Our Mission

Iain MacEwan is a radiation oncologist who has been treating children with proton therapy since 2017, when he joined California Protons and the Rady Pediatric Proton Therapy program. Originally he is from Palm Springs, CA, and he enjoys spending time with his family, surfing, and playing golf. He has treated thousands of children from across the United States and internationally. As the Rady Pediatric Proton Therapy program has grown, so has the challenge of supporting children and their families while they are away from home. The Beam of Hope Foundation was created to address this need and now operates with the goal of funding patients and their families in need during their treatment.

Brian Chou is a radiation oncologist in San Diego specializing in proton therapy and pediatric solid tumors. He grew up in Hsinchu 新竹 Taiwan, and moved to Richland, Washington, at age 7. He completed his college education at the University of Washington. Brian graduated from medical school at Loma Linda University, and completed his residency, serving as chief resident, at Loyola University in Chicago. His research interests include proton therapy and childhood cancers. His practice is split between the California Protons Cancer Therapy Center and UCSD Moores Cancer Center. Brian's work with Beam of Hope seeks to support pediatric patients and their families traveling to San Diego for proton therapy. He enjoys playing tennis, golf, classical music, and participating in sheep herding trials with his border collie.

Benjamin Lacombe, a San Diego native, pursued a pre-med education at Cornell University in 2007 and completed his Radiation Therapist training in 2014 at Cambridge Health in West Palm Beach, Florida. His passion for healthcare was inspired early on by assisting his parents in running a care facility for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients, where he developed a deep commitment to compassionate patient care. He began his oncology career as a Radiation Therapist at the Scripps Proton Therapy Center in 2014, operating treatments with the United States' first Varian ProBeam proton accelerator, and now leads Clinical Operations at California Protons Cancer Therapy Center. Ben is dedicated to advocating for patients fighting for their health and continues to explore new ways to improve care delivery. Outside of his professional life, he is an avid supporter of science, technology, fitness, and community service.