Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Guest: Dr. James McGee, President of OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute
Date: November 29, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, host Elizabeth Gregerson sits down with Dr. James McGee, President of OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute. Dr. McGee discusses his rural upbringing, his lifelong mission to improve cancer care access in central Illinois, and his leadership priorities at the Cancer Institute. The conversation delves into innovative radiation technologies, clinical research expansion, and Dr. McGee’s vision for the future of personalized, risk-reducing cancer care—particularly for historically underserved rural populations.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Dr. McGee’s Background & Motivation
- Rural Roots and Limited Access
- Grew up on a small farm in rural Illinois with limited medical access; early experiences highlighted disparities in rural healthcare.
- Motivation stemmed from the observation that doctors always had essential work, even in tough economic times.
- Quote:
“Most of my health care was given in a gymnasium in the grade school or high school as part of inoculations for polio and things like that. Never really saw physicians very much, but it became clear as time went by that the doctor in town usually had work to do.” (01:00)
- Formative Medical Training
- Medical degree from Loyola; international experiences in South Africa exposed him to resource-limited settings.
- Developed a passion for oncology at the University of Chicago, inspired by working with radiation physics pioneers and a fellowship in brachytherapy in Paris.
- Returning Home with a Mission
- Committed career to improving access to advanced cancer therapies and clinical trials for rural Illinois residents.
- Learned, while chairing the Illinois Board of Health, that rural cancer rates could be as bad as in urban centers—yet funding and attention disproportionately favored cities.
- Quote:
“Millions of dollars were coming in to try to help the situation on the south side of Chicago, and nothing was coming in downstate Illinois. And they got a little better and we got a little worse.” (06:25)
Leadership Priorities at OSF Cancer Institute
- Innovative Radiation Technology
- Focus on advanced treatments minimizing travel and side effects, especially for rural patients.
- Acquisition of a Varian proton unit enables new research, specifically in “flash radiation”—delivering high doses in milliseconds, reducing normal tissue reaction and potentially cutting treatment from weeks to days.
- Quote:
“Our unit has been designed from ground up starting in 2017 with the idea that we would be able to develop aspects of flash radiation treatment with protons.” (08:21)
- Geographic Barriers & Patient Convenience
- Treatments condensed into fewer sessions (e.g., three vs. thirty), enabling patients to stay locally for a short period rather than endure weeks of out-of-town travel.
- Notably beneficial for children and for patients who need re-treatment after prior radiation.
- Brachytherapy Advancements
- Modern, high-dose rate brachytherapy suite enables prostate cancer treatment in just 24 hours.
- Patients can receive curative therapy over two sessions within a day, a significant improvement over weeks-long or permanent implants.
- Quote:
“A full course of treatment in 24 hours with brachytherapy...the patient goes home. That is a wonderful treatment option for patients who say, well, you know, I can't drive down here for six weeks radiation treatment every day.” (11:44)
- Expanding Clinical Research Access
- Prioritizing access to clinical trials—including early-phase drug trials and novel early detection strategies like blood-based cancer screening and self-swabbing for gynecological cancers.
- Research base is expanding through new medical oncologists and a streamlined process for trial activation.
- Quote:
“We've worked very hard to get that down to a time of about 45 days, which allows us to be more attractive to industry, to give us access to do phase one trials and their drugs and so forth.” (13:15)
Vision for the Future — 5-to-10 Year Outlook
- Clinical Innovation
- Aims to have a robust roster of research medical oncologists addressing tough-to-treat cancers.
- Seeks to further integrate advanced clinical trials and treatment modalities for both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
- Benchmarking Success
- Fast-tracked trial launches, expanding biomarker-driven and prevention-focused studies.
- Ongoing dedication to closing the rural/urban cancer care gap through both research and practical clinical service delivery.
Hopes for the Future of Cancer Care
- Genomics & Personalized Prevention
- Strong optimism about the role of genomics in forecasting cancer risk and personalizing screening/care—moving away from “one size fits all” approaches.
- Quote:
“I'd like to think we could become very personalized...really develop for the patient a profile of what screening and when would be most appropriate for them as an individual.” (16:10)
- Intelligent Follow-Up & Survivorship Care
- Survivors need individualized, long-term follow-up plans tailored to their specific treatment exposures and risks—a deep personal motivation, as his own daughter’s experience underscores.
- Quote:
“When a person gets cancer treatment, then they need to have a very exquisite program of follow up that addresses the cancers for which they are now prone to get because of their exposure to various chemotherapy agents, to various radiation methods...” (17:07)
- Rapid, Low-Side-Effect Treatment
- Future care must focus not just on cure but on minimizing long-term side effects—enabling survivors to live healthier, longer lives.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “So those types of experiences have led us to really want to concentrate on giving access to cancer research, to advanced treatment methods for patients in rural populations.” (06:55 — Dr. McGee)
- “Our cancer institute, while it's bringing in advanced research methods and advanced technologies, is focusing really heavily on working with our vast primary care network...to bring more information to those primary care providers and to the patient populations about how to reduce their risk of cancer.” (07:11 — Dr. McGee)
- “We do see a number of patients that come in with cancers that are recurring after prior radiation elsewhere. And sometimes that treatment's not been very good. So proton radiation allows us to consider a lot of patients for retreatment...” (10:47 — Dr. McGee)
- “My own youngest daughter had a very, very serious cancer when she was in her mid-20s...we were savvy enough to ever go to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for proton radiation rather than standard radiation...So we're very aware that just having cancer treatment is—it's fine, it's great—but it also initiates a whole set of problems that can occur for people down the road.” (17:52 — Dr. McGee)
- “I just hope that we're gradually getting to the point where we can detect cancers early and then rapidly move from first suspicion of cancer to confirmation...to actual effective treatment, all the time keeping into mind the need to do those treatments that have the least long term side effects for the patient while improving the cure rate.” (18:40 — Dr. McGee)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:43 — Dr. McGee’s background and rural upbringing
- 06:05 — Observations about rural healthcare disparities in Illinois
- 07:47 — Leadership priorities: access, innovation, new radiation technology
- 10:00 — Impact and future of proton and flash radiation, brachytherapy advances
- 13:01 — Establishing and expanding early-phase clinical trials, early detection research
- 15:35 — Hopes for genomics and personalized care, survivorship considerations
- 17:52 — Dr. McGee’s personal story about family cancer care and survivorship
- 18:40 — Aspiring for faster, more effective, and lower-risk cancer detection and treatment
Conclusion
Dr. James McGee brings both passion and innovative vision to the challenge of delivering world-class cancer care to rural communities. His focus remains on bridging the urban-rural divide, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like proton and flash radiation, expanding clinical trials, and ushering in a new era of personalized, risk-reducing prevention and survivorship care. The episode offers a compelling look at the future of community-centric oncology and the leaders shaping its direction.