Pendleton’s new cancer center announces its first medical director

Published 6:00 am Saturday, November 16, 2019

PENDLETON — The new cancer center being built in Pendleton has found its leader.

Dr. Juno Choe, 45, was hired in August by Radiation Business Services, the Tennessee-based company behind the project, to be the center’s first medical director when it begins seeing patients in January.

“That idea of serving in an area that’s been underserved, and to have more autonomy and independence while, in my mind, making more of a difference really appealed to me,” said Choe, who is coming to Pendleton after working as a radiation oncologist in the Tri-Cities for the last handful of years.

The center, which will be located at Southwest 24th Street across from Rice Blakely Park and named the Eastern Oregon Cancer Center at Pendleton, will provide radiation oncology services to the region. Currently, the closest centers to many in the region to receive cancer treatment are in Walla Walla, Washington, or the Tri-Cities.

The facility’s construction first broke ground in June and will be completed in December with the goal of having the needed equipment delivered and installed, and the rest of the building prepared to begin operation, in January.

Denise Gerlach, the RBS vice president of business development and marketing, said they are aiming to hold a grand opening for the center in mid-February.

While construction progresses, RBS Vice President of Project Development Trip Leasure said one of the keys to ensuring the project’s success was finding the right director.

“We can build the building, we can bring the equipment in,” he said. “But you have to find the right person to work with the patients.”

Choe said 70% of his work will be dedicated to helping treat cancers, while the other 30% will be to helping ease pain and improve the quality of life for patients.

A small portion of Choe’s work will also be treating benign disorders, such as plantar fasciitis.

In addition to bringing radiation oncology services closer to home for those in the region, Choe is hoping to provide new treatment options for prostate cancer and radiation iodine treatments, which he said aren’t currently offered in the area.

Beyond his radiation oncology work, Choe will also work directly with the Eastern Oregon Cancer Network, a newly formed nonprofit geared toward collecting and distributing funds and providing other assistance to the cancer center’s patients.

As Choe takes over as the center’s first director, it’s the next step in a long professional journey.

Choe first followed in his father’s footsteps and earned a degree in electrical engineering and computer sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But while working for a company that was working on radiation oncology software, he found a new passion.

“In electrical engineering and computer sciences a lot of what you do is interact with a computer,” Choe said. “I wanted more human interaction and to be able to see the difference I was making in people’s lives.”

So in 1996, Choe went back to school to study medicine at the University of Washington. He stayed there until 2006 to earn his doctorate and complete an internship. Since then, Choe has also trained and worked in Cleveland, Ohio, and Yakima, Washington.

For RBS, which was formed in 2010 with the aim of eliminating long distances that people must travel to receive cancer treatments in rural areas, Choe checked all the boxes of who they wanted to lead the new center in Pendleton.

“We wanted somebody very community-minded and patient-centric, and that brings value to the community,” Leasure said.

As he prepares for his new job, Choe’s goal is to build the new center into a “top notch facility” by starting with the patients.

“How can I help you to heal?” he said. “How can I make things easier for you and your family? How can we help you on your cancer journey?”