The successes of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology have been shaped through the power of partnerships. We consider each other to be our second family, and you are family by extension through your support of our trainees.

A gift to the Dr. Karl L. Prado Endowment for Radiation Oncology Trainees fund supports the academic activity, education, and whole-person wellness of our trainees, medical and physics residents, fellows, radiation therapists, dosimetrists, nurses, and medical students. I have been personally inspired to see, firsthand, the impact that this endowment has had on our trainees in supporting their elective rotations research efforts, enabling them to collaborate on peer-reviewed journal publications and present their work at national meetings within their specific fields of interest.

2023 marks the fifth anniversary of the naming of the trainee endowment in honor of Dr. Karl Prado. The Department of Radiation Oncology has invested $1 million to establish this endowment, and seeks to raise an additional $1 million to support the instruction of talented trainees for generations to come.

Dr. Karl Prado was a beloved physicist in our department for many years who played a critical role in the education of future innovators and healers. He worked tirelessly to lead patient safety protocols, and created quality care guidelines in medical physics to leave a permanent legacy that continues today. He was awarded the first-ever Physics Educator of the Year Award in 2018 by our residents for his unparalleled impact as a teacher.

We are proud to honor Dr. Karl Prado for his remarkable teaching influence with the establishment of this endowment. If you are interested in becoming a partner in philanthropy, please consider a donation today. Thank you.

Warmly,

Sarah McAvoy, MD
Vice Chair for Education
Department of Radiation Oncology

 “One of the best things I remember about Karl, and he inspired us all around, was his unequivocal focus on ‘our patients’ and on ‘our team members/staff’, and how to take care of both. One of his famous quotes we all knew, which is still on display in our dosimetry area, was 'if you take care of the team, the team will take care of the patients'.  Karl was a model who was reflective of some of our department’s core philosophies, including ‘we are a working family’ and ‘we go farther and faster working together than we do as individuals’. In this context Karl always made himself available, regardless of how busy he was, to be a sounding board for ideas/thoughts on how to improve things for our team, as well as our patients.” - William F. Regine, MD, FACR, FASTRO, FACRO, Chair and Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology

 “Dr Prado was one of the most honorable people I have ever known. In his presence, you never felt that he was above you. He took pride in mentoring young faculty members, and this is what I miss the most about him.” – Young Kwok, MD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology