The Greek meaning of evangelist is "bringing the good news" In this podcast, patient advocate and lung cancer survivor Dave Bjork brings the good news by serving up stories about the good people in life sciences who are doing amazing work in research. He calls them “brilliant but not famous." But they are all well known and respected in their field among their peers. From academic researchers to biotech scientists, hear about their work but also their personal stories and passions. Life science is full of really good people who care. Hear their stories.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Elaine Shum. Dr. Shum is a thoracic medical oncologist at the Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU in New York City, and an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She did her fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center in hematology and oncology and her residency at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center. She received her medical degree from SUNY Stony Brook.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Martin F. Dietrich, medical oncologist at Cancer Care Centers of Brevard. In his clinical practice, he addresses all aspects of hematologic and oncologic care, with a special research interest in the treatment of lung and breast cancer, and genetic evaluation and counseling of somatic and hereditary syndromes. He also holds a faculty appointment at the University of Central Florida in Orlando as an assistant professor of internal medicine. He also holds doctorates in cancer biology from the German Cancer Research Center and in molecular genetics from the University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School. He completed his fellowships in Hematology/Oncology in the physician-scientist training track at the University of Texas Southwestern Track as a T32 scholar of the National Cancer Institute. As a fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP) and a Board-certified internist, Dr. Dietrich believes in a comprehensive approach to his patients' medical care.
On today's episode, meet Stacey Bledsoe. Stacey Bledsoe RN, MSN has over 19 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry across multiple disciplines including Research & Development, Global Health Outcomes, Medical and Six Sigma. Stacey is currently Head of Global Clinical Trial Diversity and Inclusion at Gilead Sciences. Previously Stacey has served as Senior Director for Diversity in Clinical Trials at Eli Lilly. She also held a Registered Nurse role on the Level III Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Riley Hospital for Children. Stacey earned her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from Indiana University. Stacey's goal is to help influence and ensure that all patients have access to clinical research and life changing medications that will ultimately improve their lives.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Ronny Bell, the Fred Eshelman Professor and Chair of the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at UNC Chapel Hill. Dr. Bell received his undergraduate degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health and his Master's and Doctorate in Foods and Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Bell completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Gerontology and completed a Master's in Epidemiology from the Wake Forest School of Medicine. From 1996 – 2016, Dr. Bell was a member of the faculty in the Department of Epidemiology at Wake Forest, and from 2006 – 2016, he served as Director of the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity. From 2016 – 2020, Dr. Bell served as Chair of the Department of Public Health in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Dr. Bell is an enrolled member of the Lumbee tribe of eastern North Carolina, and currently serves a Chair of the North Carolina American Indian Health Board. He also serves as co-lead the Southeastern American Indian Cancer Health Equity Partnership (SAICEP). Among his awards and honors, Dr. Bell was most recently appointed to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health (2024).
Meet Brenda Lormil-Raymond—a compassionate, and multi-faceted leader committed to elevating healthcare education for Haitian-American communities in Massachusetts. Raised by Haitian immigrant parents, Brenda's cultural background served as the driving force behind the establishment of the Haitian American Medical Assocation (HAMA). She is the founder and Lead Consultant at VDI Consulting, a company dedicated to offering comprehensive healthcare solutions and guidance, with a focus on advancing diversity, delivery, and accessibility within the healthcare industry. Brenda serves as the Equity Nurse Practitioner for Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston, MA. She provides patient-centered care to phase I clinical trial participants in the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies. She is an alumna of Regis College in Weston, MA, where she earned both of her degrees (Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing.)
On today's episode, meet Dr. Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH. Dr. Basu Roy is the Executive Director at LUNGevity Research where he spearheads LUNGevity's Translational Research Programs and Patient-Focused Research Center (Patient FoRCe). He has implemented and manages LUNGevity's patient-focused research including Project Transform, a multi-year, multi-stakeholder patient preference study that LUNGevity is conducting with Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Dr. Basu Roy also has extensive experience in community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology in health sciences research, specifically in projects involving immigrants and minority populations. Dr. Basu Roy has a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona, and an MPH in Global Health Policy and Management from New York University.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Robert Van Haren. Dr. Van Haren is a thoracic surgeon at the University of Cincinnati UC Health. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Michigan and his Medical Degree from Michigan State. He completed his surgical training at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial, followed by a thoracic surgery fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. His training was focused on minimally invasive techniques such as robotic surgery and comprehensive multidisciplinary care for complex cancers, and while in training he completed a clinical research fellowship and obtained a Master's Degree in public health at the University of Miami. His current clinical and research efforts focus on improving outcomes after surgery for lung and esophageal diseases.
