podcasts
Closing the rural cancer care gap: a conversation with Wade Swenson and Ryan Taggart
July 1, 2026
Equity and public health
In this episode of Within Reach, rural oncologist Dr. Wade Swenson joins Evan Young and Ryan Taggart to expose the widening cancer mortality gap between rural and urban communities, and what it will actually take to close it. They explore how innovation, policy, and trust can bring truly equitable oncology care to patients far beyond major cancer centres.
Cancer mortality is falling across the U.S., but for too many patients in rural communities, the gap is actually widening – not just metaphorically speaking, but physically, too. Barriers include hours-long drives for treatment, resource limitations in hospitals, and the challenges of navigating cancer while also facing food insecurity and broadband deserts.
In this episode of Within Reach, rural oncologist Dr. Wade Swenson joins Avalere Health’s Ryan Taggart and host Evan Young to explore how telehealth, decentralised clinical trials, AI, and community‑based care models can bring big‑city innovation to frontier counties.
Chapters
00:00 – What does “rural” really mean in cancer care?
5:35 – The distance problem and social determinants of rural cancer care
11:20 – Inside a rural oncologist’s day
17:00 – Practising oncology in rural communities
19:20 – Telehealth, broadband gaps, and the future of decentralised trials
24:55 – Innovation in oncology meets the rural reality
33:45 – Lung cancer screening and the human barriers to early detection
40:45 – What needs to change