Podcasts about accommodations

In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2026 podcast series, shareholders Tina Bengs (Chicago/Indianapolis), Joseph Cartafalsa (New York), and Michael Riccobono (Morristown) walk through a comprehensive compliance checklist covering mandatory leave and accommodation obligations for disability, pregnancy, and religion, along with family and medical leave laws. The speakers also address how to navigate ERISA, COBRA, and benefit plan terms to help employers keep their organizations compliant and their employees supported.

Author, patient advocate and health coach Amy Kurtz discusses her new book, But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How To Break Free. Cover art courtesy of Hachette Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Federal employees with disabilities are suing the Justice Department for denying their reasonable accommodations requests to telework. A new class action complaint alleges that DOJ's new policy violates the Rehabilitation Act. Two DOJ employees involved in the lawsuit previously had approved telework accommodations for years, due to a disability. But after strict return-to-office requirements, their telework accommodations were later denied. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Hailey highlights just the place for summer…WiscoCottages! Set along the Menominee River, these tiny boutique cottages are perfect for a summer getaway. And if you're looking to beat the crowds, early summer is one of the best times to visit! But don't wait too long to book… These charming cottages fill up fast! Follow along for everything you need to know before you go. The Bobber is brought to you by Something Special from Wisconsin: https://www.somethingspecialwi.com/ Read the blog here: https://discoverwisconsin.com/dont-wait-for-summer-plan-your-wiscocottages-escape-today/ The Cottages: https://www.wiscocottages.com/services-4; Book Your Stay: https://www.wiscocottages.com/book; Marinette: https://www.marinette.wi.us/; Mickey Lu BBQ: https://business.mandmchamber.com/list/member/mickey-lu-bar-b-q-186; The Most Hidden Gems in Wisconsin (with Wonderfully Wisconsin): The Most Hidden Gems in Wisconsin (with Wonderfully Wisconsin); The Brothers Three: https://thebrothersthree.com/; The River's Edge: https://theriversedgesupperclubwi.com/; Peshtigo: https://ci.peshtigo.wi.gov/; Marinette County: https://www.marinettecountywi.gov/; Waterfalls: https://www.marinettecountywi.gov/departments/parks/outdoor-recreation/waterfalls/; Chasing Waterfalls in Marinette County: Chasing Waterfalls in Marinette County; ATV/UTV Trails: https://www.marinettecountywi.gov/departments/highway/atvutv/forms_and_documents/; Rustic Retreat Deer Park: https://www.rusticretreatdeerpark.com/; DeYoung Family Zoo: https://deyoungfamilyzoo.com/ The Bobber: https://discoverwisconsin.com/the-bobber-blog/ The Cabin Podcast: https://the-cabin.simplecast.com. Follow on social @thecabinpod Shop Discover Wisconsin: shop.discoverwisconsin.com. Follow on social @shopdiscoverwisconsin Discover Wisconsin: https://discoverwisconsin.com/. Follow on social @discoverwisconsin Discover Mediaworks: https://discovermediaworks.com/. Follow on social @discovermediaworks WiscoCottages: https://www.wiscocottages.com/. Follow on social @wiscocottages

Choosing the right stateroom can make a great cruise vacation even better, and on Celebrity Xcel, there are more options than ever to fit different travel styles and budgets.In this episode of Marvelous Mouse Talk, we're taking a deep dive into the accommodations aboard Celebrity Cruises' newest Edge Series ship, Celebrity Xcel. From budget-friendly inside staterooms to luxurious suites with exclusive amenities, we'll break down what makes each category unique and help you determine which option offers the best value for your vacation.We'll discuss:• Inside, Ocean View, and Veranda staterooms• The popular Infinite Veranda concept and how it differs from a traditional balcony• Concierge Class and AquaClass benefits• The Retreat experience and suite options• Family-friendly accommodations and connecting staterooms• Storage, bathroom layouts, and cabin design features• Which staterooms are worth the upgrade and which may not be necessary• Our recommendations based on different budgets and travel stylesWhether you're planning your first Celebrity cruise or considering an upgrade for your next sailing, this episode will help you confidently choose the perfect home away from home aboard Celebrity Xcel.Ready to sail? Contact Marvelous Mouse Travels for expert guidance and personalized cruise planning.To get in touch with either of the agents featured on this episode please email them at:Brianna: Brianna.Creef@MarvelousMouseTravels.comYvette: Yvette@MarvelousMouseTravels.comTraci: Traci.Hinson@MarvelousMouseTravels.comVisit our website to request a quote: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.MarvelousMouseTravels.com⁠⁠⁠⁠View our Youtube channel:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Marvelous Mouse Travels - YouTube⁠

What if the strategies that help you be more productive are not about working harder, but about recognizing how your brain works? Lawyers with ADHD often face challenges that are easy to misunderstand, both by others and by themselves. Yet many of the same traits that create difficulties can also contribute to success in legal practice when they are understood and supported.          In this episode, I speak with lawyer Stephanie Sutherland about her experience being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and how that diagnosis changed the way she viewed herself and her work. Stephanie shares practical insights about motivation, procrastination, time management, docketing, boundaries, accommodations, and the realities of practicing law with ADHD.         Our conversation explores ways to create systems and practices that support productivity while working with your brain rather than against it. Whether you have ADHD yourself, work with someone who does, or simply want new perspectives on managing your time and energy, this episode offers thoughtful ideas that can be applied across many areas of work and life.                                  Get full show notes and more information here: https://thejoyfulpractice.com/263           Click here to grab my procrastination protocol checklist: https://mailchi.mp/0c249b28750c/procrastination_protocol            Click here to grab my time management podcast roadmap: https://mailchi.mp/d267dabde299/time-management-lawyers-podcast-roadmap

Episode 77 of the Unspoken Words podcast features Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. Jenna Blum exploring the Look, Listen, and Learn framework — a structured approach that teaches parents, educators, and treatment professionals to understand what children communicate through behavior, body language, and silence.The episode explores why observation matters more than focusing solely on speech — how a child's posture, facial expressions, and setting-specific communication patterns reveal the true underlying causes of mutism. Through real-world examples — a nine-year-old who clings to mom at family gatherings, and a school-age child who speaks at recess but shuts down during academics — they demonstrate how the same shutdown can signal different things: sensory overload, learning challenges, anxiety, or hidden ADHD.The heart of the episode turns to practical application: using Look-Listen-Learn to identify contributing factors, understanding your child's baseline on the Social Communication Bridge®, and why functional assessment reveals what behavioral strategies alone cannot address. They discuss intensive programs like CommuniCamp, where clinicians observe children across real settings to build effective, individualized treatment plans.The episode closes on a powerful reminder: children with SM are communicating constantly — we just need to learn their language.--Chapters: (03:45) How Body Language, Facial Expressions, and Posture Reveal What Your Child Needs(10:09) How Sensory Overload, Academic Pressure, and Anxiety Show Up in Different Settings(27:49) Why Your Child May Speak in One Place But Not Another—And What It Means(46:20) Distinguishing Selective Mutism From ADHD, Learning Challenges, and Autism Traits(49:27) How Look, Listen, and Learn Guides Assessment, Accommodations, and Real Progress- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: https://selectivemutismcenter.org/resources/ Ask Dr. E a question of your own! Learn more about the host, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum Explore our SMart Center success stories! Get started at the SMart Center Listen to other Unspoken Words episodes here. For the best clips from every episode, follow the podcast on Instagram & YouTube Learn more about CommuniCamp, our 3+ day intensive group treatment and ALL DAY parent training & support programLearn more about our 6-week, virtual social skills series, which are skills-based groups designed to help children, teens, & young adults build social communication, comfort, and connection with similar aged-peers in a supportive setting.- For all podcast inquiries, please contact Dakota Hornak at ⁠dhornak@selectivemutismcenter.org⁠ This podcast was produced and published by New Edition Productions (neweditionconsulting.com)

HOUR 4: Are students lying about learning disabilities to get better accommodations in school? full 2023 Tue, 19 May 2026 22:00:00 +0000 DUln6AzIYynwQnIRntoorXWzlwQIraju news The Dana & Parks Podcast news HOUR 4: Are students lying about learning disabilities to get better accommodations in school? You wanted it... Now here it is! Listen to each hour of the Dana & Parks Show whenever and wherever you want! © 2025 Audacy, Inc. News

In last month's episode we learned that there is no evidence that time limits that impose any sort of pressure on even a small percentage of students improves test validity and that, in fact, there is ample research showing that they make tests less valid and less equitable.   In this episode we discuss how, despite the data, the NBME denies accommodations on the USMLE exams to over half of medical students who have a documented learning disability and are approved for accommodations at their medical school (e.g., extra time). We talk with a leading medical educator who is co-author (along with last month's guest and co-host Saul Weiner), of a paper published last month in the journal Medical Education, titled The myth that slow test-takers are worse students: Implications for time-limited testing. The publication is Open Access, so fully accessible to everyone. In this episode, originally aired in 2023, our guest discusses a published national survey she and her colleagues conducted to assess the scope and harmful impact on medical schools and their students of current NBME policy on accommodations. We conclude with a discussion about how the NBME could make the test fair and valid for everyone by functionally eliminating time limits. 

In this episode, Hailey shares an affordable getaway to Racine County. Nestled along the scenic shores of Lake Michigan, this welcoming area is filled with charming neighborhoods, exciting outdoor adventures, rich history, and vibrant culture. Keep listening to discover how you can experience it all without stretching your vacation budget! The Bobber is brought to you by Something Special from Wisconsin: https://www.somethingspecialwi.com/ Read the blog here: https://discoverwisconsin.com/best-affordable-places-to-stay-play-eat-in-racine-county/ Reefpoint Marina: https://reefpointmarina.org/; Cliffside Campground: https://www.racinecounty.gov/departments/public-works-and-development-services/parks-department/camping/cliffside-campground; Sanders Park & Campground: https://www.racinecounty.gov/departments/public-works-and-development-services/parks-department/sanders-park-campground; Jellystone Park Camp Resort: https://jellystone-caledonia.com/; Bear Paw Adventure Park: https://bearpawadventurepark.com/; Hotel Verdant: https://www.hotelverdant.com/; North Beach: https://cityofracinewi.gov/parksrec/beaches/northbeach/; Racine Zoo: https://racinezoo.org/; Bear Den Zoo & Petting Farm: https://www.beardenzoo.com/; SJ Johnson Community Aquatic Center: https://www.racinecounty.gov/departments/sc-johnson-aquatics-center; River Bend Nature Center: https://riverbendracine.org/; Wind Point Lighthouse: https://windpointlighthouse.org/; Racine Art Museum: https://www.ramart.org/; Racine Heritage Museum: https://www.racineheritagemuseum.org/; SJ Johnson Headquarters: https://scjohnson.com/en/community/experience-scj/tours; Greek Fest: https://www.kimissis.org/about_us/annual-festival/; Italian Fest: https://www.romalodge.org/members/italian-fest; Serb Fest: https://www.stgeorgempracine.org/; A Day in the Country: https://rochesterdic.weebly.com/; Wells Brothers Italian Restaurant: https://wellsbrosracine.com/; Archives Bar & Grill: https://www.archivesbarandgrill.com/; Sebastian's Fine Food & Spirits: https://www.sebastiansracine.com/; Brew & Ole's Gastropub: https://brewandoles.com/; O&H Danish Bakery: https://www.ohdanishbakery.com/; Lehmann's Bakery: https://lehmannsbakery.com/;  The Bobber: https://discoverwisconsin.com/the-bobber-blog/ The Cabin Podcast: https://the-cabin.simplecast.com. Follow on social @thecabinpod Shop Discover Wisconsin: shop.discoverwisconsin.com. Follow on social @shopdiscoverwisconsin Discover Wisconsin: https://discoverwisconsin.com/. Follow on social @discoverwisconsin Discover Mediaworks: https://discovermediaworks.com/. Follow on social @discovermediaworks Racine County: https://www.racinecounty.gov/. Follow on social @racinecounty