On today's episode, meet Tyrone Brewer. Tyrone is the President of US Oncology at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. He is inspired by Janssen's collective mission to re-imagine care, so people with cancer can redefine living. Tyrone is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from The College of New Jersey.
Angie Caton is a Registered Nurse and Assistant Nursing Manager for Oncology Services at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. She also oversees the tumor registry, community outreach, education and inclusion, and is the navigator for the lung cancer screening program. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Aspen University, as well as nursing degrees from Louisiana State and Clayton State universities.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Nasser Hanna. Dr. Hanna is the Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation Professor of Lung Cancer Clinical Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He is a medical oncologist at the IU Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis. He is the thoracic program leader and also a thoracic oncology researcher. He also leads an initiative called End Lung Cancer Now. Dr. Hanna received his medical degree from the University of Missouri, did his residency at the University of Iowa and his fellowship at Indiana University Medical Center.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Dara Aisner, MD, PhD. Dr. Aisner is Associate Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Director of the Colorado Molecular Correlates Laboratory. After her undergraduate work at Vanderbilt, Dr. Aisner completed her MD/PHD combined degree program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She pursued training in Anatomic Pathology at the National Institutes of Health, and went on to two fellowships in Surgical Pathology and Molecular Genetic Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Amy Cummings. Dr. Cummings is a thoracic oncologist and research scientist who practices in Santa Monica and Torrance California. In Santa Monica, she sees lung cancer patients, runs clinical trials, and is part of the virtual multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program. Her clinical interests include immunotherapy, precision medicine, and providing equitable care to all patients regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. At the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center she also serves as the Director for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI).Dr. Cummings received her medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and completed both her internal medicine residency and her hematology and oncology fellowship at UCLA.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Misty Shields. Dr. Shields is a translational thoracic oncologist and assistant professor at Indiana University. As a translational physician scientist, in collaboration with basic scientists and clinicians, she seeks to help shape prospective efforts and guide funding to areas of unmet clinical need, such as small cell lung cancer. Dr. Shields earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Health, Houston McGovern medical school. She then completed a residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and fellowships at the University of South Florida Moffitt Cancer Center and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Tanyanika Phillips. Dr. Phillips is a medical oncologist and Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research at City of Hope in Antelope Valley and Lancaster California. Dr. Phillips received her medical degree from University of Rochester, followed by Residency at Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans and a geriatric fellowship and a Master in Public Health from Vanderbilt University. She continued her training with a medical oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. Originally headed toward a career in research and public health policy, Dr. Phillips pivoted to focus on patient care, where her prodigious gifts of empathy and compassion came to the surface.
Mellisa Wheeler has over 20 years of experience in health care with a specialized focus in oncology. Mellisa is the Director of the Disparities & Outreach program at Levine Cancer Institute, a department dedicated to eradicating the burden of cancer in underserved communities through prevention education, screening and early detection. She has designed and launched several community outreach initiatives, including authoring a grant proposal that resulted in $1.6 million funding for the nation's first mobile lung cancer screening bus as part of the Lung B.A.S.E.S. 4 Life program. Mellisa received her undergrad degree from University of South Florida and her Masters in Health Administration from Ohio University.
On today's episode, meet Chyke Doubeni, MD, MPH. Dr. Doubeni is Chief Health Equity Officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Dr. Doubeni also serves as Associate Director for Diversity Equity and Inclusion in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is tasked with leading Ohio State's continued efforts to address the underlying drivers of disparities in health care that adversely impact marginalized groups and foster more equitable care and health outcomes. Dr. Doubeni is nationally recognized for his work in cancer prevention and public health. Dr. Doubeni received his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Lagos College of Medicine in Nigeria. After completing additional training in the United Kingdom, he completed a family medicine residency at Duke University and a preventive medicine residency at the University of Massachusetts, where he also earned a Master of Public Health degree.
On today's episode, meet Mahesh Karande. Mahesh is President and CEO of Omega Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company in Cambridge, Mass. Mahesh is deeply experienced in running biopharma businesses across discovery, preclinical and clinical development, and commercialization. Earlier, Mr. Karande spent several years at Novartis in senior leadership roles: VP and Head of US Oncology for solid tumors, President of Novartis Africa and President of Novartis Egypt. Mr. Karande has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and undergrad degree in engineering from the University of Bombay. Leading a company with an overarching ethos to be ambitious, yet humble.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Sumita Bhatta. Sumita Bhatta, M.D., is a board-certified oncologist and the Vice President, Global Medical Affairs Head of Oncology at Amgen. She has over 9 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and has held multiple roles in research and development. Sumita received her undergraduate degree from UCLA and received both a M.A. in Applied Physiology as well as a M.D. from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, IL. She completed her internal medicine residency, hematology/oncology fellowship, and a clinical pharmacology/pharmacogenomics fellowship at the University of Chicago. She is dual boarded in medical oncology and clinical pharmacology.
