Our Physicians

Ashish Chawla, MD

Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology

Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology

Dr. Chawla joined Radiation Oncology Associates in 2011. He received his undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University, graduating with honors in Biology. He received his M.D. from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in 1998, where he was elected to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Radiation Oncology training at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital in 2003, where he won awards for scholarly research as a Radiation Oncology resident. He has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles related to breast, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer management as well as Quality and Safety process improvement initiatives in the field of Radiation Oncology.

Prior to joining ROA, he served as a Radiation Oncologist at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland. There, he helped lead innovative clinical research as the Principal Investigator for Breast Cancer protocols with the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). He also helped lead the cancer center’s Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) Program, and served as Cancer Liaison for the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.

Dr. Chawla has served as Chair and System Division Chief of the Department of Advanced Radiation Oncology at Inova Schar Cancer Institute since 2020. He previously served as the Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital from its inception in 2014 until 2020. He serves on the Inova Fairfax Medical Executive Committee and sits on the Board of the National Association for Proton Therapy. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

His clinical interests include the multidisciplinary care of breast and gastrointestinal cancer patients. He is Inova Schar’s Disease Site Leader for Breast Cancer Radiation Oncology, and specializes in the use of all modalities of care for breast cancer patients including Proton Therapy, IMRT/IGRT, Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT), and Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI). He has led numerous national protocols for breast cancer care as Inova’s site Principal Investigator, including landmark studies investigating the role of Proton Therapy for Breast Cancer. He also has expertise in stereotactic radiosurgery/stereotactic body radiotherapy for metastatic disease to the brain, spine, liver and lung.

He has been listed in Washingtonian magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, and U.S. News and World Report numerous times as a “Top Doctor” for Radiation Oncology in the Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia area. He is board certified in Radiation Oncology by the American Board of Radiology.

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