Executive Director Message - May 2023

The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute remains a recognized world leader in the use of proton therapy for the treatment of pediatric cancers. It’s an area of great specialization, and we have a dedicated team of distinguished pediatric proton therapy experts who deliver the most advanced radiation therapy and state-of-the-art treatment protocols. Health systems from around the world actively seek our practitioners’ opinions and send patients to us. As a result, we have treated more than 2,000 children and adolescents from 39 states, 21 countries and five continents. Over the past decade, we have published the largest experience of children treated with proton therapy worldwide for brain tumors, including craniopharyngioma, non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCT), and landmark articles on proton therapy for sarcomas, including Ewing sarcoma of the pelvis, Ewing sarcoma of the skull base, rhabdomyosarcoma of the pelvis, parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma, orbital rhabdomyosarcoma and chordoma. The aim of this work is to improve the long-term outcomes of children with cancer, both in controlling the disease and reducing the severity of side effects resulting in a better quality of life.

Stuart L. Klein
Executive Director