Dr Richard Shaffer is a UK-based radiation oncologist and prominent expert in the use of radiotherapy for treating benign conditions.

Since starting his practice in 2011, Dr Shaffer has treated more than 2000 benign patients, and provided training and mentoring to fellow physicians starting benign radiotherapy practices. He co-wrote the 2015 Royal College of Radiologists guidelines for benign conditions and is co-founder and President of the International Organisation for Radiotherapy for Benign Conditions (www.iorbc.com).

He is clinical lead for radiotherapy for benign conditions at GenesisCare and has previously chaired their weekly UK skin and benign multidisciplinary team meeting. He is also Medical Director of Xstrahl Limited – a medical device company that makes superficial radiotherapy machine for the treatment of benign conditions and skin cancer.

He has previously been chair of the IMRT-IGRT Radiotherapy Group, the Network Brain Tumour Working Group, Clinical Lead for Radiotherapy at St Luke’s Cancer Centre, and a trustee of the Fountain Centre (a local patient support charity).

In his early career, Dr Shaffer trained as a specialist registrar at various London teaching hospitals and completed a Clinical Fellowship in Radiation Oncology at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, Canada.