Recent Publications
2026
- Siau E, Silva GS, Lu J, et al. Extreme Urban Heat and Emergency Department Visits in Older Adults. JAMA Network Open. 2026.
2025
- Lichter KE, Asaro A, Qureshi M, et al. The climate and health impact of U.S. radiation therapy: estimating greenhouse gas emissions, DALYs, and potential of hypofractionation. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2025.
- Northrup B, Hanneman K, Lichter K, et al. Embedding Sustainability into the Imaging and Care of Patients with Cancer. Radiological Society of North America. 2025.
- Silverwood S, Asaro A, Shahi P, et al. Less Is More: Hypofractionation for Equitable and Sustainable Cancer Care. JCO Global Oncology. 2025.
- Sabol RA, Walsh CJ, Densley S, et al. Wildfire disruptions and cancer care: A multi-institutional study of radiotherapy treatment adherence in Northern California. The Journal of Climate Change and Health. 2025.
- Silverwood SM, Lichter KE, Kleiner HS, et al. A unified strategy for addressing climate change, improving public health, and mitigating environmental degradation. Agriculture Communications. 2025.
- Flynn CR, Guzman RD, Olubukola A, et al. Climate change and cancer care: impacts and implications for patients and healthcare professionals. ecancermedicalscience. 2025.
- Lichter KE, Silva GS, Braunstein S, et al. Patient transit and radiotherapy: Cost-effectiveness approach to environmental health savings. [ASCO abstract e23146]. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2025.
- Lichter KE, Silva GS, Avelino S, et al. Advancing Global Equity in Cancer Care: Comparative Environmental Impacts of Radiotherapy in Brazil and the U.S. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2025.
- Woolen S, Lichter KE, Schoen JH. Shaping a Greener Future: The Role of Education in Sustainability (Ep 6). AJR Podcast Series on Sustainability [Full series here], May 2025.
- Lichter KE, Larson B, Pagadala M, Mohamad O, et al. Impact of declared wildfire disasters on survival of lung cancer patients undergoing radiation. Cancer Causes Control. 2025. doi: 10.1007/s10552-024-01949-2
- Baniel CC, Lichter KE, Frick MA, Wu J, et al. The NorCal brachytherapy waste audit: A simple, validated, toolkit for clinician led waste reduction. Brachytherapy. 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.brachy.2025.01.002
- Smolen KA, Streeter SS, Silva GS, et al. Rideshare Intervention to Promote Access to Care and Environmental Sustainability Within Oncology. JCO Oncology Advances. 2025. doi: 10.1200/OA-25-00104
- Drew T, Conway A, Do I, et al. Impact of Extreme Climate Events on Puerto Rican Radiation Oncology Practices. Cancer Control. 2025. doi: 10.1177/10732748251394061
- Munger DP, Lichter KE. Response to the Hidden Impact of Radiography and Fluoroscopy An Environmental Life Cycle Assessment. 2025. Journal of the American College of Radiology. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2025.12.007
2024
- Silverwood SM, Waeldner K, Demeulenaere SK, Lichter KE, et al. The Relationship between Travel Distance for Treatment and Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy: A Systematic Review. Advances in Radiation Oncology. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1016/j.adro.2024.101652
- Baniel CC, Sabol RA, Nieto R, Lichter KE, et al. Green Horizons in Oncology: A Blueprint for Environmentally Sustainable Radiation Therapy Facilities. Seminars in Radiation Oncology. 2024;34(4):426-432. doi:10.1016/j.semradonc.2024.07.004
- Bhatia RK, Lichter KE, Zaorsky NG, Mantz C. Using hypofractionation to decarbonise radiation oncology. BMJ. 2024;386:e079072. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-079072
- Frick MA, Baniel CC, Lichter KE, Bagshaw HP. Travel-Related Environmental Impact of Telemedicine in a Radiation Oncology Clinic. 2024;(1):23-29. doi:10.37549/ARO-D-23-00026
- Silverwood SM, Lichter KE, Stavropoulos K, et al. Assessing the Readiness for Climate Change Education in Radiation Oncology in the US and Canada. Appl Radiat Oncol. 2024;(1):15 - 22. doi:10.37549/ARO-D-24-00007
- Lichter KE, Charbonneau K, Lewy JR, et al. Quantification of the environmental impact of radiotherapy and associated secondary human health effects: a multi-institutional retrospective analysis and simulation. The Lancet Oncology. 2024;25(6):790-801. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(24)00148-7
- Shenker, Rachel B Julie, Lichter KE. Green-ifying Clinical Trials. Published March 1, 2024. https://www.appliedradiationoncology.com/articles/green-ifying-clinical-trials
- Lichter KE, Sabbagh A, Demeulenaere S, et al. Reducing the Environmental Impact of Health Care Conferences: A Study of Emissions and Practical Solutions. JCO Global Oncology. Published online February 15, 2024. doi:10.1200/GO.23.00209
