Meet Our Providers

Michael H. Veeder, M.D.

Specialties
Breast, Hepatobillary, Myeloma / Amyloid, Oncology, Other, Pancreas, Specialty Hematology
Locations
Carthage, Macomb, Peoria, Washington
Board Certifications:
Medical Oncology, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine
Staff Education:
Dr. Veeder attended Boston College, followed by four years at Yale University School of Medicine. His internship and residency were done in internal medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. This was followed by a two-year infectious disease fellowship in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He did his oncology training in Boston at the Sidney Farber Cancer Center Institute — the oncology research center for Harvard Medical School.
Work History:
“I have been at Illinois CancerCare since I completed my oncology fellowship.”
When did you join Illinois CancerCare?
1982
Family Information:
“I am married with three children. One of my children is an airline pilot, the second one works at Denver Theatre for Performing Arts, and my daughter is doing her residency in medicine at Rush Medical Center in Chicago.”
Hobbies / Interests:
“Racquetball, and I collect wood and glass vases and Victorian furniture.”
What medical change has impacted the field of cancer the most since you began practicing medicine?
“We are beginning to understand the basic science charges that cause cancer and are beginning, therefore, to treat cancer based on what is wrong with the cell, rather than just because of the fact that the cancer is growing rapidly.”
Why did you choose your field?
“When doing my infectious disease fellowship in North Carolina, I was asked to see an elderly woman who they thought might have tuberculosis. I was very quickly able to rule out that she did not have any infection. She did have a known brain tumor, and back then, there were no oncologists to take care of her. I cared for her for her last months of her life and found that more rewarding than caring for people with infections, and I then went on to do an oncology fellowship in Boston.”
Why did you choose Illinois CancerCare?
“My only sibling, with whom I am quite close, is an English professor at the University of Chicago. I began, therefore, looking for opportunities in Illinois and was very attracted to the program and practice at Illinois CancerCare.”
Do you have any advice to give patients after they have been diagnosed with cancer?
“After recovering from the initial shock and fear, it is important to have all of your questions answered, writing them all down when they occur to you, so that a good discussion can be held with your physician. It is certainly a good way to start coping with such a difficult problem.”