Along with hearing about volcanoes, waterfalls, black sand beaches, and gorgeous landscapes, one of the biggest things people associate with Iceland is how expensive it is. And honestly, that conversation comes up constantly. It's one of the most common questions when I am helping travelers planning their first trip here. Iceland has built a reputation online for being adventurous and fascinating, but also very expensive. And to be fair, it absolutely can be. Publications like Travel + Leisure have even ranked Iceland among the most expensive travel destinations in the world. From my perspective as someone who has lived in Iceland since 2016 and helped thousands of travelers through my podcast, social media channels, private consultations, and my in-depth video course, The Savvy Traveler's Guide to Iceland, what stands out to me is this: most people don't create a realistic budget for Iceland. Inside This 5-Day Iceland Budget Guide Knowing where to start with Budgeting for 5-days in Iceland Why the Season You Visit Changes Your Entire Budget What Kind of Iceland Experience Do You Want? Flights to Iceland Accommodations: The Biggest Budget Variable Rental Cars & Iceland’s New Road Tax How to Save on Renting a Car and Camper Van in Iceland The Hidden Iceland Expense Most Travelers Forget: Parking Fees Food Costs in Iceland Activities & Tours: What to Expect Use Discount Codes Strategically to Save Money Unexpected Costs Realistic 5-Day Iceland Budgets by Season Winter Budget Breakdown Shoulder Season Budget Breakdown Summer Budget Breakdown Knowing Where to Start with Budgeting a 5-day Trip for Iceland I think that people don’t always create a realistic budget for Iceland because they don’t know where to start. Travelers are often unsure about  how much to set aside for accommodations, activities, rental cars, food, parking, or even how much the season changes everything. So instead of just throwing random numbers at you, I want to walk you through how I would personally budget for a 5-day trip to Iceland depending on your travel style, the season, and the choices you make while you're here. Because the reality is that a 5-day trip to Iceland could cost one person around $1,300 and another person over $4,000 — and both of them could still have incredible experiences. The Season You Visit Iceland Changes Everything If there's one thing I really want travelers to understand before budgeting for Iceland, it's this: the season you visit impacts almost every single part of your trip. That includes accommodations, rental cars, flights, activities, and even how you spend your time while traveling. I'm honestly not exaggerating when I say that the exact same hotel room can literally double or triple in price depending on the month. For example, a hotel room that costs around $120 per night in winter can easily jump to $250–350 per night in summer. Same room. Same location. Same hotel. The only thing that changed is the season. Now, I don't say that to scare anyone. There are also unique events that can create unusually high prices, like the 2026 total solar eclipse in Iceland, where some accommodations are charging thousands of dollars per night because demand is so intense. That's not the normal reality for Iceland travel, but it does show how much seasonality and demand affect pricing here. Rental cars work exactly the same way. In summer, demand skyrockets, and travelers are often shocked by how quickly prices increase if they wait too long to book. What Kind of Iceland Experience Do You Want? Another huge part of budgeting for Iceland is understanding the type of trip you actually want to have. I think social media sometimes makes this harder because people see inspiration online and accidentally start comparing their budget to someone else's completely different trip. Maybe you want to see the Northern Lights, but you're planning to come in summer, which, by the way, isn't possible because the sun barely sets. Maybe you want to base yourself in Reykjavík and do day trips, or maybe you want to road trip around the country and stay in multiple places. Perhaps you want to rent a camper van or stay in luxury hotels for part of the trip because you're celebrating something special. All of those decisions affect your budget. One thing I regularly help people understand during my private video consultations is that Iceland often looks much smaller on the map than it actually is once you start driving around it. For example, if someone wants to stay in Reykjavík the whole trip but also drive to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, I explain that this is about a five-hour drive one way. That's ten hours of driving in a single day before you even stop at waterfalls, black sand beaches, or anywhere else along the route. That's why route planning matters so much in Iceland, not only for your sanity but also for your budget. Flights to Iceland – Cost per Season Flights to Iceland fluctuate constantly depending on the season, where you're flying from, how early you book, and global fuel prices. For winter, flights are often around $400–700 roundtrip, while summer flights can range from $600–1,200 or even higher. And honestly, airfare pricing lately has become even harder to predict because of global fuel market instability and international conflicts affecting energy prices. Those things trickle into airline pricing too, so whenever I give ranges for Iceland travel costs, I always want people to understand that these numbers are based on averages and trends, not guarantees. One thing I personally recommend is signing up for airline email lists, like Icelandair or Delta Air Lines, because they regularly send flight sales. I also use Google Flights to track pricing trends, and you'd honestly be surprised how much prices can fluctuate from one week to another. Accommodations in Iceland: The Biggest Budget Variable Accommodation is usually where people underestimate costs the most. For budget accommodations like hostels, guesthouses, smaller rooms, or shared bathroom situations, you're generally looking at around $400–700 total for five nights in winter and about $700–1,400+ in summer. For mid-range accommodations, such as private hotel rooms, apartments, or guesthouses with private bathrooms, winter pricing is usually somewhere around $700–1,400 for five nights, while summer can jump to $1,200–2,000+. And yes, summer pricing really can get that high. If you're considering a camper van, that can sometimes help reduce accommodation costs, though prices vary dramatically depending on the vehicle and the season. I always recommend booking accommodations as early as possible for summer travel. Honestly, if you can plan a year in advance, that's ideal. Six months minimum is usually what I suggest if possible. Rental Cars Cost & Iceland's New Road Tax If you're planning to leave Reykjavík, I strongly recommend considering a rental car because it gives you so much flexibility. Winter rental prices for a smaller car are often around $120–150 per day, while SUVs are closer to $170–180 per day. In summer, smaller cars can easily be $150–200+, and SUVs can go even higher depending on the size and capability of the vehicle. For a five-day trip, many travelers spend somewhere between $600–1,200+ once you include gas and insurance. And there's another thing travelers now need to budget for. Starting in 2026, Iceland implemented a kilometer-based road tax system that applies to vehicles, including rental cars. Iceland Kilometer Fee Information Most travelers won't calculate this themselves because rental companies typically include it either as a per-kilometer fee or as a flat daily charge. For example, Go Car Rental Iceland currently charges approximately €10.50 per day as a flat mandatory road tax fee. Fuel prices in Iceland have lowered somewhat since the road tax was introduced, but global events still impact fuel pricing significantly. How to Save on Renting a Car & Camper Van in Iceland Through my discount links with Go Car Rental Iceland and Go Campers, you can save 7% on your rental. Go Car also includes free 4G WiFi, while Go Campers includes a free sleeping bag. And honestly, the WiFi is incredibly useful because you can check weather, road conditions, maps, email, WhatsApp, and social media while driving around Iceland You can head to gorentals.is/allthingsiceland Once you enter your travel dates, the 7% discount is automatically applied. For Go Car:When you get to the extras section, select 4G WiFi. You'll see the price stays the same, even though it has been added.  For Go Campers:Choose a sleeping bag under the “extras” section, and same thing, the total price won't increase. And just so you know, using my link gives me a small commission at no extra cost to you. It's one of the ways you're supporting All Things Iceland and the content I create. So thank you for that. The Hidden Expense in Iceland that Most Travelers Forget: Parking Fees Many waterfalls, black sand beaches, scenic viewpoints, geothermal areas, and hiking spots now charge for parking. This is especially in popular areas like the Golden Circle, South Coast, Snæfellsnes Peninsula, and downtown Reykjavík. I've seen this change a lot over the years since I moved here in 2016. There were many places that used to have completely free parking, but because of the increase in tourism, road maintenance, parking lot maintenance, and of course landowners wanting to make money, parking fees have become much more common. I usually recommend budgeting around $80 USD total for parking during a 5-day trip depending on how much driving you're doing. You can also use the Parka app to look up parking fees in advance, which can help a lot with planning. If you're unsure where to go or how to organize your route efficiently, I highly recommend checking out My Iceland Map on Rexby. It includes 350+ personally recommended locations around Iceland that I've visited and enjoyed myself. Food Costs in Iceland Food absolutely adds up in Iceland if you eat every meal out. A casual restaurant meal is usually around $20–35 per person, while a nicer dinner can easily be $40–80+. Coffee and a pastry are often around $10–15, and cocktails in Reykjavík can easily cost over $20 each. For five days, I'd say a budget traveler who cooks some meals or makes sandwiches could probably spend around $150–300, while a mid-range traveler who eats out more regularly could spend around $300–700+. One of my favorite budget hacks is booking accommodations with breakfast included. Then you can eat a larger breakfast, make sandwiches or grab snacks for later, and only pay for dinner out. For groceries, Bónus is generally the cheapest option, while Krónan is another great alternative. And surprisingly, IKEA Iceland is one of the cheapest places to sit down and eat a full meal in Iceland. I’m not suggesting that you eat at IKEA every day but I just think it is fun to share that random information. What to Budget for Activities & Tours in Iceland This category really depends on what type of traveler you are. Some people are perfectly happy exploring waterfalls, scenic drives, geothermal areas, and hiking trails, which can keep costs relatively low. Others want glacier hikes, snorkeling, whale watching, ice caves, and snowmobiling. All of these activities can add up quickly. The Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon are generally around $100–150+, glacier hikes are around $100–200+, whale watching tours around $118–150+, and ice cave tours can range from $150–300+ depending on the experience. One of my favorite lower-cost alternatives to the major lagoons is going to a local swimming pool like Laugardalslaug. It has Olympic-sized pools, hot tubs, a cold plunge, slides, and it gives you a chance to experience Icelandic swimming pool culture alongside locals for a fraction of the cost of the lagoons. And if you love museums, there are actually certain times of year when you can visit many for free during events like Winter Lights Festival in February and Menningarnótt (Culture Night) in August. Use Discount Codes & Links to Save Money in Iceland One of the easiest ways to save money in Iceland is by not paying full price when you don't have to. My free Iceland Discount Code Bundle includes discounts for rental cars, camper vans, tours, activities, hotels, outerwear, and more. Most tour discounts are around 10% off, and when you apply those savings across multiple activities, it really does make a noticeable difference in your final trip budget. Always Leave Room for Unexpected Costs This is honestly one of my biggest Iceland budgeting tips overall: always leave room for flexibility. Weather changes quickly in Iceland, and road conditions can shift plans unexpectedly. That could mean rerouting, staying somewhere an extra night, changing accommodations, or adjusting activities because of storms or warnings. Whenever possible, I recommend keeping a few hundred dollars of flexibility in your budget if you can. It just makes the trip feel significantly less stressful. Realistic 5-Day Iceland Budget by Season For winter travel between November and March (excluding holidays), a budget traveler is usually looking at around $1,300–2,000, while a mid-range traveler is closer to $1,800–2,700. Winter tends to be cheaper because hotel demand is lower, rental cars are less expensive, and there are fewer crowds. The trade-off, of course, is less daylight and more unpredictable weather. For summer, budget travelers are usually spending around $1,800–3,000, while mid-range travelers are closer to $2,500–4,000+. Summer costs rise because of peak tourism demand, midnight sun season, easier travel conditions, Highlands access, and limited accommodations. The biggest reason I wanted to make this episode was honestly to help people manage expectations. Iceland can absolutely be expensive. But once you understand how seasonality works, where your biggest expenses are, and how to budget realistically, it becomes much easier to create a trip that works for your finances and travel style. And honestly, being informed ahead of time makes Iceland feel so much less overwhelming. The Random Fact of the Episode Did you know that Iceland has around 41 active volcanic systems — including volcanoes beneath the ocean? According to Náttúra Íslands (Natt.is), a volcano is considered “active” if it has erupted within the last 11,000–12,000 years, which is actually pretty recent in geological terms. The most active volcanic system in Iceland is called Grímsvötn, located in Southeast Iceland. It has erupted on average about once every decade over the last thousand years. Meanwhile, Iceland's largest volcanic system is Bárðarbunga, and many of the country's enormous lava fields were created from eruptions there. What's also fascinating is that volcanic systems in Iceland are often made up of: a central volcano, plus a fissure swarm, all connected to a shared underground magma chamber deep within the Earth's crust. Which honestly explains why Iceland can sometimes feel like you're standing on another planet. Icelandic Word of the Episode ferðakostnaður — travel expenses or cost of travel Pronunciation: FEHR-tha-kost-na-thur This felt like the perfect word for this episode because honestly… that's exactly what we've been talking about the entire time.  In Icelandic: ferð = trip/journey kostnaður = cost/expense So together: ferðakostnaður = the cost of traveling. Example: “Ferðakostnaður á Íslandi getur verið hár á sumrin.” “Travel costs in Iceland can be high during the summer.” And trust me… Icelanders definitely understand this too, especially when traveling around their own country during peak season. Share this with a Friend Facebook Pinterest Threads Email Let’s Be Social Youtube Instagram Tiktok Facebook Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta og sjáumst fljótlega.

This is the fourth episode in my series on PDA and restrictive eating, and this one is for therapists. If you are an occupational therapist, a speech language pathologist, or another type of therapist working with a child who isn't responding to gentle, play-based, sensory-based, or exposure-based feeding approaches the way you'd expect, this episode designed to help you. I share the full arc of my older son Cooper's journey with extremely restrictive eating, from the time he was four and a half years old and eating primarily three processed foods, through five years of occupational therapy, to where he is today. I walk through how we adapted the SOS feeding protocol over time to incorporate autonomy, equality, lower demands, play, and connection to special interests. I also share five specific strategies you can bring into your sessions.Key TakeawaysThe Sensory Lens Is Not Enough | 00:02:04 I share how Cooper's restrictive eating was initially understood through a sensory lens, and how, for about a year and a half, that framing guided his therapy. But the sensory lens alone was not sufficient to explain the patterns I was seeing or to help him expand his eating. What I came to understand was that his survival drive for autonomy was also a major factor, and that the two had to be held together rather than treated separately.What Was and Was Not Working | 00:11:56 I walk through what was working in the early stages of occupational therapy, specifically the therapist's focus on establishing relationship and rapport before moving to skill acquisition, and the role that dopamine, novelty, and sensory-intense experiences played in Cooper's initial engagement. I also describe what was not working: visual schedules and laminated choice boards, pressure to describe sensory experiences verbally, and structured home-based feeding protocols. For a PDA child, I explain, even chosen structure can become an internal demand.Autonomy and Equality as Accommodations | 00:16:37 I describe two specific accommodations that became central to how we approached feeding therapy over five years: autonomy and equality. Autonomy meant shifting away from scheduled, structured feeding time and toward strewing, declarative language, and following Cooper's lead. Equality meant deliberately allowing him to win, be above the therapist and me in games, direct the session, and have the last word. I explain how these accommodations address the root cause of nervous system activation rather than managing the surface behavior.Lowering Demands in the Session | 00:29:35 I describe what it looked like to lower demands in the occupational therapy session itself, meaning doing things for Cooper that he was cognitively or physically capable of doing himself, so that his available capacity could go toward tolerating and engaging with food. I give specific examples and I address the common concern that this approach enables children rather than building independence, and explain why the logic is different for PDA.Special Interests as a Turning Point | 00:37:06 I describe the turning point in Cooper's feeding therapy, which came when eating became connected to his special interest in football. I explain how this connection made it possible to revisit things he had previously rejected, including the laminated food charts, but this time entirely on his terms. I also offer five specific strategies for therapists at the end of the episode.Relevant ResourcesFree Therapist Masterclass — Free class for OTs and therapists on PDA.What Is PDA? — Overview of PDA as a nervous system disability.Paradigm Shift Program —Our signature live coaching program where we walk families as they implement accommodations and move forward.

We are so thrilled to have not just one guest this episode but two -  Adrianne Meldrum and Heather Brand! Adrianne Meldrum founded and owns Made for Math, a fully online math center that supports students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other math-related learning challenges. She is a certified Multisensory Math Instructor and holds a master's degree from Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity. Adrianne lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons, where she enjoys the beautiful sunsets. Heather Brand, M.Ed., is a licensed educator with two decades of experience teaching students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. She currently works at Made for Math, supporting learners with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other learning differences, and holds certifications in multisensory math instruction and reading intervention. Heather is passionate about sharing practical, structured strategies that help teachers confidently support all students while making math engaging and enjoyable. In this episode of the show, we unpack why dyscalculia is so hard to identify and why it often overlaps with conditions such as dyslexia and ADHD/ADD. In fact, Adrianne and Heather talk about how many of the students whom they see arrive with multiple diagnoses, and that raises a truly important question: when a child struggles with math, what's really causing the difficulty? Throughout our conversation, we take a look at how professionals sort through those overlapping factors, and Adrianne and Heather explain how assessments can reveal specific types of math struggles, whether they involve language, memory, sequencing, or foundational number sense, and they explain why understanding the root cause is so important. We also talk through some real classroom scenarios and case studies that showcase how these challenges actually take place in everyday learning. From students who can perform calculations but freeze when faced with word problems, to those who mix up the direction of their work or struggle to recall math facts, all of these examples help clarify what educators and parents should watch out for. In addition, we discuss practical strategies that can help students succeed! Adrianne and Heather share some approaches that build on understanding, strengthen math fact retrieval, and reduce the working memory load that can often overwhelm students, especially those with ADHD. They also touch upon how simple environmental changes, such as minimizing distractions and organizing information more clearly, can dramatically improve learning. Perhaps most importantly, however, we discuss how the right kind of instruction doesn't just improve math performance. It can actually rebuild confidence and reduce the anxiety that often accompanies math struggles! Enjoy our conversation with Adrianne Meldrum and Heather Brand! Show Notes: [3:56] - Dyscalculia is often diagnosed late and overlaps with other conditions, further complicating diagnosis. [6:44] - Early math struggles so often go unnoticed, yet they affect multiple areas alongside reading or attention difficulties. [9:50] - Students may calculate correctly but fail at word problems because of language or vocabulary challenges. [10:37] - Heather reflects on multi-diagnosed students who often show math difficulties that overlap with dyslexia, ADHD, or dysgraphia symptoms. [12:47] - When Heather assesses, she assesses whether math struggles stem from dyscalculia or other diagnoses. [15:30] - Observing students' problem-solving can help reveal specific issues such as directionality, that are separate from place value understanding. [16:49] - We hear how conceptual understanding uses visuals, while fact retrieval relies on memorization and fluency practice. [19:50] - Heather discusses how she uses cues and repetition before timed exercises, helping students get things right before they start doing them automatically. [23:47] - We hear how schema-based strategies teach students to analyze story problems, rather than linking words directly to operations. [26:23] - Heather explains and breaks down the ROMANS strategy. [29:34] - ADHD increases cognitive demands in math, making working memory and flexible problem-solving even more difficult. [30:15] - Adrianne reflects on how minimizing task switching and using visual support helps students with ADHD maintain attention and limit mistakes. [33:33] - Multiple sources for instructions can sometimes confuse students, so limiting transitions and providing frequent feedback is so important! [35:49] - Adrianne explains how reducing visual and language clutter helps protect working memory and boosts student confidence and learning ability. [37:42] - Matching instruction to a child's learning profile can drastically help increase engagement, understanding, and self-confidence! [38:19] - Adrianne highlights how evidence-based strategies benefit all students, not just those with diagnoses. [40:16] - How can listeners connect with Adrianne and Heather? Links and Related Resources: Episode 59: What is Dyscalculia (AKA Math Disorder)? with Monica Grillo Episode 60: A Multisensory Intervention for Kids Who Struggle with Math with Adrianne Meldrum Episode 122: Accommodations for Students Who Struggle with Math with Adrianne Meldrum Episode 197: Five Best Practices for Math Instruction – Dr. Sarah Powell More Podcast Episodes   Connect with Adrianne & Heather: Made for Math Join Our Community: Substack

The jump from high school to college is bigger than most families realize. In this conversation, I talk with Dr. Tara Williams about what neurodivergent students really need as they prepare for college and why so many of them struggle in that transition. We unpack the shift from high school supports to college systems, where students are suddenly expected to manage accommodations, communicate with professors, understand FERPA, and advocate for themselves in a much more independent way. Tara explains why waiting until the summer before college can create unnecessary stress, and why self-advocacy has to start getting practiced much earlier. We also talk about executive functioning in real life, not as a buzzword, but as the day to day challenge of keeping up with emails, assignments, schedules, accommodations, and decisions. Tara shares practical tools for helping students build those skills, along with a powerful reminder that college success is not just about getting into the "right" major or pushing through what is not working. Sometimes the real win is helping a student find the path that actually fits how they learn, think, and thrive. Key Takeaways College accommodations work very differently from high school supports. Students are expected to initiate the process, submit documentation, schedule meetings, and communicate with professors themselves. The summer before college is already a high pressure time to begin. Families need to know that accommodation offices may book far in advance, and waiting too long can mean starting the semester without support. Self-advocacy needs to be practiced before college. Students can start by emailing teachers, asking about missed work, and learning how to communicate their needs while still in middle school or high school. Executive functioning support is not one skill. It includes calendars, planning, batching tasks, reminders, follow through, and figuring out what systems a student will actually use. Parents may need support building these systems too. Many adults are trying to help their child with tools they were never taught themselves. A good system has to fit the person. Google Calendars, Post-its, color coding, batching emails, and breaking tasks down can all work, but only if the student will actually use them. Technology makes sustained attention harder for everyone. Notifications, learning platforms, email, and constant digital access all increase cognitive load for students and adults alike. Accommodations should be available even if a student does not use them every time. Signing up matters. The student can decide when they need the support. Sometimes the issue is not just skill, but fit. A student may be in the wrong major, the wrong course path, or a program chosen for them rather than with them. College success is often about redirection, not failure. Finding a path that matches a student's real strengths and interests can change everything. About Dr. Tara Williams Dr. Tara Williams is the owner and founder of Innovative Collegiate Consultants, Inc. She earned her PhD in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Sussex in Falmer, United Kingdom, and is currently a tenured professor at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California, where she has taught for the past twenty years. Since 2010, she has worked with neurodivergent students across the United States after noticing how many were struggling with the transition from K-12 support systems to college environments that require far more self-advocacy. Dr. Williams and her team specialize in executive functioning coaching with a strong academic focus, supporting students with accommodations, course planning, email and LMS management, housing, internships, jobs, and more. Her work helps neurodivergent and neurotypical students build confidence, advocate for themselves, and thrive in school and college. About Your Host, Gabriele Nicolet I'm Gabriele Nicolet, toddler whisperer, speech therapist, parenting life coach, and host of Complicated Kids. Each week, I share practical, relationship-based strategies for raising kids with big feelings, big needs, and beautifully different brains. My goal is to help families move from surviving to thriving by building connection, confidence, and clarity at home. Complicated Kids Resources and Links Website: www.gabrielenicolet.com Schedule a free intro call: Book here YouTube: Subscribe here Tell the Story (anti-anxiety tool): Learn more Instagram: Follow here Facebook: Connect here LinkedIn: View profile Free "Orchid Kid" Checklist: Download here Enjoying the show? If Complicated Kids has been helpful, the best way to support the podcast is to follow, rate, and leave a quick review. It helps other parents find the show and it means a lot. If there's a topic you'd love to hear covered on a future episode, you can always reach out at podcast@complicatedkids.com. I love hearing what's on your mind and what would support your family. Thank you for being here.