2023
- Lichter K, Sabbagh A, Demeulenaere S, et al. Quantifying emissions and enhancing inclusivity: Insights from ASCO attendance data. JCO Oncology Practice. 2023. doi.org/10.1200/OP.2023.19.11_suppl.442
- Smolen KA, Luu J, Braunstein SE, et al. Shifting Gears to Green: A Pilot Study on Decarbonizing Patient Transport. The Journal of Climate Change and Health. Published online December 24, 2023:100297. doi:10.1016/j.joclim.2023.100297
- Silverwood S, Lichter KE, Conway A, et al. Distance Traveled by Patients Globally to Access Radiation Therapy: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. 2023;0(0). doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.10.030
- Lichter KE, Baniel CC, Do I, et al. Impacts of Wildfire Events on California Radiation Oncology Clinics and Patients. Advances in Radiation Oncology. Published online October 22, 2023:101395. doi:10.1016/j.adro.2023.101395
- Lichter KE, Bloom JR, Sheu RD, et al. Tracking and Reducing SF6 Usage in Radiation Oncology: A Step Toward Net-Zero Health Care Emissions. [Erratum] Practical Radiation Oncology. 2023;0(0). doi:10.1016/j.prro.2023.06.003
- Chuter R, Stanford-Edwards C, Cummings J, Lichter KE, et al. Towards estimating the carbon footprint of external beam radiotherapy. Physica Medica. 2023;112:102652. doi:10.1016/j.ejmp.2023.102652
- Lichter KE, Weinstein HNW, Husain M, Kishan R, Hantel A, Maniar A. National Cancer Institute Centers With Environmental Sustainability Plans for Climate Change. JAMA Network Open. 2023;6(6):e2317206. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.17206
- Lichter KE, Charbonneau K, Sabbagh A, et al. Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Radiation Therapy Using Life Cycle Assessments: A Critical Review. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. 2023;0(0). doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.04.03
2022
- Lichter KE, Demeulenaere S, Drew T, et al. The Environmental Impact of a Hybrid Medical Conference: Reduced Carbon Emissions of ASTRO's Digital XP 2021 Conference Model [Abstract 1048]. International Journal of Radiation Oncology. 2022.
- Maniar A, Lichter KE, Husain M, et al. National cancer centers addressing climate change: An overview and analysis of organizations' sustainability plans. [ASCO Abstract e13623]. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2022.
- Bloom JR, Anderson JD, McComas KN, et al. Environmentally Sustainable Radiation Oncology: Can We Turn the Tides? [Abstract]. Applied Radiation Oncology. 2022. doi:10.37549/ARO1320
- Lichter KE, Anderson J, Sim AJ, Baniel CC, Thiel CL, Chuter R, Collins A, Carollo E, Berg CD, Coleman CN, Abdel-Wahab M, Grover S, Singer L, Mohamad O. Transitioning to Environmentally Sustainable, Climate-Smart Radiation Oncology Care. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2022 Aug 1;113(5):915-924. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2022.04.039. PubMed PMID: 35841919.
- Lichter KE, Baniel CC, Anderson J, Bhatia R, Frick MA, Thiel CL, Gandhi S, Sarria GR, Bagshaw HP, Petereit D, Chino J, Grover S, Singer L, Hsu IC, Mohamad O. Environmentally sustainable brachytherapy care. Brachytherapy. 2022 Jul 3;. doi: 10.1016/j.brachy.2022.06.002. PubMed PMID: 35794032.
- Lichter KE, Drew T, Demeulenaere S, Wong E, Mohamad O, Yom SS, Bagshaw HP. Environmental Outcomes Associated With Transition From In-Person to a Virtual Oncology Conference During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Oncol. 2022 Jun 23;. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.1925. PubMed PMID: 35737362.
- Patel L, Lichter KE. How Should We Better Manage Human and Planetary Health in a Next Pandemic? AMA J Ethics. 2022;24(10):E980-985. doi:10.1001/amajethics.2022.980
- Lichter KE, Baniel CC, Sood N, et al. Development of Climate Health and Oncology-Based Curricula: Understanding Climate Change’s Impact on Cancer Care and a Physicians’ Role. International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics. 2022;114(1):e20. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2022.06.04
Recent Poster Presentations
2026
- Kasireddy NM, Jain P, Smolen K, et al. Interprofessional Climate and Health Education: Addressing Knowledge Gaps in Healthcare Sustainability Through Collaborative Learning. 2026 Climate Health Day. Arlington, VA. February 2026.
2025
- Lichter KE, Silva GS, Walsh G, et al. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Reduce Waste in Oncology: A Sustainable Approach to Procedural Waste. Digital Health Innovations Fourth Annual Summit. Hanover, NH. December 2025.
