Access to high-quality cancer care should not depend on where a patient lives, but distance remains a major barrier for many in smaller communities, particularly for radiation oncology where treatment often requires daily visits over several weeks. Addressing that challenge is a core priority for Tennessee Oncology, which recently named John G. Phillips, MD, MPH, executive vice president of radiation oncology centers.
Phillips is leading a multiyear strategy to expand access by investing in comprehensive cancer centers in smaller communities, strengthening hospital partnerships, and bringing advanced therapies closer to patients. “Many of the communities we serve have historically had limited access to radiation oncology,” he said. “In many of these towns, we’re the only oncology provider—not because we’re pushing others out but because Tennessee Oncology is willing to invest in smaller communities to bring care within a reasonable distance for patients.”
Tennessee Oncology has shifted from partnering with hospitals to directly owning and operating radiation oncology programs as part of broader cancer centers. Phillips said the organization now owns three centers, employs about 30 radiation oncologists, and expects five additional hires within the year. He oversees clinical development, quality and safety initiatives, research integration, and radiopharmaceutical growth across the network.
Phillips’ long-term vision emphasizes establishing comprehensive cancer centers that serve as anchors for multidisciplinary care in smaller communities. He described a “halo effect” in which bringing such centers to a town encourages other specialists to practice locally, strengthens hospital partnerships, and reduces the need for patients to travel for care.
Phillips’ interest in oncology developed through personal experience and during training, when he gravitated to radiation oncology for its blend of technology, medicine, and patient relationships. His undergraduate background in applied computer science drew him to the field’s technical sophistication and the continuous patient contact radiation therapy allows.
He completed residency at Harvard Medical School, earned an MPH from Harvard, and served as an attending physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, focusing on genitourinary and central nervous system tumors. Phillips also led AI-driven research at Harvard’s Computational Neuroscience Outcome Center, applying machine learning and neural networks to predict outcomes in radiosurgery for brain metastases.
A major focus of Phillips’ clinical and strategic leadership is theranostics, which combines advanced molecular imaging with targeted radioligand therapy to personalize radiation delivery while sparing healthy tissue. He was senior author on the American Society for Radiation Oncology white paper on quality and safety considerations for radiopharmaceutical therapy, which outlines infrastructure, staffing, training, and multidisciplinary coordination needed to expand access responsibly.
Phillips highlighted prostate-specific membrane antigen PET (PSMA-PET) imaging and PSMA-targeted therapy such as lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Pluvicto) as examples of how theranostics is reshaping cancer care. He stressed the importance of making both advanced imaging and radioligand therapies available in smaller communities, not just at academic centers.
Tennessee Oncology is implementing these priorities across its network, including building a comprehensive cancer center in Tullahoma designed to offer the same level of care available in Nashville without requiring long-distance travel. The organization is also expanding palliative care, survivorship services, and clinical trial access to community settings.
Phillips said the overarching goal is to eliminate geography as a barrier to cancer care, preventing delayed or missed treatment and bringing world-class cancer care and research into communities that have historically lacked it.
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