Alan and Steve talk with Athens, Georgia–based music educator and Tones Collective co‑founder Cortez Daniel about what he's learning from teaching “today's kids” in K–12 and community settings. Cortez shares how his work in public schools and with organizations like Evergreen Children's Chorale and Tones Collective informs his approach to accommodations that maintain rigor, preventing learned helplessness, and meeting students with diverse needs—non‑verbal learners, English language learners, and blind students—where they are. They explore how he uses AI as an inclusion tool, why “relentless positivity” matters, what's changed in students' attention and motivation since pre‑pandemic days, and how inviting families' skills and goals into the program can transform a music community.

Graduation day in San Francisco can be stressful, especially for parents trying to coordinate and plan. These tips are intended to smooth out the experience to ensure the big day goes off without a hitch. Read more at https://limosfvip.com/group-transportation/ Limo SF VIP City: San Francisco Address: 1555 Yosemite Ave Website: https://limosfvip.com/

In this episode, Chris and Kristie discuss recent EEOC developments under Chair Andrea Lucas, including the agency's focus on DEI programs and religious discrimination claims. They examine new telework accommodation guidance for federal workers, clarifying that quality of life concerns and general anxiety don't automatically qualify for ADA accommodations. The hosts also cover enforcement actions against Coca-Cola and Planned Parenthood related to DEI practices, highlighting the agency's shift toward individual discrimination cases.

In this episode, we explore federal telework guidance issued by the EEOC and OPM and what it means for disability accommodations in today's workplace. While the guidance is directed at federal agencies, it may signal how the EEOC will evaluate telework as a reasonable accommodation in the private sector. We break down key insights and discuss what employers should consider when responding to remote work requests. Host: Tara Stingley (email) (Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, LLP)Guest Speaker: Edward Cadagin (email) (Arnall Golden Gregory LLP)Support the showRegister on the ELA website here to receive email invitations to future programs. 

Job searching can feel 10x harder when the process isn't built for how your brain works.In Part 2 of our neurodivergence series, Sarah and Emma dive into the real challenges listeners are facing, from overwhelming applications and missed deadlines to blanking in interviews, needing more time, and struggling with unclear expectations.This episode is packed with practical tips and realistic ways to navigate the process, along with where accommodations can make a genuine difference.Plus, some great advice from fellow neurodivergent Interview Boss listeners!In Part 3 of this series, we'll tackle the big question: should you disclose?

Shannon Sharpe, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Iso Joe Johnson react to Q and Aye questions about how they grew up, wrestling and much more! Subscribe to Nightcap presented by PrizePicks so you don’t miss out on any new drops! Download the PrizePicks app today and use code SHANNON to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup! Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/NI... Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To speak with an advisor and map out your student's next steps, book a Complimentary Strategy Call at admittedly.co/apply. In this episode of the Admittedly Podcast, Thomas Caleel speaks with Mike McLeod, founder of GrowNOW ADHD, about the real factor that determines whether students thrive in college: executive functioning skills. Strong grades and test scores can help students gain admission, but independence, motivation, and resilience determine what happens next. Thomas and Mike break down how ADHD affects executive functioning, why many students struggle with the transition to college, and what families can do now to build the internal skills students need to succeed without constant supervision. From screen dependence to time management to real-world responsibility, this conversation offers a practical framework for helping students develop the habits and mindset that selective colleges — and future employers — expect. Key Takeaways • ADHD is primarily a challenge of executive functioning, not intelligence or effort. • Executive functioning skills include self-regulation, task initiation, motivation, and follow-through. • Many students arrive at college academically prepared but struggle with independence. • Screen overuse can interfere with the development of focus, resilience, and delayed gratification. • Real-world experiences like jobs, activities, and responsibilities build executive functioning skills. • Accommodations can support students, but independence must still be developed. • Parents should prioritize long-term readiness, not just short-term academic performance. College success requires more than academic ability. Students who develop independence, resilience, and ownership over their time are far better positioned to thrive once they arrive on campus.  Executive functioning development is one of the most important long-term investments families can make, particularly for students navigating ADHD or motivation challenges. When students learn how to manage their time, regulate their focus, and take ownership of their responsibilities, they are better prepared not only for selective colleges, but for life beyond the classroom. For families looking to go deeper, the following resources can help support next steps: • Learn more about GrowNOW ADHD: https://www.grownowadhd.com/  • Explore The Executive Function Playbook: https://www.grownowadhd.com/grownow-book/  • Listen to the ADHD Parenting Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@TheADHDParentingPodcast  Follow Admittedly on Instagram and TikTok for weekly strategy insights: @admittedlyco  Book a Complimentary Strategy Call with our advising team: admittedly.co/apply 

In this episode, Hailey shares a curated list of some of our Oconomowoc favorites. These spots have something going on year-round. From historic exhibits and charming shops to local events and lakeside dinners, here are six must-visit spots to start exploring!  The Bobber is brought to you by Something Special from Wisconsin: https://www.somethingspecialwi.com/ Read the blog here: https://discoverwisconsin.com/6-must-visit-oconomowoc-spots/ Oconomowoc Historical Museum: https://oconomowochistoricalsociety.org/; Sobie's Restaurant: https://www.sobiesrestaurant.com/; Wisconsin Brewing Company Park: https://www.dockhounds.com/; Lago Su Bella: https://lagosubella.com/; Newport 1875: https://www.newport1875.com/; Mon Bijou Inn: https://monbijouinn.com/; No Place Like Home — Oconomowoc: No Place Like Home — Oconomowoc The Bobber: https://discoverwisconsin.com/the-bobber-blog/ The Cabin Podcast: https://the-cabin.simplecast.com. Follow on social @thecabinpod Shop Discover Wisconsin: shop.discoverwisconsin.com. Follow on social @shopdiscoverwisconsin Discover Wisconsin: https://discoverwisconsin.com/. Follow on social @discoverwisconsin Discover Mediaworks: https://discovermediaworks.com/. Follow on social @discovermediaworks City of Oconomowoc: https://www.oconomowoc-wi.gov/. Follow on social @visitocon 

Dr. Monty Pal speaks with internationally acclaimed hematologists Dr. Vincent Rajkumar and Dr. Saad Usmani about the AQUILA trial in high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma, as well as advances in CAR-T and other evolving treatment strategies in the myeloma space. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Monty Pal: Hello everyone and welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm your host, Monty Pal. I'm a medical oncologist, underline medical oncologist, a professor, and vice chair of academic affairs at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles. You're going to understand why I underlined "medical oncologist" there. I'm actually on the line today with two amazing hematologists. Today, we're going to actually explore treatments for high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma following the FDA's approval last year of daratumumab for the first-ever treatment of this indication. Now, this is based on the AQUILA trial, and this represents a huge shift in our traditional watch-and-wait approach to active disease interception. We're going to consider whether this landmark trial published in The New England Journal translates to day-to-day practice. I think it does, and we'll certainly make an argument for that. And I'm so fortunate today to have two internationally acclaimed experts here in the conversation: Dr. Vincent Rajkumar, senior author on the manuscript, and Dr. Saad Usmani, also an expert in his own right in myeloma. Dr. Rajkumar is the lead investigator of the AQUILA study. He's a professor of medicine and consultant in the divisions of hematology and hematopathology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He actually chairs the Myeloma, Amyloidosis, Dysproteinemia Program. He is also editor-in-chief of the Blood Cancer Journal. Dr. Usmani, he and I actually go way, way back. We actually did the AACR Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology course, I want to say in 2006, so this is our 20-year anniversary, Saad. He's the chief of the myeloma service at the MSK Cancer Center and a professor of medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.  Saad, Vincent, welcome. Dr. Saad Usmani: Thank you so much for having me, Monty. Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Yeah, thanks, Monty. A pleasure to be here. Dr. Monty Pal: Thanks. And just a quick note for our listeners, all of our disclosures are available in the transcript of this episode. First off, Saad, did I get that right? Was it 2006 when we did that course together? Dr. Saad Usmani: Yeah, 20 years. We are coming up to our 20-year anniversary. It's remarkable to have seen our careers move the way they have, Monty. Dr. Monty Pal: Oh my gosh. And for all the fellows who are on the line, that AACR Molecular Biology and Clinical Oncology course, it's sometimes overlooked. Wonderful primer on translational science. Okay, now we're going to get to the heart of the matter here, the AQUILA trial. So this was a study, Vincent, that you led. I wonder if you'd walk us through the primary endpoints in the study. What are we looking at in the AQUILA trial specifically? Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Thanks so much. Again, as you mentioned, smoldering multiple myeloma has just been a condition that we watch and wait. And the first thing that I want to clarify here is that the AQUILA trial is looking at only a subset of smoldering multiple myeloma. That is the high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma. It was defined the way high-risk smoldering myeloma was defined at the time the trial was designed. It randomized 390 patients. One arm got daratumumab single agent in an attempt to delay progression to active myeloma and possibly prolong survival. And the other arm was the traditional observation. The primary endpoint, therefore, was time to active multiple myeloma. Other endpoints included time to when patients needed to start therapy for active multiple myeloma, which can vary based on physician judgment, and overall survival. Of course, response rate, complete response rate, and others were also endpoints. Dr. Monty Pal: That's interesting. And you know, I wanted you to riff a little bit on this definition of high-risk smoldering myeloma. Can you tell our audience how that's sort of evolved over the years? Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Yes. I mean, if you step back, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance has only a 1% per year risk of progression. Smoldering multiple myeloma, all comers have a 10% per year risk of progression. And over the years, trials have been done in the whole population, and then more recently, we felt we should really focus on the people with high-risk smoldering, defined as a 50-50 risk of progression in 2 years. That's like a 25% per year risk of progression in the first 2 years, which is a very high risk for the patient and something that would justify prophylactic intervention. And that definition initially was based on just high levels of monoclonal protein like more than 3 grams, the IgA subtype of myeloma, the suppression of uninvolved immunoglobulins. Others have used bone marrow flow cytometry markers, cytogenetics. Those combinations of factors were available at the time the AQUILA trial was designed, and a select combination was used. Later on, we found that we could match almost all of that in a very simple risk stratification using just the percentage of bone marrow plasma cells, the level of the M-spike, and the free light chain ratio, all three of which are available to all patients with smoldering at the time of diagnosis. So you don't need any special testing. So more than 20% plasma cells, more than 20 for the light chain ratio, and more than 2 grams for the M-spike. If someone has any two of the three, that is high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma according to the IMWG, but that definition, of course, came in 2020 after the AQUILA trial completed accrual. Dr. Monty Pal: That's interesting because this sort of flips the traditional paradigm where biomarkers get more and more complex as time goes on. Am I right in saying this sort of simplifies things a little bit? It uses standard laboratory or clinical parameters to gauge this category? Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Absolutely. People were using suppression of uninvolved immunoglobulins, and those levels are not standardized, often vary by race. Also, the other aspect was the abnormal plasma cells on flow cytometry. Again, labs define it differently. So this makes it much more simple. But the IMWG also did a separate exploratory cohort within that paper where we added cytogenetics and we added scoring systems to improve on this further. So it simplified it for regular clinical practice and for like trials. But if you have a patient in front of you, the IMWG paper also has more complex scoring systems where you can take more than 20; 21 is more than 20, so is 51. And so, you can use the actual numbers that a patient has, additional variables like cytogenetics, and get a more refined estimate of what is the true risk of progression. Dr. Monty Pal: That's really helpful. Now, you told us about the primary endpoints, you've helped us define high-risk smoldering myeloma. Can you give us a sense of the top-line results from AQUILA? Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Yes, I think the most important one was the primary endpoint, time to multiple myeloma, was at 5 years, the progression-free survival was 63% in the daratumumab arm compared to 41% in the observation arm. So, you know, approximately 60% of patients in the observation arm had already progressed by 5 years. And that number was about 40% for the daratumumab arm. We also looked at time to starting myeloma therapy, which is clinically actually quite meaningful because, you know, myeloma therapy means patients get a quadruplet for induction, they get stem cell transplant, they get endless maintenance, they get ongoing therapy virtually for the entire duration. So, preventing the need for myeloma therapy is in and of itself, I think, a major endpoint. And that at 3 years, 40% of people in the observation arm required full myeloma therapy compared to only 20% in the daratumumab arm. So there's a significant reduction in the risk of developing active myeloma as well as the need for myeloma therapy by using a time-limited 3 years of daratumumab single agent. Dr. Monty Pal: Perfect summary of the results. And maybe, Saad, I'm going to bring you into the conversation now. How does this sort of influence your day-to-day practice for smoldering myeloma? Is this something that you've incorporated for that high-risk subset? Dr. Saad Usmani: Thank you, Monty, and I agree. I think that's a really nice summary from Vincent. This study is very important for several reasons. It's actually the third clinical trial that has demonstrated that patients who are in the high-risk smoldering myeloma category benefit from an early intervention that delays the progression to active myeloma or to end-organ damage. And so having a nuanced discussion with our patients in the clinic becomes very important. Having this discussion around as an option becomes very important. And like Vincent said, when we look at that high-risk smoldering myeloma patient population, someone who has 22, 23% plasma cells versus, you know, 45, 50, you know, it's going to be a different discussion each time. But I think it's a very important first step. And I think this sets up the stage for us to design clinical trials where we can ask other questions on what would be better than daratumumab alone in terms of delaying progression in these patients. The other thing that I do want to highlight, and Vincent touched upon this a little bit, that the treatment in this clinical trial was for a fixed duration of treatment. So it was not forever treatment. This is maybe something that Vincent, you can even comment on a little bit more because the question we get after having this discussion is, "Okay, what do we do with patients who are going to be progressing to active myeloma?" Whether we can utilize anti-CD38 therapies for those. So Vincent, I would love your take on this too. Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Yeah, I think, you know, the main philosophical change for me was previously, the thing was 'don't treat', and now for high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma, the question is, is daratumumab the best treatment or can we do something better? And those trials are thankfully ongoing. One of them has already completed accrual, isatuximab-len-dex versus len-dex. And another one is ongoing in ECOG, almost close to finishing accrual. And in the future, we'll be trying to see if we can use early intervention to even cure and prevent progression altogether.  So we are in this phase where we have one approved regimen, one approved drug, and we are not sure whether we can improve on that. The question is, "is a myeloma-like therapy better than monotherapy" would be the next question, and then what would we do further beyond that? In this context, whenever we have patients like this, one of the questions that comes up, as Saad mentioned, is how does this affect newly diagnosed myeloma therapy if somebody has been treated for smoldering and things like that? How will they be considered for clinical trials? Would they be considered as relapse myeloma or still newly diagnosed myeloma? And those are important discussions for clinical trialists to keep in mind, but I think for clinical practice, your duty is to the patient in front of you. If they have high-risk smoldering myeloma and there's data that there's treatments that can delay progression significantly, delay the need for myeloma therapy significantly, that's the highest priority. We'll cross that bridge.   There are so few patients going on clinical trials right now that if such a patient were to later on progress and wants to enter in a newly diagnosed myeloma trial later, years later, we can figure that out later. I feel like the most important discussion is what to do for that patient today. I still prefer a clinical trial if one was available. If one was not available, I'd prefer early intervention, but have an informed discussion with the patient because some of them may wish to delay therapy still. Some of them may have very borderline numbers that you want to watch them closely. Some of them may be having other comorbidities that prevent need for therapy. Some of them maybe have had the smoldering for a long time and you already know it's stable. So a lot of factors go in, and I think it's not a one-size-fits-all. Dr. Monty Pal: This is a terrific discussion, and you know, it sort of segues into maybe a question around biology. And this is something I was going to get to a little bit later, but Saad, I'm glad you brought it up. I'll liken it to the only thing I know, which is kidney cancer. So, you know, in kidney cancer, we use checkpoint inhibitors as adjuvant therapy. And there's this question of whether or not it breeds some resistance in the localized setting to ultimately what the patient might potentially be exposed to in the metastatic setting. Tell me your thoughts on this, Vincent, then maybe Saad separately. If you treat a patient with daratumumab in this high-risk smoldering setting, could it theoretically sort of limit options in the refractory setting now that we have regimens like DRBD that are kind of being utilized, or daratumumab with teclistamab? Vincent, I'll throw that to you first. Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: This is a great question, and it's usually asked when we've done the lenalidomide trials actually. We try to put the question back. If that was your concern, how would you actually solve it? Is it really biology that's going to answer that? Or is it a randomized trial? So the experiment has been done three times now where early intervention has been given. And if there was some detriment because of that, that would be reflected in the overall survival. In all three trials, there's no such detriment seen. In the first lenalidomide-dex trial, there was an improvement in overall survival. In the AQUILA trial again, the confidence interval doesn't cross one, and patients had better long-term survival on AQUILA, but certainly not less. We've also examined PFS2 data, and that doesn't seem to be affected. So yes, there is a theoretical concern, and that concern cannot be allayed for new treatments which we have not even tried, like tec-dara, and whether that effect would be there or not. But so far, I don't see it. And I think the onus is on proof of that in order to prevent people from getting early therapy. Dr. Monty Pal: Yeah. Saad, your thoughts on that? And before you jump in, I'll mention, we're kind of taking the same approach in kidney cancer, we're trying to really do studies to see whether or not, you know, immunotherapy rechallenge in these contexts, you know, really lends any substantial benefit. So far, the results have been interesting. I don't think we have enough numbers as yet to capture the impact of adjuvant therapy as it translates to metastatic, but I see so many similarities between the scenarios that you're facing in myeloma and what we're facing in RCC. Saad, your thoughts? Dr. Saad Usmani: Thanks, Monty. I'll go back to something that Vincent alluded to a few minutes ago about the way that we risk-stratify patients within smoldering myeloma. Right now, we are relying more on a disease burden-based stratification looking at the percentage of plasma cells in the bone marrow, the monoclonal protein, as well as the involved light chain versus the uninvolved light chain ratio. However, there are efforts underway to actually incorporate genomics into that schema and try to refine that definition of high-risk smoldering. And there have been two papers that came out in the latter half of last year. In fact. Dr. Rajkumar and I are co-senior authors on one effort where we can identify genomic myeloma in patients in precursor conditions. One of the key things that came out of that effort was that within the high-risk smoldering myeloma category, about 90% of the patients are genomically myeloma. So this whole debate of whether we need to intervene for those patients, I think, you know, we have sufficient biologic evidence that yes, we need to intervene for those patients.  I think that the next real step, like Vincent stated, is how do we intervene in those patients? And those clinical trials kind of are ongoing. We will probably need to have more validation of those genomic models being incorporated, but that's what I see in the future. I wouldn't be concerned for the patients being seen today with that query about the disease biology evolving because if I'm seeing a patient today in March of the first quarter of 2026 and offering them monotherapy daratumumab in their high-risk smoldering situation for the next 3 years and then they progress to myeloma after another couple of years, we are talking about what would be the treatment options for them in 2031, 2032. So I think the field is moving so fast, we have a lot of novel therapies coming into that frontline setting rapidly, so our options at that time would be very different. So, you know, I just wanted to kind of set up the stage for saying, you know, our tools are getting better in delineating which patients will need that intervention. And then eventually, I think, you know, we'll have much better options for newly diagnosed myeloma patients at the time when they need it in the future. Dr. Monty Pal: Just absolutely brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I love that summary. I think that you're absolutely right in saying that, you know, you've got to think about what you're going to do for that patient sort of in the moment, what's going to optimize their outcome and agree that the landscape is evolving very rapidly.  I'd be remiss, Saad, if I didn't ask you about something that I've been following in terms of your career trajectory. You've developed quite a reputation for your leadership in trials looking at CAR T-cell therapies for myeloma. Can you give us a sense of where that stands in broad terms? Dr. Saad Usmani: Certainly, Monty. I think the CAR Ts have slowly made their way from late relapse to early relapse. And now we have clinical trials that have completed accrual in the frontline setting comparing them to standard-of-care treatment for both older myeloma patients or transplant-ineligible patients, as well as younger transplant-eligible patients where we're actually trying to replace transplants with BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapies. The nuance there would be we want to equal or better the survival outcomes that we've accomplished without compromising on the safety side of things for patients. Those therapies are moving into earlier lines. And more excitingly, you know, that's just the first wave of CARs. The next wave of CAR technology is coming, and it's going to be in vivo CARs where we may not need lymphodepleting chemotherapy, we may not even need as stringent regulatory nuances that we do for cellular therapies today. So, you know, I think the field is moving rapidly, and it's going to be a very interesting landscape to see over the next 5 to 6 years. Dr. Monty Pal: Yeah, you know, it's so interesting. I know in the solid tumor space, we're trying to replicate the success that you've had with CAR T and bispecifics, and I do see some light at the end of the tunnel. I'm seeing some really promising agents being developed, but clearly, we have so much to learn from our colleagues in hematology. Well, I have to tell you, this has just been a phenomenal conversation. Vincent, congratulations on your leadership of the AQUILA trial. Clearly, a big paradigm shift in the field. Saad, thank you for offering your expert insights and really giving us also a glimpse at the future of myeloma. Really appreciate having you both on the podcast today. Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Thank you, Monty. Dr. Saad Usmani: Thank you so much. Dr. Monty Pal: And thank you so much to our listeners for your time today. Finally, if you value the insights that you hear from the ASCO Daily News Podcast, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Follow today's speakers:      Dr. Monty Pal    @montypal   Dr. Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK Dr. Saad Z. Usmani @szusmani   Follow ASCO on social media:           ASCO on X     ASCO on Bluesky          ASCO on Facebook           ASCO on LinkedIn           Disclosures:        Dr. Monty Pal:      Speakers' Bureau: MJH Life Sciences, IntrisiQ, Peerview      Research Funding (Inst.): Exelixis, Merck, Osel, Genentech, Crispr Therapeutics, Adicet Bio, ArsenalBio, Xencor, Miyarsian Pharmaceutical    Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Crispr Therapeutics, Ipsen, Exelixis    Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Honoraria: Research to Practice, Medscape Patents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: Authorship Royalties from Up To Date Dr. Saad Usmani: Consulting or Advisory Role: Janssen Oncology, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene, Regeneron, AstraZeneca, Sanofi Research Funding: Janssen Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, K36 Therapeutics, Abbvie, Regeneron  