On today's episode meet Dr. Robert Merritt. Dr. Merritt is a general thoracic surgeon with expertise in minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of lung and esophageal cancers. He also serves as professor and director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at The Ohio State University, as well as director of inpatient services at The James Cancer Center. He went to medical school at Cornell University Medical College, Internship and Residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Fellowships in Cardio Thoracic Surgery and Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. He's also a champion for improving navigation and screening for lung cancer patients.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Sanjay Popat. Dr. Popat has both a private and an NHS practice at The Royal Marsden. He is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, Professor of Thoracic Oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research and is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of lung cancer. Sanjay qualified from Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in 1994, completed general medical training at the Royal Brompton, and the Hammersmith Hospital, and medical oncology training at the Royal Marsden Hospital. He was awarded a PhD in Molecular Genetics in 2002. He's a strong advocate for patient education and support and is passionate about precision medicine.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Sami Diab. Dr. Diab is a Medical Oncologist and Medical Director of Lone Tree Oncology, part of the University of Colorado Health System. He attended medical school at Damascus University, in Damascus, Syria followed by residency at Wayne State University, in Detroit, MI. He did his fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, in Houston and a fellowship in Integrative Medicine, at the University of Arizona. Dr. Ross Camidge calls him "arguably one of the most informed general oncologists I know."
On today's episode, meet Dr. Ross Camidge. Dr. Camidge has been the Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical and Clinical Research Programs at the University of Colorado since 2007. He earned his medical degree from University of Oxford, and his PhD from University of Cambridge after receiving his undergraduate degree at Oxford University. Beyond the medicine, Dr. Camidge and all members of his team also believe they should look after every patient, and their friends and family, as they would want their own friends and family to be looked after.
On today's episode, meet Josh Bergren. Josh is Director of Advocacy and Professional Relations at Pfizer Oncology. He has been with Pfizer for 15 years and is passionate about advocacy, precision medicine, health literacy, cancer finances and biomarkers. He is one of the good guys in pharma whose approach to his work is aligned with his core values. Josh received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Marketing from the University of Rhode Island.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Ella Kazerooni. She is Professor of Radiology and Internal Medicine, and serves as the Associate Chief Clinical Officer for the Diagnostic and Clinical Information Oversight Team within the University of Michigan Medical Group (UMMG). She received her medical degree and completed her diagnostic radiology residency at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School before joining the faculty at the University of Michigan.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Jasleen Pannu. Dr. Pannu is an Interventional Pulmonologist. She is Director of Interventional Pulmonology Translational Research at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She received her medical degree from Goa Medical College, in Panaji India. Dr. Pannu did her residency at Western Reserve Care System in Youngstown, OH and did fellowships at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport, CT and Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
On today's episode, meet Renee Iacona. Renee is Vice President, Oncology Biometrics, Oncology R&D at AstraZeneca. In her current role, Renee oversees biometrics for the entire Oncology portfolio, across early and late development stages, encompassing statistics, programming, statistical innovation, data science, and information science teams. Another amazing human.
On today's episode, we catch up with thoracic oncologist Dr. Narjust Florez. Since the last time we spoke to her she has moved to Boston to assume the role of Associate Director, Cancer Care Equity Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Apart from her clinical interests in lung cancer, she is also a leading researcher in cancer health disparities, gender and racial discrimination in medical education and medicine. Listen to our previous conversation with Dr. Florez here.
On today's episode, meet Rita Ribeiro. Rita is a bi-lingual leader with broad multi-cultural and health equity experience. She is currently the Product Director, Lung at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Before joining JNJ, Rita held multiple roles in Sales and marketing at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Abbott Diagnostics and Bristol Myers Squibb company. Rita has a bachelor's degree in Management from Pace University, a Master's in Business Administration in Marketing Management from Pace Lubin School of Business and a Strategic Marketing Certificate from Columbia University in New York. She holds leadership roles with community not-for profit organizations including president of the board of directors of the United Way of greater Mercer County, the first Latina to hold the position. Her non-profit work is focused on community health, economic development, and gender parity.