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Silva GS, Anand C, McSween Z, et al. Energy-saving radiotherapy paths: Cost-effectiveness analysis of environmental health co-benefits. ASCO Quality Care Symposium Annual Meeting. Boston, MA. October 2025. Published abstract here.
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Lichter KE, Silva GS, Tompkins J, et al. Quantifying Energy Consumption in Radiation Oncology: A Multi-Modality Assessment for Sustainability and Efficiency. Astro's 67th Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. October 2025. Published abstract here.
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Lichter KE, Silva GS, Phuong C, et al. Harnessing AI for Sustainable Radiation Oncology: Transforming Brachytherapy Waste Management. Astro's 67th Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. October 2025. Published abstract here.
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Silva GS, Anand C, Walsh C, et al. Energy-Saving Interventions for MRI: Reducing Costs and Environmental Health Impacts. ACR Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, May 2025.
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Silva GS, McSween Z, Anand C, et al. Toward Improved Value in Cancer Care: Reducing Healthcare Costs and Environmental Impacts. ACPM Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, May 2025.
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Drew T, Conway A, Do I, et al. Impact of Extreme Climate Events on Puerto Rican Radiation Oncology Practices. UCSF La Comunidad Conference, San Francisco, CA, April 2025.
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McSween Z, Silva GS, Anand C, et al. Improving Value in Radiation Therapy: An Analysis of Cost and Environmental Health Savings in Radiation Oncology. ARS Annual meeting, Seattle, WA, April 2025.
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Lichter KE, Silva GS, Avelino S, Anand C, et al. Environmental Impacts of External Beam Radiation Therapy in Brazil: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment. ACRO Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, March 2025. Published abstract here.
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Silva GS, Lichter KE, Badal K, van’t Veer L, Esserman LJ. Breast Cancer Screening: Achieving Cost and Environmental Savings (BrACE). UCSF EaRTH Conference, San Francisco, CA, February 2025.
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Lichter KE, Silva GS, Charbonneau K, Sabbagh A, Witztum A, Bloom J, Shenker R, Junzo C, Vidal G, Lewy J, Hearn J, Chuter R, Sarria G, Ramalho-Avelino S, Anand C, Thiel C, Mohamad O. The Environmental and Associated Human Health Impacts of Radiotherapy Delivery in the United States: Multi-Institutional Life Cycle Assessment & Simulation. UCSF EaRTH Conference, San Francisco, CA, February 2025.
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Silva GS, Morales LM, Do I, et al. ‘Natural’ Disasters and Cancer Care Disruptions: Perspectives from Providers in Puerto Rico Following Hurricane Maria. 18th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health, Baltimore, MD, September 2025. Published abstract here.
2024
- Sabol RA, Walsh CJ, Densley S, Medhat Y, Krishna A, Baiyee C, Meltzer D, Boscardin J, Witztum W, Pitts N, Paulsson AK, Luh JY, Zalavari L, Yom SS, and Lichter KE. Radiotherapy Adherence and Wildfire Disruptions: A Multi-Institutional Study of Treatment Compliance in Northern California. APPAM 2024 Fall Research Conference, National Harbor, MD, November 2024.
- Silva GS, Lichter KE, Badal K, Veer L, Esserman LJ. Optimizing Cost and Environmental Impact in Breast Cancer Screening: A Dual-Benefit Approach. UCSF RISE UP for Breast Cancer Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 2024.
- Do I, Lichter KE, Battles J. Protecting Access to Cancer Treatment in Fire-Prone Areas: Evaluating Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Society of American Foresters Conference, Loveland, CO, September 2024.
- Sabol RA, Walsh CJ, Densley S, Krishna A, Baiyee C, Meltzer D, Boscardin J, Witztum A, Pitts N, Paulsson AK, Luh JY, Zalavari L, Yom SS, Lichter KE. Evaluating the Impact of Wildfires on Radiotherapy Compliance and Financial Costs: Insights from a Multi-Clinic Analysis. ASTRO Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, September 2024.
- Asaro A, Charbonneau K, Anand C, Thiel C, Truong MT, Parekh A, Qureshi MM, Mohamad O, Lichter KE. Climate-Smart Oncology: Can Hypofractionation Lighten Radiotherapy's Environmental Load? ASTRO Annual Meeting, Palm Springs, CA, May 2024.
- Lichter KE, Sabol R, Yom SS, Mohamad O, Witztum A. Impact of wildfires on radiotherapy adherence in patients with cancer: A multi-clinic study. ASCO Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 2024. Published abstract here.
