The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently welcomed Margarita Valdez as its assistant director of congressional relations, a key position on its government relations and advocacy team.

As ASTRO’s newest link to Capitol Hill, Valdez will work to promote the Society’s legislative priorities to members of Congress, focusing on issues including patient access to affordable, high-quality health care, stable Medicare payments for physicians and increased funding for cancer research. She also will help organize ASTRO’s annual Advocacy Day, where Society members from across the country travel to Washington to meet with their federal legislators to discuss issues affecting radiation oncology and cancer patients.

“With her diverse background in health and public policy, Margarita brings to ASTRO a fresh perspective on how to best present our priorities on Capitol Hill,” said ASTRO Chief Executive Officer Laura Thevenot. “We are pleased to have her on our team and look forward to her shaping the way we face emerging issues in radiation oncology.”
Valdez brings more than a decade of experience working with members of Congress to her new position. Prior to joining ASTRO, Valdez worked as director of government relations for the National Breast Cancer Coalition, where she developed strategies to implement legislative priorities set by its Board of Directors and coordinated the congressional strategy to secure $120 million in funding for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program. She also worked as the senior director of congressional relations at the American Health Information Management Association, where she was the association’s principal representative to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Valdez earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science Administration and Public Policy from Michigan State University, and she also completed coursework for a Master of Public Administration at Western Michigan University. Additionally, she has volunteered and helped strategize grassroots advocacy efforts on multiple congressional campaigns.

ABOUT ASTRO

ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with nearly 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (www.redjournal.org), Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org) and Advances in Radiation Oncology (www.advancesradonc.org); developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers (www.rtanswers.org); and created the Radiation Oncology Institute (www.roinstitute.org), a nonprofit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment.

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