - Introduction to the East of England Consultant Radiographer Series

Trigger Warning: this episode discusses cancer and cancer treatment.

Episode 226: Part of the Education and Workforce Development series (Part 78)

Description: In this insightful episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Michelle Bates and Kim Whitlock.
Michelle began her career as a Therapeutic Radiographer, working across a variety of departments in England, Ireland and New Zealand. These experiences gave her a broad understanding of radiotherapy and sparked her interest in service improvement and the value of collaboration to share learning. She moved into her current role as Radiotherapy Network Manager five years ago, where she supports radiotherapy departments to collaborate effectively, improve access and quality, and keep patient experience at the centre of service delivery.
Kim Whitlock is a Consultant Therapeutic Radiographer specialising in breast radiotherapy at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. Since qualifying in 2004, she has gained experience across the radiotherapy pathway, from pre-treatment and dosimetry to treatment, supported by an MSc in Advanced Radiotherapy and Oncology Practice. Kim now leads the breast radiotherapy pathway, undertaking patient clinics, consent, volume definition and plan approval, while helping to shape advanced and consultant practice within her Trust. In 2024, she completed an 11-month secondment with NHS England as a Radiography Clinical Fellow, and she now contributes to the Society of Radiographers' advisory and special interest groups.
This episode is a deep dive into the East of England Consultant Radiographer Network, why a podcast series on advanced and consultant practice was created, the value of peer support and regional collaboration, the group's impact study, and the debate around fast-track pathways from band 5 to consultant practice.

CPD Reflection Points:
Working across the four pillars: Kim highlighted that all roles, whatever the level of practice, should work across clinical practice, education, leadership and research. Which of the four pillars do you find hardest to evidence in your current role, and what opportunity could you take over the next year to strengthen it?
Peer support and collaboration: Michelle and Kim described how a regional group reduces isolation and stops teams duplicating work in silos. How connected are you to colleagues beyond your own department or Trust, and how could you engage more with your radiotherapy network to share learning and "ask the silly question"?
Evidencing your impact: Rather than writing an editorial, the group chose to collect data to show the impact of their roles. How do you currently capture the difference your role makes to patients and services, and how could that evidence support business cases, appraisals or your own career progression?
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Links from the Episode:
Supporting the workforce: East of England Consultant Radiographer Network – Synergy
College of Radiographers Education and Career Framework
Research links from the Episode:
Multi-professional consultant-level practice capability and impact framework
The Perceived Professional and Organisational Impact of the Consultant Therapeutic Radiographer(CTR): a UK Case Study
Evaluation of the East of England Multiprofessional Aspiring and Consultant Practitioner Programme: Cohort 1
Operational Delivery Networks for External Beam Radiotherapy Services(Adults)
Why do 77% of student radiographers feel like imposters?
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Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.
© Rad Chat 2026. All rights reserved.
We (or our licensors) own all intellectual property rights in this podcast and all related content, online and offline.
You may not use, copy, modify, download, archive, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, licence, create derivative works from or commercially exploit any part of our content unless we expressly agree in writing.
You must not use any images, audio, video, graphics or clips separately from their accompanying context.
Please acknowledge Rad Chat (and any identified contributors) clearly whenever referencing or sharing our content.

Trigger Warning: this episode discusses cancer and cancer treatment.

Episode 225: Part of the Education and Workforce Development series (Part 77)

Description: In this fascinating episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Dr. Pierre Montay-Gruel.

Pierre graduated from the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan and Université Paris-Sud 11 with training in oncology and radiobiology. He obtained his PhD in 2018 through a joint programme between the University of Lausanne and Université Paris-Sud under Prof. Marie-Catherine Vozenin, where he was among the first researchers investigating FLASH radiotherapy for glioblastoma and normal brain preservation.

Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Irvine, he joined Iridium Netwerk in Antwerp as Radiobiology Group Leader and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Antwerp. His research focuses on FLASH radiotherapy and its clinical translation.
Pierre is actively involved in ESTRO, serving on the Scientific Council, FLASH Focus Group, Early Career Committee and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, and coordinating the ESTRO Mentorship Programme.

This episode is a deep dive into the fundamentals of radiobiology, the Rs of radiobiology behind fractionation, why patients respond differently to radiotherapy, the science and promise of FLASH radiotherapy, and why Pierre believes we should never forget ourselves in the process.