- Smith A, Lichter KE, Phuong C, Liu J, Ni L, Shin J, Mohamad O, Braunstein S, Hsu I, Prionas N. Streamlining Brachytherapy OR Waste Management in 60 Seconds: The AI Solution. UCSF 2024 SOM Leadership Retreat, AI Convergence: Preparing for the Age of Artificial Intelligence, San Francisco, CA, February 2024.
2023
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Lichter KE, Decarbonizing Oncology: Navigating Emissions Reduction and Equitable Care. UCSF Graduate Medical Education Grand Rounds, November 2023.
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Lichter KE The Ecologic Footprint of Brachy & Radiotherapy. The Groupe Européen de Curiethérapie (GEC) and the European SocieTy for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) Workshop, Prague, November 2023.
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Lichter K, Larson B, Mohamad O, Nogueira LM. Impact of declared wildfire disasters on survival of lung cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment. ASCO Quality Care Symposium 2023 *Featured Abstract, October 2023. Published abstract here.
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Charbonneau K, Lichter KE, Anand C, Mohamad O, Thiel C. The Environmental Impact of Radiation Oncology: the “footprint” of external beam radiation therapy. American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA) Annual Meeting, October 2023.
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Lichter KE, Charbonneau K, Sabbagh A, Witztum A, Bloom J, Shenker R, Chino J, Vidal G, Lewy J, Hearn J, Chuter R, Sarria G, Ramalho-Avelino S, Anand C, Thiel C, Mohamad O. Simulating the Environmental and Public Health Consequences of Radiotherapy Delivery in the United States using Multi-Institutional Life Cycle Assessments. ASTRO Annual Conference, October 2023.
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Lichter KE. Environmentally Sustainable Brachytherapy Care. European Society Radiation Oncology (ESTRO) Climate Change Course, June 2023.
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Lichter KE, Phuong C, Liu J, Ni L, Smith A, Shin J, Braunstein S, Hsu I, Prionas N, Mohamad O. Streamlining Brachytherapy OR Waste Management in 60 Seconds: The AI Solution. American Brachytherapy Society, June 2023.
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Sabbagh A, Lichter KE, Demeulenaere S, Drew T, Conway A, Nogueira L, Kirkwood K, Hampshire K, Gundling K, Teherani A, Thottathil S Mohamad O Network Greener: Sustainability for Conferences Made Easy! Mount Sinai Climate Change Conference, June 2023.
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Conway A, Lichter KE, Sabbagh A, Demeulenaere S, Drew T. Reducing the Environmental Impact of Healthcare Conferences: A Study of Emissions. Mount Sinai Climate Change Conference, June 2023.
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Smith A, Lichter KE, Phuong C, Liu J, Ni L, Shin J, Mohamad O, Braunstein S, Hsu I, Prionas N. Streamlining Brachytherapy OR Waste Management in 60 Seconds: The AI Solution. UCSF 2024 SOM Leadership Retreat, AI Convergence: Preparing for the Age of Artificial Intelligence, San Francisco, CA, February 2024.
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Lichter KE, Bloom J, Sheu R, Zalavari L, Leung K, Collins A, Witztum A, Chuter R. Addressing SF6 in Healthcare: An Essential Step Towards Achieving Net-Zero Healthcare Emissions. CleanMed, May 2023.
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Smolen K. Lu J, Wiliams L, Randolph H, Raghuwanshi K, Lichter KE. The Reduction of Patient Transportation Emissions with the Utilization of Reduced-Carbon Rideshare Services. UCSF Health Improvement Symposium, May 2023.
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Lichter, KE. Delivering Equitable Cancer Care in a Changing Climate. UCSF Radiation Oncology Annual Course, April 2023.
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Lichter KE, Sabbagh, A. Medical Trainee Engagement in Sustainability, Environmental Health, and Decarbonization. UCSF Town Hall, April 2023.
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Lichter KE. Decarbonizing the Healthcare Sector. Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health Annual Meeting. Washington DC, February, 2023.
2022
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Lichter KE, Maniar A, Husain M, Kishan R, Hantel A, Grover S. Are National Cancer Centers Prepared to Address Climate Change?
An Overview & Analysis of Organizations' Sustainability Plans. ASTRO, October 2022. -
Lichter KE, Demeulenaere S, Drew T, Wong E, Grover S, Bagshaw H, Singer L, Mohamad O. The Environmental Impact of ASTRO's Digital XP 2021 Hybrid Conference Model. ASTRO, October 2022.
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Baniel C, KE Lichter. A Six Minute Waste Audit: A resident-led QI initiative to reduce medical waste. Norcal Symposium, September 2022.
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KE Lichter, Baniel CC, Sood N, Hampshire K, Kuczmarski T, Fox J, Paulsson A, Braunstein SE. Development of Climate Health and Oncology-Based Curricula: Understanding Climate Change’s Impact on Cancer Care and a Physician’s Role. ROECSG, May 2022.