Jill Feldman, lung cancer survivor and advocate, shares her familial history of lung cancer that drove her to advocacy work long before her own diagnosis of EGFR-positive disease, as well as her treatment courses with erlotinib and subsequent SBRT for many years before osimertinib. Jill then describes her “journey” in advocacy, beginning with self-advocacy and the LUNGevity Foundation, independent research advocacy and representing lung cancer patients, and co-founding the EGFR Resisters – a group of EGFR-positive patients who are resistant to targeted treatment. Her message for clinicians and scientists is to start thinking of patients as partners in research.
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