In this episode of Translating ADHD, Asher and Dusty continue their conversation on social skills by focusing on advocacy and adaptation in the workplace for neurodivergent individuals. They discuss the challenges ADHD and autism can pose in professional settings, especially when colleagues and managers lack understanding of neurodiversity. Through client stories and personal experiences, they illustrate how behaviors like asking many questions or seeming disruptive can be misunderstood and lead to negative consequences, including job loss. They emphasize the importance of awareness about how neurodivergent traits show up and are perceived, as well as the need for workplace accommodations that go beyond task-related adjustments to include communication and social dynamics. The hosts also explore practical strategies for adaptation and self-advocacy, such as developing awareness of unwritten workplace rules, using clear communication about one's working style, and collaborating with supportive managers who can provide backing and help set boundaries. They highlight the value of understanding “what's yours, mine, and ours” in workplace conflict to identify where change is possible. Ultimately, Asher and Dusty stress that while some environments may be untenable, there are workplaces where neurodivergent strengths can be valued and flourished. The episode closes with the reminder that strength and challenge often go hand in hand, and cultivating intentional awareness helps individuals navigate and leverage their unique traits effectively in different contexts. Episode links + resources: Join the Community | Become a Patron Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Asher and Dusty CADDAC Workplace Accommodations Chart For more of the Translating ADHD podcast: Episode Transcripts: visit TranslatingADHD.com and click on the episode Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD Visit the Website: TranslatingADHD.com

Tom Logue - March 29th 2026 Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome Home: Restored Church(00:00:34) - Five-Minute Break Back(00:01:05) - Vinila Thierry Would Like to Join Our Elders(00:03:10) - The King and His Kingdom(00:03:46) - Dad Brings Up Easter(00:05:26) - A message for the young people(00:06:12) - Palm Sunday: The Triumphal Entry(00:10:16) - Jesus Orders the Disciples to Bring Me Donkeys(00:13:32) - Discipleship to Jesus: Big Calls and Little Situations(00:18:54) - Discipleship Lesson: The Small Daily Assignment(00:23:08) - Discipleship to Jesus: It Comes With Accommodations(00:24:00) - What Are the Accentuses of Your Discipleship?(00:26:34) - The Accommodations of God(00:30:33) - Jewish crowds at the Nativity(00:31:26) - Jesus Coming to the People on a Donkey(00:32:54) - ASSIGNMENTS ARE FOR GLORIFYING GOD!(00:36:37) - God Will Give You Accommodations For Glory!(00:42:34) - Delivering Pizza: The Wildest Things Ever Seen(00:46:36) - The Real Reason Why People Reject Jesus(00:53:36) - 3 Reasons Why Delivery is Different Than Deliverance(00:54:34) - When He Entered Jerusalem(01:00:08) - Jesus Is Not Shy(01:03:41) - Jesus' Assignment to the Father(01:06:08) - God's Glory this Morning

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Different Ability® Podcast, Katey and her mom, Lynn, explore Chapter 11 of Embracing Your Different Ability®. They discuss the challenges students face in embracing accommodations during high school, the balance between independence and support, and how using an IEP can make a tangible difference in academic performance. Katey shares strategies for testing oneself with and without accommodations, highlights the importance of self-advocacy, and offers guidance for teachers and parents on helping students understand and confidently use their learning supports. This conversation empowers students to recognize the value of accommodations while developing the skills to advocate for their own learning needs.

Send us Fan MailA recent Atlantic article revealed that nearly 40% of Stanford undergraduates receive disability accommodations — and the takes have been bad ever since. In this episode, we break down what the outrage gets wrong, why the 40% number actually makes sense, and why the real question isn't 'why so many students?' but 'why is the system designed this way?'Here's the original Atlantic article, "America's colleges have an extra-time-on-tests problem” by Rose Horowitch, published on Dec 2, 2025. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/01/elite-university-student-accommodation/684946/(non-paywalled version): https://archive.ph/gFRz4 Here are the other two articles we reference:https://reason.com/2025/12/04/why-are-38-percent-of-stanford-students-saying-theyre-disabled/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/40-stanford-undergrads-receive-disability-155441769.html(non-paywalled version): https://archive.ph/gFRz4 We're Sonja and Nick — parents of a dyslexic kid and your guides on this journey. We created Dyslexia Journey because we know how isolating it can feel when your child struggles with reading and school isn't helping. Every episode brings practical strategies, expert interviews with psychologists, educators, and reading specialists, plus real stories from dyslexic adults who've thrived. Whether you're a parent navigating diagnosis, IEPs, and accommodations, or a dyslexic adult looking for community — this show is for you. Got a question or a guest idea? Reach out at parentingdyslexiajourney@gmail.com. Also check out our YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@ParentingDyslexiaJourney

AuDHD can feel like a massive contradiction with lot of confusing twists and turns. Here's 23 AuDHD accommodations that you definitely need in your life. Chapters: 01:56 Too many showers 04:11 Give a non answer 06:16 A mental health day 09:19 Outfit repeat 10:55 Life's better when you're flexible 12:20 Grace period please 15:19 Fish and chips again please 18:05 Animals are better than humans 19:26 Tiimo advert 20:28 Cancel out the noise 22:03 Don't be vague 23.35 Context is king 26:00 It all makes sense now 28:14 Pay the convenience fee 29:18 Walk and talk 30:12 Have a socks and pants rack 31:06 Don't sit opposite someone 34:26 Let's go there again 36:03 Use music for transitions 37:47 Jewellery… yuk 40:35 Be my body double 41:42 When no ones watching Join the ADHD Chatter Patreon community

In this episode, Hailey heads to Lincoln County, where the Northwoods start, and your winter adventure begins! Home to more than 330 miles of groomed trails, Lincoln County offers a mix of terrain and must-stops to eat, refuel, and relax. Here's your trailside guide to make the most of your ride! The Bobber is brought to you by Something Special from Wisconsin: https://www.somethingspecialwi.com/ Read the blog here: https://discoverwisconsin.com/your-trailside-guide-to-snowmobiling-lincoln-county/ Snowmobile Trails: https://www.co.lincoln.wi.us/recreation/page/snowmobile-and-winter-atv-trail-maps; Pub 1638: https://pub1638.azurewebsites.net/; Mama D's du Lac: https://pizzarestauranttomahawk.com/; Circle K: https://www.circlek.com/; Powersports Repair & More: https://www.facebook.com/PowersportsRepair; AmericInn by Wyndham: https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/americinn/merrill-wisconsin/americinn-lodge-and-suites-merrill/overview; Pine Cone Ranch Resort: https://www.pineconeranchresort.com/ The Bobber: https://discoverwisconsin.com/the-bobber-blog/ The Cabin Podcast: https://the-cabin.simplecast.com. Follow on social @thecabinpod Shop Discover Wisconsin: shop.discoverwisconsin.com. Follow on social @shopdiscoverwisconsin Discover Wisconsin: https://discoverwisconsin.com/. Follow on social @discoverwisconsin Discover Mediaworks: https://discovermediaworks.com/. Follow on social @discovermediaworks Lincoln County: https://www.co.lincoln.wi.us/

