The University of Iowa Department of Radiation Oncology is proud to congratulate Blake Smith, PhD, on receiving the George Starkschall Award for Excellence for an Outstanding Radiation Oncology Physics Article from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM).

The award recognizes Dr. Smith's paper, "Commissioning of a motion management system for a 1.5T Elekta Unity MR-Linac: A single institution experience," published in the Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics (2025). The paper documents the department's work developing and commissioning a motion management system for the MR-Linac — a technology that combines real-time MRI imaging with radiation delivery to more precisely target tumors while accounting for patient movement during treatment. The University of Iowa's Elekta Unity MR-Linac was only the third of its kind commissioned in the United States, and remains the only such system in use in the region.

Dr. Smith will be formally recognized during the Awards & Honors Ceremony at the 2026 Joint AAPM | COMP Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Vancouver, BC on July 20.

The George Starkschall Award is presented annually by the AAPM to honor exceptional contributions to radiation oncology physics literature. Congratulations, Dr. Smith — this recognition is a testament to the innovative work being done here at Iowa, and to our department's continued commitment to advancing the science of precision cancer care.