Patrick Estoesta

Current position: Radiation Therapist – Research/QA Assistant

Years qualified as an RT: 5 years

Research areas of interest: Hypofractionated prostate RT, breast IMRT, SRS

Research qualifications: Masters in Health Science (MRS) completed 2012

What is your greatest research achievement?

Having a poster that I co-authored accepted to ASTRO 2012

Why and how did you get involved in research?

I am interested in new developments in RT and research helps with the implementation of these new techniques in a clinical setting.

How do you balance research/work/family life?

The key to a balance is good time management. Creating a timeline at the research proposal stage helps to keep you on track as well as ensures that you are not spending too much time on one area.

How did you find a mentor/supervisor?

A mentor was suggested by someone at work.

What was your supervisor’s best advice?

Keep your primary objective simple. You do not need to answer a multitude of questions primarily as this would increase the amount of data you need to collect and analyse. Added to this, your work may not end up as logical as it should be.

What do you enjoy most about being involved in research?

I enjoy research as it helps keep me up to speed with current and future advancements in the field.

What has been your biggest challenge or barrier to being involved in research?

The biggest challenge in being involved in research is ensuring that I am still clinically up to date with current departmental standards. Even though I enjoy research I find that clinical work still interests me greatly.

What one piece of advice would you give other researchers?

Take your time and start by doing a research proposal. It will give you a good indication if your idea is worthwhile as well as gives your mentor an impression of what you plan to do, the time frame that you wish to do it in and the resources required to accomplish your task.