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott explore the reality of accommodations as neurodivergent adults, from legal rights in the workplace to the everyday challenge of asking for support in social situations.Simon shares his experience travelling abroad with a group, navigating pain, overwhelm, and the difficulty of explaining invisible disabilities to others. From subtle judgment to moments of genuine support, the trip highlights how hard it can be to advocate for your needs, especially around people who don't fully understand.Jordan reflects on his own experiences in work and travel, including crowded trains, workplace training, and the contrast between being accommodated as a known advocate versus others who go unseen. Together, they unpack the emotional weight of masking, guilt, and the pressure to “keep up” in environments not designed for neurodivergent people.A grounded, honest conversation about what it really means to advocate for yourself, and why accommodations are not special treatment, but essential support.❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Dr. Monty Pal and Dr. Vamsi Velcheti discuss the evolving treatment landscape in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, including landmark trials like FLAURA2, novel drug therapies, and the growing importance of ctDNA and MRD testing. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Monty Pal: Hello, and welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Monty Pal. I'm a medical oncologist and professor and vice chair of academic affairs at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Today, I'm truly delighted to introduce Dr. Vamsi Velcheti, who's a professor of medicine and the chief of hematology-oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. We'll be discussing the expanding treatment landscape in EGFR-positive lung cancer and how to navigate the challenges of balancing treatment efficacy, toxicity, and patient quality of life in the EGFR-positive space.  Just FYI, our full disclosures are available in the transcript of this episode.  Vamsi, it's so great to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much for being here. Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: Thank you, Monty. It's a pleasure to be here with you. It's a really exciting topic and there are a lot of updates in the EGFR space. Dr. Monty Pal: So, I'm going to need your help with this because I'll be honest with you, I see very little lung cancer, if any, in my practice. I'm pretty much exclusively kidney cancer these days. I'm coming on 20 years at City of Hope now, and I still remember when trials like ECOG 1599 were presented with, you know, platinum doublets. And, of course, the field has changed a lot since then. But tell us a little bit about the first-line landscape, and I think just for the sake of time, we're going to stick with EGFR-positive disease here. What does it look like these days? Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: Monty, the foundation of care remains the third-generation EGFR inhibitors. These are selective EGFR inhibitors, like osimertinib. We've had an evolution of the development of these TKIs. Like, you know, we had the first-generation, second-generation, not-so-selective EGFR inhibitors. Now we have mutant-selective EGFR inhibitors in the clinic, and they're doing a really good job. And these are quite effective in patients who have classical activating mutations. But the reality is that these have not been transformative. These agents have fundamentally changed the response patterns, excellent CNS penetration, and very good tolerability profile. However, we don't see a lot of durability in terms of the response. So, what's different today is now there have been several trials in combination with these third-generation EGFR inhibitors that have really laid the foundation of how we kind of think about EGFR-positive disease. At the high level, there are a lot of challenges to selecting the patients for these combination-based modalities. I'm assuming we'll be talking more about these different trials and different approaches. Some of these combination-based strategies have really moved the needle in terms of improving overall survival and really improving long-term outcomes and durability in our patients. Dr. Monty Pal: And we are going to get into the weeds on this in just a moment. But I did kick off this podcast talking about chemotherapy, ECOG 1599. It does seem as though chemotherapy is still a component of management in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. So, can you tell us about, perhaps first, you mentioned osimertinib, you know, some of these next-generation EGFR inhibitors. Tell us about the role of chemo plus osimertinib. Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: That's exactly where I was going with the combination-based strategies. You know, we first started off with our earlier trials in the EGFR space evaluating the question of, are targeted therapies, are these highly effective, third-generation, EGFR-selective inhibitors, superior to platinum-doublet chemotherapy? And we've had multiple trials demonstrating that, like the FLAURA trial and in the past with second-generation EGFR inhibitors like erlotinib and gefitinib and afatinib. So, we know that these TKIs actually perform better than platinum-doublet chemotherapy. Now, we have a large, global, phase 3 trial data from the FLAURA2 trial, which looks at the question, "Hey, you know, osimertinib is better than chemotherapy, platinum-doublet chemotherapy. Can we do even better by combining osimertinib with platinum-doublet chemotherapy?" So, FLAURA2 answered that question. This is a large, phase 3 trial, and it's a positive trial with improved durability of disease control and improving overall survival with combination with chemotherapy. So, it's a very important and landmark trial, and essentially combining osimertinib with a platinum-based chemotherapy improved responses, deepened responses, and improved overall survival and really changing the disease trajectory. And this strategy is definitely compelling, especially in patients who have certain clinical high-risk features like, you know, patients who have high disease burden or patients who are sometimes having rapid disease progression early on osimertinib, especially with patients who have a lot of visceral disease burden. So, intensifying treatments up front could alter the natural trajectory of the disease. Dr. Monty Pal: So, you sort of alluded to this in that last part there, but is that kind of how you in clinical practice select? Is it based on, you know, visceral involvement? Is it based on rapidity of disease where you think about adding chemotherapy to osimertinib? Maybe you can give us the corollary. Which patients do you just use osimertinib alone in, for instance? Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: Definitely, there are some patients who have low disease burden and they have the classical mutations, like an exon 19 deletion. And these patients, especially if they don't have a lot of disease burden, they don't have CNS involvement, there may be a subset of patients who could just do fine on osimertinib of course, with close monitoring of the disease. I guess we'll get into that later, how do we do that with either ctDNA or like closer imaging or both. So, there may be some opportunity to kind of escalate patients' treatments based on certain clinical characteristics or radiographic characteristics or certain biological characteristics informed by ctDNA or other approaches. Dr. Monty Pal: No, that's interesting. And you're right, we will chat about ctDNA in just a bit. But before we get there, I think one of the big agents that has really sort of come to the fore in advanced non-small cell lung cancer is amivantamab. I've heard a lot about this in the context of even kidney cancer because in certain subsets, I'm interested in MET-directed therapies and so forth, right? So maybe tell us a little bit about the mechanism of amivantamab first, and then maybe tell us about this pivotal MARIPOSA trial where it's combined with lazertinib. Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: So, the MARIPOSA trial compared lazertinib alone with amivantamab plus lazertinib. And this trial demonstrated overall survival advantage, and there were key differences in terms of tolerability and the safety of amivantamab, which is an EGFR and MET bispecific, and there were certain kind of unique toxicity profiles that make it a little different than the intensification approach with chemotherapy through the FLAURA2 trial. So, there's a trade-off in terms of the toxicity profile. It's a different agent and a different management protocol in terms of dermatological toxicity management that clinicians need to be comfortable with. And also, there are certain unique issues in terms of amivantamab; there's a higher rate of infusion-related reactions, there's an increased risk for edema and VTEs because of amivantamab. Certainly a different toxicity profile, different management paradigm there in terms of longitudinal care of these patients requiring dermatological care and like, you know, close monitoring and prophylaxis VTEs. But having said that, definitely it's a different strategy, and it kind of changes the biology and the natural history of the cancers, and we do see some durability of responses that we see with the MARIPOSA. So, it's certainly a great alternative, at least for some patients. Dr. Monty Pal: That was a great overview of MARIPOSA. Now comes the really difficult question, which is, how do you choose between the two? You have these two great options, right, for EGFR-positive patients. You've already highlighted some of the distinctions in terms of toxicity. I think the audience is well aware of the side effects of chemo-doublet, perhaps even the EGFR-based therapies. Amivantamab is quite new. Give us a sense of how you in clinical practice decide between the two potential options here. Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: Yeah, I think that's the big challenge. I think these are two independent strategies that have evolved through the phase 3, and both of them have demonstrated overall survival benefit. So, the way I think about this is in three dimensions, right? Like, the disease biology, the patient priorities, and feasibility of care delivery. So, when I talk about the disease biology, you know, the mechanism is very different, and MET is a very dominant driver of disease in EGFR-altered patients and it's a significant mechanism of resistance, acquired resistance to TKIs. So, certainly I think there's a patient population that could benefit from a MET-directed therapy up front. However, we don't have great data to kind of really demonstrate how using amivantamab in the front line is going to change that. And are there like perhaps like some patients who we could identify who would benefit from such a strategy? Very recently, there have been some approvals in the second-line setting in lung cancer, not in the EGFR space, but like in generally in lung cancer, with the MET ADCs, and those drugs are approved with a companion diagnostic, which requires MET IHC testing. So, what has happened, at least in large academic practices and also I think in the community now, they have been checking for MET IHC expression more routinely in lung cancer. What we have been doing in our institution is we have been doing MET IHC as a reflex for all patients with EGFR, not just EGFR, but all non-small cell lung cancer patients. What that has done is now, like, we have been increasingly testing patients with EGFR for MET. And there's clearly a subset of patients who have de novo MET expression and a high MET expression. And those patients, I've been kind of like preferentially treating them with the MARIPOSA regimen. But again, I have to caution the audience that we still don't have data that MET IHC is going to help us make those decisions, whether it's better than like a FLAURA2 regimen. But however, in the second-line setting in the CHRYSALIS trial, we know that MET is a very powerful predictor of response to amivantamab. We really need more data there, but that's what I have been doing in my practice. But also, there's a lot of patient preference here. Like, there are some patients who don't want chemotherapy, and they want a non-chemotherapy approach. So, certainly there are some patients who prefer to have amivantamab. And now with the amivantamab, the subcutaneous version, the infusion reactions and the logistics of actual administration of amivantamab are more favorable with the subcutaneous approval. So, those are some of the elements that we need to take into account. Dr. Monty Pal: Well, I want to hone in on that because this subcutaneous administration route has been a big debate that I've seen on social media. Tell us, how much easier does it actually make the amivantamab experience? Does it cut down on the rash? Is it just infusion reactions? What's been your clinical experience? Vamsi Velcheti, MD: So, the subcutaneous administration of amivantamab has definitely improved the infusion reaction issue. Very rarely patients have infusion reaction now with the subcutaneous injections. And also, the infusion time is much, much shorter. Like we don't need a lot of infusion time, which is sometimes a challenge in busy infusion clinics. We need to take that into account. As far as the impact of the subcutaneous formulation on dermatological toxicity, we haven't really seen significant difference in terms of the intensity or rates of dermatological toxicity with subcutaneous. The benefits are really with the infusion reaction, the ease of administration. And interestingly, in the PALOMA trial, it also seems to be, even though this was not the primary endpoint of the study, there seems to be some suggestion that the subcutaneous amivantamab seems to have improved OS compared to the IV amivantamab. We don't really understand why, but that's a finding from the trial that's very intriguing. Dr. Monty Pal: That is really fascinating. I'm kind of curious to see how that's going to pan out. I'm going to shift gears a little bit here. And, you know, as we sort of close, I wanted to talk a little bit about biomarkers. I mean, this is obviously not a lung cancer-specific issue. It's something we think about across the board. But what I will say is that there are certain commonalities, and in bladder cancer, we think a lot now about ctDNA. But you've been way ahead of the game in lung cancer. Tell us how you guys use ctDNA, maybe both from the standpoint of monitoring for mutational status, but if you can, maybe offer some insights into some of these new MRD tests that are available too. Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: Yeah, it's rapidly evolving. Certainly, I think in the lung cancer space, you know, this has really kicked off in the lung cancer space with incorporating ctDNA into the workflow. Of course, you know, like baseline evaluation, we still kind of heavily rely on tissue genomic sequencing. But as you know, with targeted therapy, a lot of these patients have disease that evolves over time, and changes in terms of mutational pattern driving acquired resistance is a major issue across different molecular subtypes. And especially so in EGFR, when there are certain actionable opportunities associated with that transformation. So, we need to kind of have like a longitudinal snapshot of how we monitor these patients. So, the ctDNA has come to be like a tool that has now come to the forefront of clinical workflow, and almost all my patients who are having disease progression have ctDNA for kind of evaluating for resistance and informing treatment decisions, especially in EGFR. But having said that, there are a lot of challenges in terms of using ctDNA as a tool for monitoring. There are a lot of different types of assays and different platforms, and being able to use this as a quantitative tool that would be used along with the CT scans that we routinely use in clinical practice has been a challenge. And I think I would love to hear your perspectives as well, Monty, about how you're thinking about that in bladder and other disease contexts. But having said that, I think there's a lot of opportunity to incorporate ctDNA and MRD assays into clinical decision-making. Right now, in terms of clinical trials and clinical development, there have been some very interesting trials that are currently ongoing, especially in the EGFR space. We know that patients who clear ctDNA, based on some retrospective data and also like some retrospective-prospective data from trials that have already read out, that patients who clear ctDNA early with target therapy tend to do much better. They have a longer durability of response. There may be a subset of patients who have, even though they're having radiographic response, they have persistent ctDNA after a certain time point of initiation of targeted therapy. Those patients may require escalation of therapy. We don't yet know. I can't recommend that as a standard right now because we don't have clinical evidence to support that. But however, some of the clinical trials, like the ELIOS trial that's being done right now, that's actually completed enrollment, we'll hopefully see the results very soon. So, there is an emerging thought that instead of intensifying treatment for all patients with EGFR, there may be a population that may be just fine with frontline osimertinib monotherapy and introducing the intensification strategy at the time of emergence of MRD or progression on ctDNA before radiographic progression. So, there are a lot of adaptive molecular response criteria that we are kind of exploring in clinical trials that could inform how the future is going to look like for EGFR and other perhaps targeted therapies as well. So, it's fascinating, and I think there's a lot of opportunity there. Dr. Monty Pal: You know, you asked for my perspective. I actually think that what you highlighted there is the most interesting opportunity for ctDNA: the ability to de-escalate therapy. In terms of drug development, we've done so much to bring new therapies to patients, and now it's a bit of an embarrassment of riches, but the downside is that I feel like we tend to overtreat a lot of patients in the clinic. So, I definitely view MRD, you know, some of these other ctDNA techniques with methylation and so forth that may not be sort of tumor-dependent or bespoke could be incredibly, incredibly helpful. You touched on sort of the future, right, in this last section here with biomarkers. But give us a sense now in terms of novel drug therapies in the EGFR space. What are you most excited about moving forward in 2026 and beyond? Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: Yeah, I think there's a lot going on in this space, and not just this space, but across lung cancer and others as well. Like looking at the next generation of targets for ADCs. And I think a lot of these have to do with…so far in the drug development space, as you know, the improvements in clinical outcomes has been very incremental. So, we really need to make that big leap. And I think the big leap is not going to come from, in my opinion, from the next ADC, but it's going to come from how we tailor treatments and how we monitor disease better and how do we kind of incorporate the next treatment earlier and not wait for the radiographic progression. So, there's a lot of opportunity there to integrate biomarkers and dynamic biomarkers into clinical trial design and incorporating the recent advances in terms of drug design. You know, we have a lot of assets in the EGFR space, the next-generation EGFR inhibitors that are kind of designed with resistance in mind and rational combination, knowing when to introduce those combinations is also equally important. So, there's a lot going on, really exciting times to be in drug development. The one thing that I really hope will come to the forefront in drug development, not just for lung cancer, but all disease groups, is to kind of really be thoughtful about how we incorporate these really cool molecular monitoring tools and creating a composite score with imaging to be able to like really design the next generation of clinical trials. Dr. Monty Pal: You're so spot-on with that. I definitely think that we're getting to this point where, you know, we could think about the next BiTE, the next CAR-T, the next ADC. But, you know, maybe it's time for us to start really honing in on appropriate applications of these drugs, honing in on the right dose and what have you, because I definitely see some issues there.  Vamsi, this has just been terrific. I really want to thank you so much for sharing your fantastic insights with us today on the ASCO Daily News Podcast, and I really appreciate all your efforts to move the field of lung cancer forward. Dr. Vamsi Velcheti: Thanks, Monty. I really enjoyed the conversation. Dr. Monty Pal: Yeah, this was terrific.  And thanks to our listeners as well. If you value the insights that you hear from the ASCO Daily News Podcast, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Follow today's speakers:     Dr. Monty Pal   @montypal  Dr. Vamsi Velcheti @VamsiVelcheti Follow ASCO on social media:          ASCO on X    ASCO on Bluesky         ASCO on Facebook          ASCO on LinkedIn          Disclosures:       Dr. Monty Pal:      Speakers' Bureau: MJH Life Sciences, IntrisiQ, Peerview     Research Funding (Inst.): Exelixis, Merck, Osel, Genentech, Crispr Therapeutics, Adicet Bio, ArsenalBio, Xencor, Miyarsian Pharmaceutical     Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Crispr Therapeutics, Ipsen, Exelixis   Dr. Vamsi Velcheti:   Honoraria: Galvanize Therapeutics  Consulting or Advisory Role: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, GSK, Amgen, Taiho Oncology, Novocure, Regeneron, Takeda, Janssen Oncology, Picture Health Research Funding (Inst.): Genentech, Trovagene, Eisai, OncoPlex Diagnostics, Alkermes, NantOmics, Genoptix, Altor BioScience, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Atreca, Heat Biologics, Leap Therapeutics, RSIP Vision, GlaxoSmithKline

Some of the lodging during the FIFA games are going anywhere from $9K up to $30KMatthew Arana from Rosharon just signed with Houston Dynamo thru the 27-28 seasonFEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Pre-cal teacher in Aldine is excited for time off and to head to Rodeo