On today's episode, meet John Connolly, PhD. John is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI), where he designs and executes PICI's overall research strategy in close collaboration with the institute's leadership team, center directors and scientific steering committee. Dr. Connolly previously served as CSO of Tessa Therapeutics, a clinical stage cell therapy company focused on solid tumor immunotherapy, and one of PICI's strategic partners. He is an associate professor at National University of Singapore and an adjunct associate professor of immunology at Baylor University. Dr. Connolly received his PhD in Immunology from Dartmouth Medical School and studied human dendritic cell biology under Dr. Michael Fanger.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang. Dr. Yang is a thoracic surgeon and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital. He received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Harvard College and his medical degree at Harvard Medical School. He completed his general surgery residency at Duke University and cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center. Dr. Yang is also focused on raising awareness of lung cancer screening. He started the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which has worked with communities across 50 states to highlight the importance of lung cancer screening.
On today's episode, meet Lori Hall. Lori is Senior Director of Global Health Literacy at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, though she would describe herself as a patient whisperer, social intrapreneur and quiet revolutionary. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Purdue University and practiced as a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse before embarking on her journey in the pharmaceutical industry. She calls health literacy "empathy in action."
On today's episode, meet Magnolia Contreras, MSW, MBA. Magnolia is Vice President of Community Health at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. In this role, she is charged with helping the Institute carry out its community benefits mission through the delivery of evidence-based cancer prevention, screening and early detection programs. Prior to joining Dana-Farber, Ms. Contreras was employed by AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts where she served in senior executive roles as the Director of External Affairs and Director of Public Policy and Community Relations. In her work, she partners with local community organizations to increase access to services and create the conditions that promote health for everyone.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Danny Nguyen. Dr. Nguyen is a Medical Oncologist and Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research at City of Hope in California. He is passionate about treating patients in the community setting close to where they live. Danny completed fellowship training in oncology and hematology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, his residency in internal medicine at Emory University and medical school at the University of South Florida. He aims to reduce disparities in cancer care by improving access to innovative therapies through clinical trials for the Orange County community.
I want to thank the 65 amazing humans who I've had the honor of having on my show so far. I am humbled by the work that you do every day to support patients in research and care, and just so grateful that you took the time to share your stories with me and my listeners. And I'm proud to call you friends! - Dave Bjork
On today's episode, meet Dr. Coral Olazagasti. Dr. Olazagasti is a medical oncologist and Assistant Professor at the Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami. She specializes in thoracic oncology, as well as head and neck oncology. She is passionate about reducing health disparities and is a proud member of the Duma Lab. She received her medical degree from Universidad Central del Caribe, did her residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital and her Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health. She also loves to go horseback riding with her dad in Puerto Rico.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Douglas Mathisen. Dr. Mathisen is a thoracic surgeon and visiting surgeon at Mass General, and distinguished Hermes Grillo professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. He received his MD from University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1974. He was a general surgery resident and cardiothoracic resident at the Mass General from July 1974 to December 1982. He spent two years in the surgery branch of the National Cancer Institute of Health (NIH). He joined the Mass General Department of Surgery in 1984, and was chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery from 1994-2019, the chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery from 2007-2011 and the program director of cardiothoracic surgery from 1995-2017.
On today's episode, meet medical oncologist David Carbone, MD, PhD. Dr. Carbone serves as a professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University and co-leader of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, where he also directs the Thoracic Oncology Center. In addition, he holds the Barbara J. Bonner Chair in Lung Cancer Research. Among his many other talents, he is a woodworker who has made and distributed many white ribbons to patients and others at his cancer center on behalf of the White Ribbon Project.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Anne-Marie Baird. Dr. Baird is a lung cancer researcher at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Her research interests are in inflammation, the metastatic cascade, drug resistance and disease biomarkers. Dr. Baird is the President of Lung Cancer Europe, a European platform for lung cancer advocacy. She is active in lung cancer advocacy, and an avid supporter of The White Ribbon Project. The White Ribbon Project promotes awareness about lung cancer by changing public perception of the disease. Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Leah Backhus. Dr. Backhus trained in general surgery at the University of Southern California (USC) and cardiothoracic surgery at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She practices at Stanford Hospital and is Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the VA Palo Alto. She is also Co-Director of the Thoracic Surgery Clinical Research Program, and has grant funding through the Veterans Affairs Administration and NIH. Her current research interests are in imaging surveillance following treatment for lung cancer and cancer survivorship.
