Rhiannon Goldstraw, lead dosimetrist

Rhiannon Goldstraw is the winner of The Christie’s You Made a Difference Award for January 2024. The following comments were made about Rhiannon in the january nominations.

The judges picked Rhiannon out as a very deserving winner and said that the comments made about her showed how she represented The Christie values and behaviours.

“Rhian leads the radiotherapy treatment planning team. This year has seen her team working under immense pressure with unprecedented numbers of treatment plans produced. She has led the team effectively throughout balancing workload with training of staff on a new planning system.

"She is constantly working to improve patient pathways and will go above and beyond to ensure that patients get treated in a timely but safe fashion. She works hard with a positive attitude and is rarely seen without a smile.”

- Julia-Claire Handley, staff member

**Caption:** Rhiannon Goldstraw receives her award from Roger Spencer

“Rhiannon is a practitioner lead for treatment planning (radiotherapy physics), managing more than 25 staff and liaising with multiple stakeholders (for example, clinicians and physicists) to ensure the efficient running of her section. It is a demanding role juggling the expectations of many stakeholders, which she does very well.

"She initially worked as a treatment radiographer (radiotherapy) and started at The Christie in 2008. She moved to the physics department in 2009/2010 and has since worked her way up to her current position.

Rhian is very conscientious, and definitively goes that extra mile to ensure the wellbeing of her staff, and that the job is completed to the best of her ability. She is a respected individual.
Philip Whitehurst, consultant clinical scientist

“She is very family oriented - her husband and 2 children (Jamie and Rohan) keep her very busy. She loves DIY, and I believe she can turn her hand to most things. She does a little bit of pottery, she loves her holidays (with friends and family) and enjoys a good party.

"She owns 2 snakes. One is a corn snake, the other a python - it is very placid! I’ve heard stories of vacuum cleaning whilst the snake is relaxing in the corner, and she also has a dog, Willow.

"Her friends always speak very highly of her, highlighting that she is a very thoughtful and conscientious friend.”

- Philip Whitehurst, consultant clinical scientist

Has a staff member, team or volunteer at The Christie gone above and beyond in their work? You can nominate them for the monthly You Made a Difference Award.