CPD Reflection Points:
Applying the Rs of radiobiology: Pierre explained how repair, reoxygenation, redistribution and immune reactivation underpin fractionated radiotherapy. How confidently could you explain to a patient why their treatment is delivered in fractions, and how could you use radiobiology to strengthen the way you discuss side effects, treatment gaps or lifestyle factors such as exercise?
Individual radiosensitivity: Pierre described how genetic differences can make some patients far more sensitive to radiation, and how biomarkers may one day allow screening before treatment. When a patient develops unexpectedly severe side effects, how do you currently recognise, document and escalate this, and how might personalised radiosensitivity testing change your role in the future?
From bench to bedside: Pierre discussed the long journey from preclinical models to clinical use of FLASH radiotherapy, and his hope for a truly interdisciplinary community that involves patients. How do you stay informed about emerging techniques such as FLASH, and what could you do to strengthen links between your clinical team, researchers and patients?
Complete this form for your accredited digital badge: Digital Badge Form.

Links from the Episode:
Pierre's first paper: Irradiation in a flash
Éric Deutsch – Gustave Roussy
Institut Curie
Vincent Favaudon – Institut Curie
Marie-Catherine Vozenin research group – University of Geneva
ESTRO Early Career Committee
ESTRO Mentoring Programme
Bladder carbogen and nicotinamide(BCON) radiotherapy – The Christie
Research links from the Episode:
An exploration of the Rs of radiobiology in prostate cancer
The 6th R of Radiobiology: Reactivation of Anti-Tumor Immune Response
The Normal, the Radiosensitive, and the Ataxic in the Era of Precision Radiotherapy: A Narrative Review
Ultrahigh dose-rate FLASH irradiation increases the differential response between normal and tumor tissue in mice
Biology news in a FLASH
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Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.
© Rad Chat 2026. All rights reserved.
We (or our licensors) own all intellectual property rights in this podcast and all related content, online and offline.
You may not use, copy, modify, download, archive, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, licence, create derivative works from or commercially exploit any part of our content unless we expressly agree in writing.
You must not use any images, audio, video, graphics or clips separately from their accompanying context.
Please acknowledge Rad Chat (and any identified contributors) clearly whenever referencing or sharing our content.

Trigger warning: this episode discusses cancer and cancer treatment.

HM (Lenny) Verkooijen talks about her role as a clinical epidemiologist and the MOMENTUM study 

Links:
MR Linac Consortium 
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© Rad Chat 2026. All rights reserved.  
We (or our licensors) own all intellectual property rights in this podcast and all related content, online and offline.  
You may not use, copy, modify, download, archive, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, licence, create derivative works from or commercially exploit any part of our content unless we expressly agree in writing.  
You must not use any images, audio, video, graphics or clips separately from their accompanying context.  
Please acknowledge Rad Chat (and any identified contributors) clearly whenever referencing or sharing our content.

Trigger warning: this episode discusses cancer and cancer treatment.

Alexa Plichta talks about her role and training as a radiation therapist in the USA, working on the MR-Linac and future aspirations.

Links:
MR Linac Consortium 
Rad Chat Links:
Rad Chat Website
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© Rad Chat 2026. All rights reserved.  
We (or our licensors) own all intellectual property rights in this podcast and all related content, online and offline.  
You may not use, copy, modify, download, archive, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, licence, create derivative works from or commercially exploit any part of our content unless we expressly agree in writing.  
You must not use any images, audio, video, graphics or clips separately from their accompanying context.  
Please acknowledge Rad Chat (and any identified contributors) clearly whenever referencing or sharing our content.

Trigger warning: this episode discusses cancer and cancer treatment.

Roberto Pellegrini talks about his role as a medical physicist and the power of music within the oncology community. Check out their band too: https://www.instagram.com/estronauts_band/.

Links:
MR Linac Consortium 
Rad Chat Links:
Rad Chat Website
Link Tree
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
TikTok
BlueSky
YouTube
© Rad Chat 2026. All rights reserved.  
We (or our licensors) own all intellectual property rights in this podcast and all related content, online and offline.  
You may not use, copy, modify, download, archive, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, licence, create derivative works from or commercially exploit any part of our content unless we expressly agree in writing.  
You must not use any images, audio, video, graphics or clips separately from their accompanying context.  
Please acknowledge Rad Chat (and any identified contributors) clearly whenever referencing or sharing our content.