Dr. Shannon MacDonald
By Dr. Shannon MacDonald
More than five years in the making, Southwest Florida Proton successfully completed its first proton treatment in late 2025. The project made history as the first proton center to open on Florida’s west coast and 48th in the country, even setting a world record in the process.
The timeline to open Southwest Florida Proton stretches back years. Discussions started materializing in 2020, land was purchased in 2021 and a groundbreaking took place in 2022.
By December 2024, two partners had opened practices within the 42,000-square-foot building. Advocate Radiation Oncology operates a traditional photon therapy center, while Lee Health manages a diagnostic imaging center on the premises of Southwest Florida Proton.
The following 12 months involved installation and assembly of Ion Beams Applications’ ProteusONE, along with a meticulous series of testing and calibration..
After the first milestone treatment on Dec. 30, 2025, our entire team celebrated with cake and high-fives. This cancer center – and this one machine – offers a beacon of hope for patients and their families who otherwise had to travel long distances for proton treatments.
“Part of the reason we pushed so hard and we drive every day – every minute – to try to figure out how to do this is because people need our help and patients need this resource,” said Dr. Arie Dosoretz, CEO and managing partner of Southwest Florida Proton. “Studies estimate that only 1% to 2% of patients who could benefit from proton therapy have access to it in our country. That’s been our driving mission here.”
It took Southwest Florida Proton just 21 days from the time IBA engineers officially handed over control of the ProteusONE system until the center’s medical team delivered its first proton treatment to a local man with prostate cancer. No other proton center in the world has done it faster, and the team received special recognition from IBA for that accomplishment.
“It was symbolically very important to begin treating in 2025,” Dosoretz said. “The credit should go to our entire team. We have remarkably dedicated experts who allow us to operate with unrivaled efficiency. We take immense pride in delivering on our promise to this community.”
Along with Dosoretz, Southwest Florida Proton is led by Dr. Joseph Kascmar, operations director; Dr. Todd Pezzi, associate medical director; Dr. Mark Artz, senior director of proton medical physics; and Linnae Campbell, director of medical dosimetry, along with myself and a team of talented radiation therapists and patient care specialists.
With patient treatments now underway, Southwest Florida Proton is already playing a critical role in expanding access to cutting-edge cancer care across the region. After an initial ramp-up period, it’s full speed ahead. Patient appointments are now starting at 7:30 a.m. and continuing until early evening. Inquiries from referring physicians and patients are sky high, including individuals from other states – and even other countries – where proton therapy is not an option.
Today, the 1.5 million people who call Southwest Florida home can now drive 45 minutes or less for a world-class, life-saving cancer treatment.
“Proton therapy is a powerful modality that was missing in our health care ecosystem,” Dosoretz said. “Our region was already on the map, but this firmly plants our flag in the ground and says Southwest Florida offers world-class cancer care.”
Dr. Shannon MacDonald is the medical director of Southwest Florida Proton and a pioneer in the field of proton therapy. For more information, please visit SWFLproton.com.