Dr. Monty Pal and Dr. Andrea Apolo discuss practice-changing studies and other novel approaches in bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers that were presented at the 2026 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Monty Pal: Hello and welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Monty Pal. I'm a medical oncologist, professor and vice chair of academic affairs at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles.  And today is super exciting, we're highlighting key abstracts that were presented at the 2026 ASCO GU Cancers Symposium, and I'm just delighted to be joined by the chair of this year's meeting, who is also a dear friend, Dr. Andrea Apolo. Dr. Apolo serves within the Center for Cancer Research at the NCI as head of the Bladder Cancer Section, and she is also acting deputy chief of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch.  Welcome, Andrea, it is so great to have you on the podcast. Dr. Andrea Apolo: Oh, thank you so much for having me. What a great ASCO that we had, it is really exciting, lots of really great data. So I look forward to chatting about it. Dr. Monty Pal: Excellent. And you know, our full disclosures are available in the transcript of this episode in case our listeners want to have a peek.  The theme of this year's GU meeting was "Patient-Centered Care: From Discovery to Delivery." I love that theme. And really, this is one of the most competitive meetings out there, more than 850 abstracts being presented on high-impact science. Andrea, I just wanted to get right into it and dive into what I think we both felt were some of the most exciting abstracts of the meeting.  And the first of those is one that I know is near and dear to your heart, being a bladder cancer expert yourself, and that is the KEYNOTE-B15 study presented by Matt Galsky. Can you give us a flavor for what that study entailed and some of the key results? Dr. Andrea Apolo: Yeah, I think this was kind of the missing study that we have been waiting for since we saw the EV-302 data in metastatic disease in the frontline setting. We wanted to know how well this combination would work in muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients. And we saw half of that puzzle, you can say half of the piece of the puzzle, when we saw the data at ESMO, the EV-303 data in patients that were cisplatin-ineligible. And then now we are getting the full story with patients that are platinum-eligible, cisplatin-eligible, with the EV-304 data. So that study randomized patients to receive chemotherapy, so different than the EV-303 where the patients were randomized just to receive the radical cystectomy. These patients were randomized to receive neoadjuvant EV plus pembro and then adjuvant EV plus pembro versus neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin with no adjuvant component to the control arm. So I think this is a really, really important study. Dr. Monty Pal: And share with us some of the results because this in my mind is definitely practice-changing. This is one of those studies that I think you walked into the office on Monday and you are like, "Okay, this is what I am doing now," right? Dr. Andrea Apolo: Yeah. So the study was positive. The primary endpoint was event-free survival, and it met the primary endpoint. The secondary endpoint of overall survival was also met. So really, really great results. Consistent with what we saw with EV-303, the median event-free survival was not reached for the EV plus pembro arm, and it was 48 months for the patients receiving gem-cis. And then looking at the 24-month estimated event-free survival, it was 79% for the EV plus pembro and 66% for the chemo, the gem-cis arm. And that was a hazard ratio of 0.5. So that is really exciting. That is the event-free survival. And then the overall survival, the medians were not reached for either arm, but when you look at the 24-month estimated overall survival, it was 87% for the EV plus pembro versus 81% for the gem-cis, and that was a hazard ratio of 0.65. So very positive study.  And then another question that we had was the pathologic CR rate. Very consistent with what we saw with the EV-303, the pathologic response rate was about 56% for the patients that received EV plus pembro and about 32%, 33% for the patients that received gem-cis. So very consistent with the findings that we have been kind of seeing in phase 2 studies, and this is a pT0N0, so that is important. Dr. Monty Pal: So Andrea, you know, I think that the big question in folks' minds is at this point, we see the data from NIAGARA, cis-gem-durva, we have now seen this data. Put it into context for us. Is there a patient in this day and age who maybe shouldn't get IO altogether, who should maybe get the NIAGARA regimen as opposed to EV-pembro in this context? What are your thoughts there? Dr. Andrea Apolo: Now, that is a great question. I would say with this data, it is very enticing to give EV pembro to our patients in the perioperative setting, and for that to be the new standard of care for all patients, regardless of cisplatin eligibility. So similar to what we saw with EV-302 really changing the standard of care in the frontline setting, I think these two studies, the EV-303 and the EV-304, change the standard of care for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer in the perioperative setting, and this should be the new standard of care if the patients don't have a restriction to receiving an immunotherapy. Dr. Monty Pal: I totally agree with that assessment. It is great to hear it from the expert's mouth as well. Thanks a lot for that, Andrea.  The next abstract I wanted to tackle is one that is, I would say, near and dear to my heart because I know these folks really well. It is led by the SWOG group, and this is SWOG S1602. The number there for the audience gives you a sense of how long the study has been running for. The 16 prefix means it is something that we kicked off back in 2016. So this study is really 10 years in the making, right? So Rob Svatek presented this data. It is interesting, right, because it addresses this issue of the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) shortage, right, where we have needed to sort of rely potentially on other alternative sources or regimens and so forth. Tell us about this trial, Andrea. Dr. Andrea Apolo: This is one of my favorite studies. We talked about putting it in the main oral abstracts, but we put it in one of the educational sessions that talked about non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer because we thought that would be the best audience for it. But it doesn't take away from how important this abstract is, and the tremendous effort that went into the study. Almost a thousand patients enrolled. I think 984 were eligible to enroll in this study. So it is a very high enrolling, randomized, cooperative group study in high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. And really the study was designed to address two questions. One is the BCG shortage and can we use a different strain, Tokyo versus TICE? And whether there is a priming effect if you gave intradermal BCG to patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, can that enhance the effect if you gave it a little bit earlier? I think the study is really important, and it met its primary endpoint, which was it is not inferior to TICE. The findings were really terrific in terms of the outcomes. Numerically. When you look at the endpoint, it looked like the Tokyo strain was as good, if not maybe a little bit better, but not statistically significant than the TICE. And then they broke it down by carcinoma in situ, they broke it down by papillary tumors, and the Tokyo strain was non-inferior in both of those instances. But interestingly, the intradermal BCG did not change outcomes. There was really no priming effect, which was really backed up by pre-clinical data that there would be, but there wasn't a priming effect when the intradermal BCG was given in the Tokyo strain. So that was a really, really interesting finding. But a great study, really important outcomes in the field for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Dr. Monty Pal: Totally. And it just seems like we can't get away from BCG, right? You know, as hard as we try, I mean, I appreciate the studies that sort of build on it that are emerging right now, but it seems like BCG at least for the foreseeable future is kind of here to stay, right? Dr. Andrea Apolo: It works. It is one of the most effective treatments we have for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. So, you know, I think it is here to stay and, you know, we need to find alternatives in terms of strains so we don't deal with this shortage that we have been dealing with for so many years now. Dr. Monty Pal: Yeah, indeed. Moving on to some of the other highlighted studies from the meeting, you had mentioned the EV-303 data, so we probably don't need to rehash that study design in much detail. But there was also a rapid oral abstract presented by Dr. Ullén that I think is of interest here, right, that really hones in on pathologic outcomes and DFS from that trial. Do you mind just outlining that for our listenership? Dr. Andrea Apolo: This is the KEYNOTE-905, also known as the EV-303 study. This is a follow-up to the EV-303 data looking at the pathologic response rates, looking at the downstaging effect, looking at the surgical margins after treatment with the neoadjuvant EV plus pembro in the 303. Now, remember in the 303, patients got three cycles of neoadjuvant EV plus pembro and then six cycles in the adjuvant setting. A little bit different than the 304, where they got four cycles, which is really kind of the standard in the neoadjuvant setting, and then five cycles in the adjuvant setting. So still a total of nine cycles. But in the 303, the treatment arm had no systemic therapy, so it was just radical cystectomy. And they looked at the negative margins that you get with the EV plus pembro treatment, which was 92.6% versus 79% with patients receiving just the surgery alone. And then the pathologic CR rate, there was more follow-up on that, it was 57% for the patients receiving EV plus pembro, and as we would expect, about 9% for the patients that just went on to surgery alone because you can achieve a pathologic response rate with TURBT alone. Then they looked at the pathologic downstaging, so anything less than a pT2, and that was 66% in the patients that received the EV plus pembro. So very interesting findings, and it is also really just nice to have now the EV-304 data, like I was saying, there were two pieces of it, the cisplatin-eligible and the cisplatin-ineligible, and just to have those contemporary controls are really important. How did the cisplatin-ineligible do versus the cisplatin-eligible patient in terms of the event-free survival and in terms of the overall survival? So I feel like now we have all of this data that we can kind of put together in the perioperative setting and we can really inform our patients a little bit more about their outcomes depending on whether they are cisplatin-eligible or not, which you know cisplatin-ineligible patients often just, they are sicker, they may have obstruction, their tumors may be larger, they just tend to be a more delicate population than the cisplatin-eligible patients. So not surprisingly, you know, we see that in the EV-303 the disease-free survival for the patients is pretty poor. So the disease-free survival that was reported for this follow-up of the specific abstract was 23.6 months for the patients that just got surgery, and it was not reached for the patients that had the EV plus pembro, and that was a hazard ratio of 0.37. Dr. Monty Pal: Excellent, excellent distillation. So Andrea, in the interest of time, I mean, we could probably talk about bladder cancer forever, but I am going to move us on to the subject of kidney cancer. We have two late-breaking abstracts, LITESPARK-011, which looked at lenvatinib and belzutifan versus cabozantinib in the advanced setting, and then we have an adjuvant study, LITESPARK-022, that looked at pembrolizumab with or without belzutifan in the adjuvant setting. Both studies positive. One for progression-free survival, the other for disease-free survival. Both I think making a big dent in how we treat kidney cancer. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Dr. Andrea Apolo: Yeah, we have been waiting for these trials for a long time. So one of the things that we have been talking about at GU ASCO is to have plenary sessions. And if we would have had a plenary session, these two abstracts would have been part of it because they are important data, really big studies where we are trying to improve the outcomes of our patients with kidney cancer. So the first one, the LITESPARK-011, like you said, this is for advanced renal cell carcinoma, clear cell renal cell carcinoma, where we really don't have a standard of care after IO therapy, right? So we give IO-IO, we give VEGF-IO, but we don't really have a good standard of care. We usually give monotherapy TKIs. So the combination of belzutifan and lenvatinib versus what a standard of care is, cabozantinib, is really an important question to ask. And you know, this is a pretty large study, about 750 patients were randomized. And belzutifan plus lenvatinib demonstrated an improvement in progression-free survival and overall survival versus cabozantinib, but not overall survival, at least not yet, is what the authors are saying. So for the progression-free survival, the hazard ratio was 0.7 and it was 14.8 months for the combination, belzutifan plus lenvatinib arm versus cabozantinib, which was 10.7 months. So I think that is significant. And for the overall survival, it did favor the combination again with a hazard ratio of 0.85. The median was 35 months versus 28 months for the monotherapy cabozantinib, but it did not reach statistical significance. And the authors said that this will be further tested at a final analysis, these were the interim results.  And for the overall survival, the overall survival was 53% for the combination versus 40%. This is significant. And the CR rates were lowish for both of them, it was like 5% for the combo and 1% for cabo monotherapy. So I think that the findings are important because we don't have a standard of care. And although there is no survival benefit, there was a trend. So I think this could be considered in patients that are fit, a treatment option for these patients in the later line settings. Dr. Monty Pal: Great points. I mean lots of great discussion around toxicity as well as efficacy. I mean certainly this is a regimen that may not be suitable for every patient in my portfolio, but certainly one to consider.  Now Andrea, let's shift focus to LITESPARK-022, the adjuvant trial that I mentioned previously. So this is again looking at pembrolizumab with or without belzutifan, met the primary endpoint of disease-free survival. What are your impressions there of the data? Dr. Andrea Apolo: Yeah, the data looks great. And this was a really large study, 1,800 patients were randomized, and the study met the primary endpoint of disease-free survival, benefiting the combination of pembro plus belzutifan. And that is really terrific. The medians were not reached for either arm. And in terms of the overall survival results, also the medians were not reached, but the hazard ratio was 0.78 and did not reach a statistical significance. So there was again a statistically significant improvement in disease-free survival for the combination of pembrolizumab plus belzutifan, but not an overall survival benefit.  So I guess, Monty, you know, we can kind of talk about what that means. There was a lot of discussion about belzutifan and some of the side effects, specifically anemia and managing anemia in this setting and requirements for transfusions. Generally, the authors said it was well tolerated, but we know that combination studies do have more toxicity. So it may be a select group of patients again, similar to the advanced setting, where we opt for a combination, possibly until we see more follow-up data in terms of the overall survival. Dr. Monty Pal: I have to agree with you. You know, in my group, we have been talking about a lot of pembrolizumab-based studies that are running right now, some through the NCI, some, you know, our own sort of homegrown investigator-sponsored trials, and you know, I think for the foreseeable future we are comfortable just maintaining pembrolizumab. Things might change if, for instance, we ultimately see a survival advantage emerge, but I just have my own personal doubts around that, that will be interesting.  Okay, so now we are going to move to the last disease category that we are going to cover, which is prostate cancer. So there, we have the long-awaited results from the PEACE-3 study. These are the final OS results from this trial looking at enzalutamide with or without radium-223 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. So Andrea, would love to get your perspectives on this. Dr. Andrea Apolo: Yeah, so this study had been presented before and we had seen positive results for the combination of enzalutamide and radium with some interim overall survival results also showing a benefit. But like you said, these are the final results with a median follow-up of 58 months. So it was really nice to see the final results. And with the combination of enzalutamide and six cycles of radium, it did show an improvement in overall survival with a hazard ratio of 0.76. The median overall survival increased from 32.6 months to 38.2 months with the combination. So that is really great. There was some crossing over of the overall survival curves around 18 months was still seen. And again, there was also an improvement in the rPFS with a hazard ratio of 0.71, and the median rPFS improved from 16.4 to 19 months with the combination. So, you know, we have been awaiting the final results, but we kind of knew a lot about the benefits of the combination. And it is something that is kind of slowly trickling into the community in terms of adapting it and using it. There is more buzz now about it and I think these overall survival results will hopefully shift the community into incorporating the combination in these patients. Dr. Monty Pal: Brilliant. So well said. I mean, Andrea, congratulations on a terrific meeting. You have really done it again. Incredible, incredible output from this year's ASCO GU. I just want to thank you for joining us on the program today. Dr. Andrea Apolo: Oh, thank you so much for having me, Monty. It was really a joy to work with the ASCO team and with all the investigators and the Education Committee and the Scientific Committee. Everyone was really outstanding. So to me it was an honor to be part of this meeting, and I am so happy that it was so successful and really presented some amazing data that I think will be practice-changing to our patients. Dr. Monty Pal: Oh, thanks a ton. And also a huge thanks to our listeners. If you enjoyed the content of today's podcast, please don't forget to like and subscribe to our channel wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks so much. Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Follow today's speakers:     Dr. Monty Pal   @montypal  Dr. Andrea Apolo @apolo_andrea  Follow ASCO on social media:          ASCO on X    ASCO on Bluesky         ASCO on Facebook          ASCO on LinkedIn          Disclosures:       Dr. Monty Pal:      Speakers' Bureau: MJH Life Sciences, IntrisiQ, Peerview     Research Funding (Inst.): Exelixis, Merck, Osel, Genentech, Crispr Therapeutics, Adicet Bio, ArsenalBio, Xencor, Miyarsian Pharmaceutical     Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Crispr Therapeutics, Ipsen, Exelixis     Dr. Andrea Apolo: No disclosures to report.

Job Interviews aren't designed with every brain in mind.After hearing from listeners navigating interviews with ADHD, autism, and processing differences, Sarah and Emma dive into how traditional hiring processes can unintentionally test skills that have little to do with actually doing the job. From remembering answers on the spot and processing complex questions verbally, to eye contact, small talk, and performing in unfamiliar environments, we unpack the hidden expectations some candidates are facing.This episode is Part 1 of our deep dive into neurodivergence and the job hunt, focusing on self-reflection and understanding how your brain shows up in interviews before deciding whether to ask for adjustments.We're also calling for listener stories to help shape Part 2, where'll we answer the big questions. If you've asked for accommodations, disclosed during hiring, or found strategies that made interviews more accessible, we'd love to hear from you.