On today's program, meet Dr. Marc Matrana, Director of the Precision Cancer Therapies (Phase I) Research Program, Endowed Professor of Experimental Therapeutics & Associate Director of Clinical Cancer Research, at the Ochsner Cancer Institute. Marc is a ninth-generation native of the New Orleans region. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in human genetics from Tulane University, and his medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. Marc completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Ochsner Medical Center and completed training in hematology and medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He believes every cancer patient should be screened.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Selin Kurnaz, Co-founder and CEO of Massive Bio. She is a hard-core engineer who started Massive Bio after a family situation in cancer because she is obsessed with enabling access to clinical trials to cancer patients around the globe. She believes all people should have equal access to leading edge therapies and new-emerging clinical trials, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay. Massive Bio is on a mission to build and lead the Amazonization of the patient enrollment value chain in oncology.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Richard O'Hara. Richard is Medical Director for Oncology, U.S. Medical Affairs at EMD Serono. An experienced leader in pharma and biotech Immunology research, he has an academic research background. Dr. O'Hara received his PhD from UT Southwestern Medical Center and postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School. He also believes the voice of every patient matters.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Misako Nagasaka. Dr. Nagasaka is a board-certified thoracic oncologist at the University of California - Irvine who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of lung and thyroid cancer. Her clinical interests also include early-phase clinical trials, medical ethics and survivorship care for patients. She received her medical degree as well as a PhD from St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York City, followed by a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine's Karmanos Cancer Institute.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Michael Gieske. Dr. Gieske is a primary care physician at St. Elizabeth Physicians in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, and Director of Lung Cancer Screening at community-based St. Elizabeth Hospital. Mike received his Medical Degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, KY and did his Family Medicine Residency at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, KY. He is a champion for early lung cancer screening and supporter of the White Ribbon Project. An avid hiker, he took a white ribbon on a 9,000-foot elevation climb to Mt. Everest Base Camp to raise awareness that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.
On today's episode meet Dr. Jeffrey Velotta. Dr. Velotta is a thoracic surgeon at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center. A Bay area native, he completed medical school at the George Washington University School of Medicine, and then traveled back west to complete his general surgery residency at the UCLA Medical Center, and 2-year postdoctoral research fellowship in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed fellowship training in cardiothoracic surgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, then returned to the Bay area to bring his world-class experience to the community setting.
On today's episode, meet Kendalle Burlin O'Connell, President and Chief Operating Officer at Massachusetts Biotech Council (MassBio). Hear about her rise to become the first woman to lead the largest life sciences trade association in the world. Prior to joining MassBio in 2008, Kendalle practiced law in the areas of Estate and Medicaid Planning. She is committed to making sure the Greater Boston area remains one of the world's top biotech hubs by helping companies have the best environment to research, develop, and commercialize breakthrough therapies and cures for people around the world who need and deserve them.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Eric Grogan, thoracic surgeon and early detection researcher. Dr. Grogan is Associate Professor of Thoracic Surgery, Vice Chairman of Research, Associate Professor of Medicine, and Section Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He's also part of an innovative team developing and validating biomarkers to improve the ability to diagnose lung cancer early, accurately, and in a less invasive way.
On today's episode, meet Hong Tang. Hong is Co- Lead of the PAN Asian Network Health Equity Initiative Team, and Executive Product Specialist in Immuno-Oncology at Bristol Myers Squibb. Hong got her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and has won many awards during her 24 years at BMS. Hear her amazing story of her family leaving Vietnam just before the fall of Saigon and why her work in diversity, equity and inclusion in oncology is personal.
On today's episode meet Dr. Chad Pecot. Dr. Pecot is a Thoracic Medical Oncologist and Associate Professor at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he specializes in solid tumor malignancies. Since August 2013 he has been an independent investigator at UNC-Chapel Hill. Chad has a degree in Biomedical Engineering. He got his medical degree from the University of Miami, did his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Hematology and Oncology and Chief Fellowship in Thoracic Medical Oncology. He is a self-described lung cancer slayer.
On today's episode, meet Dr. Ana Velázquez Mañana. Dr. Velázquez is a medical oncology fellow at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, Dr. Velázquez completed her Internal Medicine residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City, where she also was a former Chief Resident. She received her Masters Degree in Biomedical Sciences at the Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science, and her Medical Degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. She has a long-standing commitment to serving vulnerable, underserved, and minority populations.
On today's episode, meet Rodney Gillespie. Rodney is a Global executive with broad leadership experience. He is currently the Vice President, Oncology Sales & Marketing, Solid Tumor at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Before joining JNJ, Rodney had a thirteen-year tenure with AstraZeneca, including stints in the UK and in South Africa. Rodney has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Commerce & Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia and a Masters of Business Administration from University of Washington in Seattle. He has a passion for participating in activities and organizations that allow him to give back to disadvantaged communities and kids.
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