The Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program has been a cornerstone of research and graduate education at the University of Iowa for more than 75 years. What began in 1947 as the Radiation Research Laboratory — a small unit focused on the biological effects of radiation — has grown into an internationally recognized interdisciplinary program training the next generation of scientists at the intersection of radiation biology, free radical biology, and cancer research.
Since the first students walked through its doors, the program has graduated 190 scientists who have gone on to make meaningful contributions at universities, research institutes, hospitals, and in industry around the world. That legacy is something we're proud of — and actively building on.
75+
190
5
12–16
Key milestones
Radiation Research Laboratory established
1947Founded with support from the Biochemistry and Physiology departments, the RRL opened in Spring 1948 under Dr. T.C. Evans, recruited as Research Professor of Radiology. Funding from the Iowa Division of the American Cancer Society and the Atomic Energy Commission supported early research into radiation injury, tumor growth, and radionuclide procedures.
Graduate program in Radiation Biology established
1961MS and PhD programs were approved by the Graduate College, formalizing the RRL's educational mission alongside its research and nuclear medicine roles.
Radiation Safety Office and Division of Nuclear Medicine
1963With these responsibilities transferred to dedicated units, the RRL could concentrate fully on graduate education and original research.
RRL becomes a Division of Radiology
1973Administrative restructuring brought the laboratory under the Department of Radiology, and later into a section of Radiation Oncology in the early 1990s.
Renamed the Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program
2000The new name reflected the program's broadened scientific scope, expanding beyond radiation biology to formally include free radical biology as a core area of emphasis.
Department of Radiation Oncology established
2001The FRRBP moved into the newly independent Department of Radiation Oncology, which brought together both the clinical activities and the graduate program under one roof.
Andrean Simons-Burnett becomes program director
2023Dr. Simons-Burnett assumed leadership of the FRRBP in July 2023, succeeding Douglas R. Spitz who had led the program since 2008.
Andrean Simons-Burnett
(2023-)
Douglas Spitz
(2008-2023)
Larry Oberley
(1998-2008)
Bill Osborne
(1975-1998)
Full program history
The Radiation Research Laboratory was established in 1947 at the urging of Dr. H. Dabney Kerr, Head of Radiology, along with the heads of the Biochemistry and Physiology departments. The timing was deliberate — radionuclides useful in diagnosis and therapy were just becoming available, and there was a pressing national need for more data on the biological effects of radiation.
Dr. T.C. Evans was recruited to lead the new laboratory as Research Professor of Radiology and Director. Evans came with a strong research pedigree, having spent the years 1941–1948 at the Radiological Laboratory at Columbia University, where he became known for his work on the effects of small daily doses of neutrons on mice.
In its early years, the RRL served three parallel roles: teaching radiobiology to radiology residents and medical students, conducting funded research into radiation injury and tumor growth, and acting as the University of Iowa’s nuclear medicine installation. All radionuclide procedures involving human patients were performed at the RRL from 1948 to 1964. Research support came primarily from the Iowa Division of the American Cancer Society and the Atomic Energy Commission.
In 1961, a formal graduate program in Radiation Biology was established, with MS and PhD degrees approved by the Graduate College two years before the program officially launched. In 1963, a Radiation Safety Office and a Division of Nuclear Medicine were both created as independent units, freeing the RRL to focus more fully on its graduate programs and research mission.
The laboratory became a Division of Radiology in 1973, and later a section of Radiation Oncology in the early 1990s. In 2000, the graduate program was renamed the Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program to reflect its expanded scientific scope. The following year, the Department of Radiation Oncology was established as an independent department, bringing together both the clinical and research arms of the program under one roof.
Over more than seven decades, the FRRBP has been shaped by faculty who have made lasting contributions to the field. Long-serving members have included E. Riley Jr. (1953–1985), J.W. Osborne (1955–), L.W. Oberley (1974–2008), G. Buettner (1988–2025), F. Domann (1993–2022), D.R. Spitz (2000–), and P. Goswami (2000–), among many others. Current primary faculty include A. Simons-Burnett, P. Goswami, D.R. Spitz, B.G. Allen, C. Griguer, M. Howard, J. Byrne, K. Yang, C. Oliva, and M. Petronek, joined by a broad group of affiliated faculty across the Carver College of Medicine.
To date, the program has graduated 190 students — 72 with MS degrees and 124 with PhDs. They have gone on to contribute to clinical and basic research, patient care, and scientific education at institutions around the world. On average, 12 to 16 students are enrolled at any given time, with the option to focus on either radiation biology or free radical biology.