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James returns from New Zealand and joins Simon Scott for an honest and surprisingly positive conversation about travelling as a neurodivergent person.From long-haul flights and jet lag to airport anxiety and invisible disability accommodations, they reflect on how different this trip felt compared to previous travel experiences. Jordan shares how advocating for pre-boarding, using the sunflower lanyard, and clearly communicating needs made a significant difference — and why asking for accommodations can completely change the experience of flying.They also explore the cognitive and sensory impact of jet lag, navigating time zone shifts, balancing FOMO with regulation, and knowing when to cancel plans instead of pushing through burnout.This episode explores:Travelling with invisible disabilitiesAdvocating for airport accommodationsSunflower lanyards and pre-boardingLong-haul flights and neurodivergent sensory stressJet lag and ADHD brain fogFOMO vs nervous system regulationSpecial interests and travel intensityBeing present vs filming everythingPost-holiday blues and returning to routineA relaxed but reflective episode about autonomy, accessibility, travel anxiety, and learning to prioritise regulation over pressure — even when you're standing at Mount Doom.Our Sponsors:

Episode Transcript (provided by Riverside - forgive any errors): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RsG6zlv0jLTM7nK1CIR3VgjK4W57S5qVnxmlCVmqaMA/edit?usp=sharingFollow I Must Be BUGN on IG @sheldongayisbugnSummaryIn this episode, I chat with Shakela Strawberry, a mom, special-education teacher and non-profit founder who is a dedicated advocate for neurodivergent people. Shakela shares her journey from being a mother to an advocate and educator, highlighting the challenges faced by neurodivergent children in the education system. She discusses her nonprofit, A.D.E. (Audacity to Dare to Educate), which empowers neurodivergent folks. We talk about the complexities of mental health, especially as it relates to Black and otherwise melanated youth. She also speaks to the importance of having empathy as a parent and an educator. This leads to discussions such as how depression often manifests as anger in young Black men. Shakela shares alarming statistics about neurodivergence in education and its relationship to juvenile detention. She also discusses the importance of recognizing the strengths of neurodivergent people and the historical context of education for marginalized communities. This is a really good episode for parents, educators and those who felt the school system treated them more like a problem to fix than a human whose needs deserved support.Key PointsNeurodivergence is often misunderstood and misrepresented in education.Labels can be harmful and do not define a person's abilities.Neurodivergent individuals have unique strengths that should be embraced.Parents can educate themselves on how to support their neurodivergent children.Understanding the root cause of behavior is crucial for effective parenting.Community education is essential for understanding neurodivergence.Empathy can be cultivated through experiential learning and simulations.The school-to-prison pipeline disproportionately affects neurodivergent youth.Accommodations like audiobooks can significantly aid learning for neurodivergent students.A world where people are free to accept themselves without stigma is crucial to empowering neurodivergent individuals.Helpful Links:A.D.E. website: www.audacitytodaretoeducate.orgFollow A.D.E. on Instagram: a_d_e_labA.D.E. on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audacitytodaretoeducate/Email Shakela: shakela@audacitytodaretoeducate.orgHire me to speak or as your personal coach! sheldongayisbugn.comFree GroupMe Community for Talented and Gifted adults: https://groupme.com/join_group/108040800/igLaxqNGND Connect - Online community for neurodivergent people: ndconnect.appUmbrella ND - Non-profit focused on neurodivergent advocacy: https://umbrellaopensdoors.org/Keywordsneurodivergence, advocacy, education, dyslexia, special education, creative learning, equity, awareness, empowerment, depression, minority youth, parenting, school-to-prison pipeline, accommodations, giftedness, diversity, communityIntro and Outro music provided by byrdversion1 - "Understand" from the album Nevermore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Zamir Punja is a Professor of Plant Biotechnology at Simon Fraser University in Canada. His research interests include the etiology and management of plant diseases and the applications of plant biotechnology for disease management. Since 2018, his work has focused on cannabis, identifying and describing a range of previously unreported pathogens affecting the crop and evaluating various methods for disease management.  Zamir is CannMed regular, having presented at 5 previous events. His presentations are always a highlight of the event because they often feature stunning electron microscope images showing plant structures and pathogens up close. In fact, his CannMed 22 presentation about glandular trichomes has gotten more than 300,000 views on our YouTube page, making it the most viewed CannMed presentation.  Zamir will again present at CannMed 26, this time about non-glandular trichomes in a presentation titled “Non-glandular trichomes in cannabis plants can secrete salts”.  During our conversation, we discuss: Non-glandular trichomes: What they are and what they do. How leaf spots, initially mistaken for disease, led to the finding that cannabis secretes excess fertilizer salts through these trichomes. Theories on why the plant would develop the ability to actively excrete excess salts. Practical guidance for cultivators on how to distinguish overfertilization from disease. Future research directions — comparing salt-tolerant vs. non-tolerant strains under varying salinity levels and exploring whether this mechanism explains cannabis’s resilience in drought-prone, high-salt environments. Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Advanced Nutrients Advanced Nutrients will once again be a partner-level sponsor for the CannMed 26 Summit, and this year they have put together an amazing package for cultivators that includes: Full Access to all the presentations, networking events, and meals at the CannMed 26 summit  Accommodations at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe  An elite package of Advanced Nutrients 8th Gen Fertilizers – enough for a complete crop valued at $11,126* 1x StrainSEEK® Whole Genome Sequence, valued at $547 – Provided by Medicinal Genomics That’s a $14,000 value for just $3,499!   Learn more at cannmedevents.com/package-options Additional Resources [Article] Non-glandular trichomes (epidermal hairs) in cannabis plants are capable of excreting nutrient salts under excessive fertilizer regimes [Video] Exploring the fascinating development of cannabinoid-producing trichomes Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

What if the key to innovation in your workplace isn't finding people who fit your culture, but transforming your culture to unlock brilliance that's been overlooked? Tara May, CEO of Aspiritech, has spent her career proving that when organizations create truly neuro-inclusive workplaces, everybody wins. In this conversation, Tara opens up about her personal journey, including raising an autistic son and her own OCD diagnosis in her 40s, and shares the practical frameworks any organization can use to go beyond diversity buzzwords and create real, measurable change. In this episode, you'll discover: Why 80% of autistic adults face unemployment, and what employers are missing The 'spiky cognitive profile' advantage and why neurodivergent talent can be 150% more productive What the 'ROI of Kindness' really means for your bottom line Three concrete steps to become a neuro-inclusive organization starting this week The canary in the coal mine: how accommodations for neurodivergent employees benefit everyone Why psychological safety isn't a soft skill — it's the engine of innovation About Tara May: Tara May is the CEO of Aspiritech, a tech services organization built on the belief that neurodivergent talent is a competitive advantage. With 25 years leading digital transformation at major media companies, Tara brings both executive credibility and lived experience to the movement for neuro-inclusive workplaces. Timestamps: [00:00] Intro — What if inclusion is the real innovation strategy? [01:24] Tara's origin story: An autistic son, a C-suite career, and a new mission [05:05] Neurodiversity belongs to all of us — the 86 billion neuron truth [06:56] Tara's own OCD diagnosis: 'It's okay to have needs' [10:03] Accommodations demystified: the water bottle story [13:20] The spiky cognitive profile and the strengths employers overlook [17:03] The index card meeting: introverted leadership in action [20:44] Universal design and the canary in the coal mine [25:27] 3 steps to becoming a neuro-inclusive organization [30:00] Psychological safety as the engine of digital transformation [35:11] How Aspiritech measures success — employees ARE the mission [38:54] One action you can take this week: ask 'what do I need?' [41:08] Where to find Tara and connect with Aspiritech Find Tara May at: www.aspiritech.org | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tara-may Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit our website for more resources. Mentioned in this episode: The Human Score — https://thehumanscore.org Find out how human-centric your organization really is with our 40-question survey and live dashboard. Get clear insights and practical steps to strengthen culture, trust, and performance. Host Lori Adams-Brown is one of the consultants in the Human Score Consultant Collective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm joined by Dr. Will Dobud, a social worker, researcher, and educator who has worked with adolescents and families across the United States, Australia, and Norway. Will is the co-author of Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health, and he brings a refreshingly optimistic yet realistic perspective to the challenges facing today's young people.We dig into some truly provocative territory in this conversation. Will challenges the prevailing narrative that phones and social media are the root of the youth mental health crisis, drawing on historical moral panics — from kaleidoscopes to pinball machines — to argue that blanket bans rarely work. Instead, he advocates for digital integration through boundaries and parental involvement.We explore why more diagnoses, more medication, and more therapy haven't improved outcomes, and how the explosion of mental health labeling — especially around neurodivergence — may actually be doing more harm than good. Will shares his concerns about "label mania," the misuse of accommodations, and how identity politics have hijacked what was originally a movement toward inclusion. We also talk about the shortage of real-world experience for kids, the importance of rough-and-tumble play, and what parents can do to build connection instead of defaulting to control. This episode asks the hard questions: Are we crushing the spirit of youth with our own adult anxiety? And what would happen if we just gave kids something worth participating in?Dr. Will Dobud is a social worker, researcher, and educator who has worked with adolescents and families in the United States, Australia, and Norway. Will is from Washington, D.C., and divides his time between the United States and Australia each year. He is the author and editor of three books, including Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health. Will is an award-winning researcher and educator who has received recognition for excellence in research, teaching, and crime prevention. Dr. Dobud is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Charles Sturt University, Australia's largest social work school. Will is an invited international speaker who conducts workshops for therapists and families worldwide. Will's research focuses on improving therapy outcomes for teenagers and promoting safe, ethical practices. He has investigated and written about America's Troubled Teen Industry, especially wilderness therapy. He has worked alongside advocates, survivors, researchers, and clinicians to protect youth from institutionalization and harm.WillDobud.comwww.kidsthesedaysbook.comFacebook: @WillDobudPhDX: @WillDobudInstagram: @WillDobud @Kids_These_Days_BookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-dobud-5209ab74/Substack: https://substack.com/@willdobudBooks mentioned in this episode:Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health by Will Dobud and Nevin HarperThe Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidti-Minds by Mari SwingleThe Spirit of Youth and the City Streets (1909) by Jane Addams[00:00:00] Start[00:02:46] Why Adults Get Trapped Trying to Fix Kids[00:06:06] What's Actually Going Right With Youth Today[00:10:17] Environmental Toxins and the Hard Questions[00:11:48] Digital Interference vs. Digital Integration[00:17:54] Can Kids Self-Regulate With Screens?[00:25:57] Phone-Free Schools: Solution or Distraction?[00:34:43] The Anxious Generation's Four Norms Problem[00:37:10] Putting Yourself in a Kid's Shoes[00:40:11] Experiential Learning and the Crowded Curriculum[00:48:07] Autism, Neurodivergence, and Label Mania[00:56:35] Identity Politics and Secondary Gain[01:04:04] Living Well With ADHD Without Hiding Behind It[01:12:11] Accommodations as Institutional Traps[01:16:22] Breaking Free From Therapeutic Dogma[01:18:46] Normies, Psychos, and Schizos[01:21:25] Institutional Exploitation in Mental Health[01:28:12] The Shortage of Experience and Risky Play[01:32:33] DC Punk Rock as Youth Participation Model[01:37:45] What Don't You Want to Change About Your Child?ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month.PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCoursesTALK TO ME: book a meeting.PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services.SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order.MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission. ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order.

Ben and Nate tell a listener who recently obtained accommodations that her extra time shouldn't change how she approaches the test.Read more on our website. Email daily@lsatdemon.com with questions or comments. Watch this episode on YouTube!

Planning to cruise from Fort Lauderdale Florida on Disney Cruise line? Then this is the episode for you. I'll share my experience with the Brightline train from Orlando, how you can use Disney Cruise line transportation to get from local hotels to the port, and my top 3 picks for hotel accommodations nearby. Save this episode for your future Disney Cruise line vacation!I hope you enjoyed today's show. I'd love to connect with you over on Instagram @mountains_of_magic or Facebook at Fantastical Vacations by Daniele. If you would like help in planning an upcoming Disney or Universal vacation, email me at danielerobbins@fantasticalvacations.com or fill out a quote form to get started planning the magic Get A Quote Want the latest travel deals and all my tips for Disney, Universal and Cruising?Join my email newsletter  Want to try fetch rewards and get free gift cards by scanning receipts? Use my code 8G48W to get 2000 points at sign up. FETCH REWARDSMy Website mountainsofmagic.square.siteMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/bring-the-funLicense code: E9BZCTS1O3JRPERX This podcast is not sponsored or supported by Fetch Rewards. Views of the host are her own. 

