To truly understand the gravity of the somber COVID situation in India, Chadi hosts Parameswaran Hari, MD, MRCP, chief of oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Nikita Mehra, MD, associate professor of medical oncology, Cancer Institute Adyar (India). Dr. Hari begins by providing a ground-floor perspective of the COVID situation in India from his visit there just a few weeks ago, including how the country fared in 2020 compared to the current day and how hospital systems are managing in different parts of the country. Dr. Mehra then joins the show to share how shocked India has been with the second wave.
The trio discuss the “hypotheses” of why COVID never hit India that hard last year, initial stages of vaccine hesitancy among health care workers and trust levels with the central government, and whether or not the situation is dire enough to consider rationing care on a patient-by-patient basis. The conversation wraps up with comments on the US actions to support India during this crisis. Spoiler alert: all three are very critical.
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Dr. Simrit Parmar, founder of Cellenkos, joins the show to discuss her journey from the lab to the biotech startup world, detailing the inspiration behind launching her company, the challenges of securing funding, and the resilience required to overcome rejections. She shares insights into Cellenkos’ lead product, its progress toward market approval, and the rigorous
Carol Rausch—a healthcare professional, cancer researcher, and former patient with lymphoma—shares how her journey from researcher to patient transformed her understanding of medical language. She discusses the impact of word choice on patients, why certain battle and war metaphors can be harmful, and how language used in clinical settings differs from what resonates with those
Drs. David Braun and Toni Choueiri join to discuss a groundbreaking Nature study on a personalized neoantigen vaccine for adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. They explore the inspiration behind the trial, how the vaccine was developed and administered, and its safety profile. The conversation also covers patient outcomes after 3-4 years, including immune responses and disease