Dr. Monty Pal and Dr. Ari Rosenberg discuss the evolution of treatment strategies in head and neck cancers, including the challenges of treating both HPV-positive and HPV-negative disease and the emergence of blood-based biomarkers to advance personalized therapy across different subtypes. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Monty Pal: Hello and welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Monty Pal. I'm a medical oncologist, professor, and vice chair of academic affairs at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Today, we're going to explore the evolving landscape of treatment strategies in head and neck cancer management, including locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, which happens to be on the rise in United States, in part due to spike in HPV-mediated oropharyngeal cancers. We're also going to discuss the emerging strategies of using blood-based biomarkers to really advance personalized therapy. Joining me for this discussion is Dr. Ari Rosenberg. He's a medical oncologist focused on head and neck cancer, and he's an associate professor – congratulations on the recent promotion – at the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago has really produced luminaries in this field, Dr. Rosenberg included. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Dr. Ezra Cohen over the years, who really had his grounding there, and of course Everett Vokes, former ASCO President. I'm really looking forward to this conversation, Ari. Thanks so much for joining us. Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Thanks, Monty. Thanks for the invitation. Dr. Monty Pal: You got it. And just a quick note for our listeners, our full disclosures are going to be in the transcript at the end of this episode. So let's start with the basics, if you don't mind. So, head and neck cancers are very diverse and they're challenging, right? In the sense that they're near vital organs, the treatments, you know, as we all saw during fellowship, if not now in clinical practice. They can really have such a major impact on vital organ function, speech, swallowing, et cetera. Can you just comment on head and neck cancers that are on the rise in the U.S.? I alluded to this briefly. Particularly, we've heard this in the context of colorectal cancer and so forth. Are you actually seeing younger adults being affected by this? Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yeah, thanks for that. The vast majority of head and neck cancers are head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, as I'm sure many of the listeners recall as well from fellowship or their current training. And as you alluded to, the organ function, long-term and functional quality of life outcomes are quite important, particularly in the context that these develop in high value real estate, parts of our head and neck area that we use for speaking, swallowing, all sorts of other essential functions as well. As you also alluded to, we think of this in two different particular subtypes of head and neck cancer. The historical head and neck cancer from 50, 60 years ago was almost exclusively related to carcinogen exposure, tobacco, alcohol use, and that subtype of carcinogen-induced head and neck cancer has been slowly declining. However, over the last now several decades, we've been seeing an increase in primary oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, mostly tonsil, base of tongue. These are attributable to HPV, human papillomavirus exposure. And that's now the majority of the head and neck cancers that we tend to see in our clinic. As you also alluded to, these have very different prognoses as well. HPV-related head and neck cancer has a much more favorable prognosis where much of the interest has been in can we de-intensify to optimize long-term function? But then the non-HPV-related head and neck cancer, or what we call HPV-negative head and neck cancer, continue to be very, very challenging. We only managed to cure about half of these folks, with many of these patients developing the current disease. These patients, in addition to being difficult to treat, also have major impacts both in terms of the treatments they undergo as well as their disease that can impact their function and quality of life. And you hinted at this a little bit, but we have been seeing an increase in younger patients with HPV-negative head and neck cancer as well, which is quite concerning. Younger patients, oftentimes never smokers, never drinkers, who are developing non-HPV-negative head and neck cancer. And that's been a little bit of a more recent trend that we've been seeing as well. So, definitely a lot of work to be done to optimize and improve outcomes across all of these different head and neck cancer subtypes. Dr. Monty Pal: I mean, I'm just curious, you know, in the context of colorectal cancer, one of the things that we talk about is the potential role of the microbiome driving some of these young-onset cancers with, you know, perhaps there being an impact on, for instance, inflammation and the gut and what have you. Tell me about head and neck cancer. Is this anything known as to why younger patients might be getting diagnosed with non-HPV type cancers? It's odd to me. Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yeah, it's a great question. A lot of people are working on it. I think we folks have hypotheses, but it hasn't totally panned out exactly what's going on there. It does have a little bit more of a tendency towards women, whereas historically head and neck cancer is much more common in men than it is in women. But lots of people working on that, whether it's related to chronic inflammation, whether it's related to the microbiome. Whether it's related to dental exposure, dental work. So, a lot of folks trying to parse that out because I agree with you, it needs to be identified alongside improving treatment paradigms for these patients, the young ones and the older patients as well. Dr. Monty Pal: Interesting, interesting. You know, one of the phenomena that was sort of coming around when I was in training 25 years ago was this role of sort of induction therapy for head and neck cancers. And of course, it's really come full circle now to include checkpoint inhibitors and so forth. Tell me a little bit about this and how you apply it, maybe in an HPV-mediated context, maybe in a non-HPV context. Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yeah, absolutely. Induction chemotherapy, as you alluded to, or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, depending on what the locoregional treatment approach is. Similar to other cancer types where systemic control early on has many potential advantages in this setting. Now, in head and neck cancer, even though induction chemotherapy is quite active in head and neck cancer, both HPV-positive and HPV-negative with pretty good response rates. A survival advantage for all comers with local regionally advanced disease remains unproven. There's been two randomized trials, both underpowered, but essentially did not show a survival advantage, showing that induction chemotherapy for all patients with locoregionally advanced and neck cancer can't be justified for a survival advantage. That being said though, there remains a number of potential advantages of giving induction or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, of course, improving systemic control and debulking the disease early on has potential advantages, and predicting the responsiveness to subsequent radiation treatment. We know for some time in head and neck cancer that the percentage of shrinkage or the response to induction chemotherapy actually predicts outcome related to radiation as a dynamic biomarker where response can be used to select patients, for example, for de-escalated radiation has been an area of active investigation, active research. And it also remains a key opportunity to evaluate predictive biomarkers and understanding pre and post treatment to better understand the biology. I'll just add to your question that recently over this past year, we also saw phase 3 data for neoadjuvant immunotherapy for a subset of head and neck cancer that is surgically resectable. And so that's reintroducing the potential benefit in the immunotherapy era of incorporating immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant or the induction setting as part of the evolving treatment paradigm for these diseases. Dr. Monty Pal: That's really interesting. And you kind of alluded to already several topics that I plan to hit on, you know, for instance, the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors, induction, chemotherapy, and so forth. And you started to touch on biomarkers. And of course, I think that's something near and dear to many of us in academic oncology. One thing that we've started talking a lot about in the context of colorectal cancer is circulating tumor DNA. How do you think this might fit in the context of head and neck cancer? Can you give us a flavor for that? Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yeah, absolutely. In head and neck cancer, the current landscape is most developed for circulating tumor DNA for HPV-related head and neck cancer. The advantage of HPV-related head neck cancer is that you have a distinctive HPV DNA that does tend to spill out into the peripheral blood and can be detected using various different blood-based assays. And because of that advantage as a tissue agnostic approach, it turns out that a number of HPV DNA plasma assays are actually quite sensitive and quite specific. And a number of them have indeed been commercialized. Of course, not only for detecting a baseline, but also grading responsiveness during treatment and probably most importantly in the post-treatment surveillance setting, the detection of HPV DNA in the plasma remains a very important and substantial predictor of developing recurrent disease. There's been a number of trials that have been emerging looking at ctDNA and HPV-related head and neck cancer, using it, for example, as a strategy to deescalate patients. That was something we saw this past ASCO from the Dana-Farber group, and also using it to early detect recurrence and potentially intervene earlier for patients with minimal residual disease positivity. So, that remains evolving and as many folks are, I think, already using it in the clinic. But ctDNA also has a lot of potential for HPV-negative head and neck cancer. This is actually a bit more challenging to develop because you don't have that HPV DNA that you can track predictably because the tumor is an HPV- negative disease are much more heterogeneous, but there are a number of data that are coming out both for personalized assays such as Signatera or some of the other assays that require tumor. Unlike colon cancer, which you referenced, where most patients get surgery upfront, in head and neck cancer, many of the patients receive non-surgical pre-chemoradiation. So sometimes the amount of tumor available to generate a personalized assay is more limited and can be one of the challenges that we see in head neck cancer. But certainly that also seems to be emerging. And there's also further assays that are being developed for HPV-negative head neck cancers, such as methylomic signatures and others that may be tissue informed or tissue agnostic. And these are also emerging, particularly in the post-treatment surveillance setting as strong predictors of recurrent disease. So while we're certainly behind some of these other more common tumor types, colon cancer, lung cancer, we're right there with them and more and more trials are going report out, including a number of trials in our upcoming [University of Chicago] Head and Neck Cancer Symposium where I'll be presenting some data and others in the field will be presenting some data looking at ctDNA both for HPV-positive and for HPV- negative to try to improve outcomes for these patients. Dr. Monty Pal: That's so interesting. I've got to tell you that in kidney cancer, what I deal with day to day is a very low shedding disease, right? So techniques as opposed to ctDNA looking for tumor-informed information, that might be less preferred to something like methylomics where you might not necessarily be so contingent on what's happening in the primary tumor. I'm really interested in you mentioning that. Just a point of clarification, this is something I'm trying to wrap my head around. You'd mentioned circulating tumor HPV DNA, right? I assume this is markedly different from just looking for HPV titers in the patient, right? So is this actually incorporated elements of HPV within, you know, essentially host genome, if you will? Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yeah, correct. This is circulating tumor HPV DNA. And we think of it biologically as a plasma-based tumor DNA biomarker that's specific for HPV-related head and neck cancers. Dr. Monty Pal: Got it, got it. It makes me wonder whether or not this might be applicable to diseases like cervical cancer and so forth where there's also extensively, you know, biology driven by HPV. Is that fair? Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yes, definitely. And in the head and neck cancer field, much of this ctDNA actually was derived from a different viral mediated head neck cancer, is less common in the U.S., but nasopharyngeal cancer, which is oftentimes associated with EBV. That has been a biomarker for quite some time in nasopharyngeal cancer. Of course, in places where EBV-associated nasopharyngeal cancer, is endemic, such as East Asia, this has been around for quite some time, but we've been using that in the U.S., and there's been trials that have used EBV DNA plasma to predict recurrence and stratify for adjuvant treatment, for example. And so now with HPV, it's much more applicable to our US population because the vast majority of our head and neck cancer patients that we see in the US that are viral mediated in the US tend to be HPV-related. So having assays that we can use to improve outcomes for that biological subset remains of particular interest for us. Dr. Monty Pal: Yeah, that's fascinating. By the way, for the fellows listening, there's tons of boards pearls here that Dr. Rosenberg shared, EBV-associated cancers, the role of HPV and treatment association. So if you're recertifying anytime soon, I definitely think there's notes to take from this conversation indeed. I wanted to shift gears a little bit. And obviously, you're a prolific researcher. I don't think anyone goes through their fellowship in medical oncology without recounting these experiences of our head and neck patients really suffering from treatment-related toxicities. It's a real challenge. And I'm just wondering, I know a big body of work that you're focused on is really using multimodality treatment paradigms to perhaps reduce the cumulative treatment burden of patients with head and neck cancers. Can you talk about that a little bit? Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yeah, definitely. Thanks for the question. And before I start going into some of the strategies, I'll just say that head and neck cancer, this is particularly for the fellows that are listening as well, just in reference to your prior comment, that this is really a multidisciplinary disease. At our center, all head and neck cancer patients are seen upfront at that first visit by all three specialties, med onc, rad onc, and surgery, because the choice and sequencing of modalities to optimize not only survival, but also functional quality of life outcome is so critical. And I think that's probably the biggest takeaway for anyone who treats a lot of head and neck cancer or will be treating a lot of head and neck cancer in the clinic. But in terms of more specific attempts at trying to optimize some of those parameters that you described, we really think about these separately in terms of HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck cancer. For HPV-positive head and neck cancer, the cure rates are quite high with chemo radiation, although not for everyone. There's still about 15, 10 to 15 % of folks that will develop a recurrence. But for the vast majority of patients, standard chemoradiation is quite a cure to therapy, but the toxicity associated with that can be quite substantial. And so there's been a number of attempts to try to deescalate treatment. It turns out that deescalating everyone with locoregionally advanced HPV-positive head and neck cancer is not a good strategy because it's not able to select out the patients that really do need full dose treatment. And we have seen some negative trials that show inferior outcomes when everyone is deescalated. But what does remain promising is again, trying to select out who the best candidates are for deescalated treatment. The folks at MSK have hypoxia imaging that they're using in trials that looks quite promising to select for the more favorable deescalatable biology. At our center, we've been interested in using induction chemotherapy to stratify response and select patients for deescalated treatment with excellent survival outcomes and reduce toxicity with deescalated treatment. And more recently, ctDNA that us and other groups, such as the Dana-Farber group, is using. And that also looks quite promising. Again, how do you select the patient who will do well with less radiation versus the ones that really need the full doses and volumes of radiation? And then for HPV-negative head and neck cancer, this is a much trickier disease because already the survival outcomes are not like we want it to be. Trying to figure out how to improve survival outcomes remains an important thing. Using immunotherapy seems to be one of the key cornerstones to that. But these are patients that also suffer from a lot of toxicity related to their treatment. We completed a trial not too long ago that we published this past year where we, in HPV-negative head and neck cancer patients, de-intensified the radiation for responders to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. And those patients did similar, if not even a little bit better, than the non-responders who got full dose treatment. So something that does warrant further investigation as well. How do we not only improve survival for those patients, but also reduce some of the long-term toxicities? Dr. Monty Pal: This is brilliant. I'm taking so many notes as you were mentioning these items. There are so many areas where I think the research crosses over. I already mentioned, know, ctDNA, for instance, and metabolomics and the places where that might apply to kidney cancer. The hypoxia imaging really caught my ear too. Obviously, kidney cancer is disease highly predicated on hypoxia. So thank you for all of this. We've got about a minute or so. So, I'm going to ask you for a really tall task here. Can you tell us what you foresee being some of the biggest challenges that sort of lie ahead and head and neck cancer. You've already kind of alluded to it with ongoing research, but if you had to pick maybe 2, 3 problems, the very most that we really need to get to and head and neck cancer, what would that be? Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yeah, that's a great question. Obviously, lots of things to be done, but if I'm going to limit it to just a couple, I would say number one is really trying to improve the survival for HPV negative local regionally advanced head and neck cancer. We talked early on about how we are seeing, you know, of course we see many of these people that were smokers and drinkers, but also seeing these in younger patients, in patients without a history of tobacco use. Some of these are very biologically aggressive and we need better treatments beyond surgery, beyond chemo radiation, beyond immunotherapy to improve outcomes for these patients and cure more of them. So, I would say that's one big area. And the other is, which we didn't speak about so much in this talk, but remains one of the biggest challenges that we see in the clinic is the recurrent metastatic head and neck cancer patients. This is an incredibly challenging disease to treat, not only with poor survival, but also with substantial impacts on quality of life and function. mean, these are bad recurrences that cause a lot of pain, functional deficits, really impacts quality of life as well. So developing novel therapies, many of which are currently in clinical trials and many of which are currently continuing to be developed, remains so critical. How do we develop better systemic therapies, better targeted therapies, better biomarkers for recurrent metastatic head neck cancer to improve their survival and quality of life and functional outcomes. Those are the two big areas that require the most work at this time within the head and neck cancer field. Dr. Monty Pal: That's brilliant. I mean, I have to tell you I could probably talk to you all day about this, such a fascinating topic. It's a very exciting time in the field. Thank you, Dr. Rosenberg, for all your incredible contributions and thanks for sharing with us your insights on the ASCO Daily News Podcast. Dr. Ari Rosenberg: Yeah, and thanks for the introduction. Hope to do it again soon. Dr. Monty Pal: And many thanks to our listeners for your time today. If you value the insights that you hear from the ASCO Daily News Podcast, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. More on today's speakers:      Dr. Monty Pal   @montypal  Dr. Ari Rosenberg @AriRosenbergMD Follow ASCO on social media:           ASCO on X     ASCO on Bluesky          ASCO on Facebook           ASCO on LinkedIn           Disclosures:        Dr. Monty Pal:       Speakers' Bureau: MJH Life Sciences, IntrisiQ, Peerview      Research Funding (Inst.): Exelixis, Merck, Osel, Genentech, Crispr Therapeutics, Adicet Bio, ArsenalBio, Xencor, Miyarsian Pharmaceutical      Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Crispr Therapeutics, Ipsen, Exelixis  Dr. Ari Rosenberg:     Stock and Other Ownership Interests: Privo Technologies Consulting or Advisory Role: Nanobiotix, EMD Serono, Vaccitech, Novartis, Eisai, Astellas Pharma, Regeneron, RAPT Therapeutics, Geovax Labs, Janssen, Summit Therapeutics Speakers' Bureau: Coherus Biosciences Research Funding (Inst.): Hookipa Biotech, EMD Serono, Purple Biotech, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene, BeiGene, Abbvie, Astellas Pharma, Pfizer, Janux Therapeutics

In this episode Clinical Psychologist Dr. Alex Klein and I discuss ten common misconceptions about Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy.Here are five from Dr. Klein:The parent of a PDAer is doing something wrong, especially if they've lowered demands.If a PDA child did something yesterday, they can do it again today.Accommodations won't prepare PDA kids for the real world.Progress made by a PDA child is measured by what we see on the surface.Behaviorism (behavioral parenting) will be enough.And here are five from me, in strong collaboration with my PDA 11- and 7-year-olds:PDA kids are bad kids.How much freedom PDA kids need.It's not behavioral, it's stress.Why and when they can hide nervous system stress.Potatoes are green and they smell like poop :)I hope the episode is helpful to you!xo,CaseyPS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.

When you need expert individual support with skill, strategy, behavior, or body of knowledge, you'll probably reach out to a tutor or coach. How do those roles differ, and how can you get the most out of them? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Scott Clyburn to define coaching for academic success. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is there a difference between teaching and coaching? What are simple conversation habits that keep students in the driver's seat in learning? What is the best way to benchmark executive function skills?  Why is it valuable to look at habits you want to change as experiments? What are the most common pitfalls when tutors try to shift to a coaching approach? MEET OUR GUEST Scott Clyburn holds degrees from the University of Virginia and Yale University and is the founder and director of North Avenue Education, a premier test-preparation and study-skills firm based in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Houston, Texas, Scott has taught in both secondary and higher education and has been a professional tutor since 2005. He sees tutoring as an opportunity for any student to become a better learner. Scott specializes in coaching students with LD and is motivated by seeing his students transform their potential into action. Scott is the author of the North Avenue Guide to Study Skills, which will be published this winter and licensable by tutors and orgs in 2026.  Scott previously appeared on the podcast in episode 97 to discuss Test Prep for Students with Accommodations. Find Scott at scott.clyburn@northaveeducation.com or https://northaveeducation.com. LINKS The difference between tutoring and academic coaching RELATED EPISODES EFFECTIVE STUDY SKILLS FOR TEST PREPARATION HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY THE THREE CORE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND TEST PREP WHY PROFESSIONALISM IN TUTORS MATTERS WHY YOU WANT TO WORK WITH A CAREER TUTOR ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.

Leaves of absence are complicated, highly regulated, and often misunderstood in dental practices. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Alan Twigg, HR expert at Ben Erickson Administrative Services, to explain how leaves of absence actually work, why documentation matters, and how dentists can protect their practices while treating team members fairly. You'll learn how to identify protected leave, handle medical and mental health requests, manage return-to-work issues, and avoid common mistakes that lead to liability. Listen to Episode 1004 of The Best Practices Show!Main TakeawaysA leave of absence typically applies when an employee will be out for more than one week and may trigger state or federal protections.The reason for the leave determines which laws apply, so employers must clearly document whether the leave is due to pregnancy, medical conditions, mental health, or family care.Mental health conditions are medical conditions and may qualify for protected leave under disability laws.Every leave of absence should have a documented start date and an estimated return date to prevent confusion and legal risk.Medical certifications and job descriptions are essential tools for determining work restrictions and accommodations.Most leaves of absence are unpaid, but accrued PTO is usually used at the beginning of the leave as wage replacement.Employees on protected leave generally must be reinstated to the same role, pay, and hours unless the position is legitimately eliminated.Snippets00:39 What qualifies as a leave of absence versus regular sick time.02:06 Why state and federal leave laws vary by location and practice size.04:18 Mental health as a protected medical condition.07:38 Pregnancy and disability protections explained.10:40 Why every leave needs a defined return date.13:27 Risks of replacing an employee on protected leave.14:21 Medical certification and job descriptions.17:38 Accommodations and undue hardship.19:29 Health insurance and benefits during leave.20:55 Using accrued PTO during a leave of absence.24:27 Medical release and return-to-work requirements.27:33 When a leave of absence is not legally protected.30:40 Documentation tips to protect the practice.Guest Bio/Guest ResourcesAlan Twigg is an HR specialist with Ben Erickson Administrative...

Dr. Monty Pal and Dr. Atul Batra discuss the PLANeT study from India, which evaluated low-dose pembrolizumab in addition to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer, and its place among a growing body of international research on improving efficacy while reducing costs and toxicity with lower doses of immunotherapy. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Monty Pal: Hello and welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Monty Pal. I'm a medical oncologist, professor, and vice chair of academic affairs at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles. My guest today, I think, is going to be a really riveting one. It's Dr. Atul Batra, who is an additional professor of medical oncology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, or AIIMS, in New Delhi. And he's also the senior author of the PLANeT study. It's a very compelling study that evaluated low-dose pembrolizumab in addition to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer. And it's really a big part of a growing body of research that's showing balanced efficacy when we use lower doses of immunotherapy instead of standard doses to reduce cost, as well as potentially toxicity. I think this has huge implications for our global audience, and I'm so thrilled to have you on the podcast today, Dr. Atul Batra, welcome. Dr. Atul Batra: Thank you, Dr. Pal. Dr. Monty Pal: And we'll just take it with first names from here since we're both friends. I have to give the audience some context. Atul, I had the great honor of visiting AIIMS New Delhi. For those that don't know, this is really, you know, the Harvard Medical School of India. It's the most competitive institution for medical training. And on the back end of that, there's also incredible resources when it comes to clinical trials and infrastructure. I just wanted to have you give the audience sort of a scope of the types of trials that you've been able to do at AIIMS New Delhi. Dr. Atul Batra: Thank you, Monty. So, I work at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and we had the honor and pleasure of having Monty here this month. And people are still in awe of his lectures that he delivered there. Coming back to our institute, so it's kind of a medical college. It's one of the oldest ones, it was built in 1956. We are lucky enough that we get the best of the residents and fellows because they have to go through an exam, a competitive exam, and mostly it's them who come to us and we're able to do some good work out here. Regarding the trials that we have conducted, we do conduct some investigator-initiated studies, and we try to answer the questions where we can help our own patients. Like, for example, this PLANeT study. Every other patient in the clinic was almost not able to afford Keytruda at the full dose, pembrolizumab, and we had a lot of evidence creeping in that a lower dose might be helpful. And that's how we planned this study. Before that, there are certain cancers that are peculiar to India, like gallbladder cancer, head and neck cancers. These are much more common in India as compared to the U.S., and there are some good studies that have been conducted from our own institute by our senior colleagues which have been presented at ASCO and published in the JCO. We also did the capecitabine hand-foot syndrome study that was known as the D-ToRCH study: 1% diclofenac gel that became the standard of care to prevent hand-foot syndrome.  So, that's kind of a brief overview of investigator-initiated studies. India is slowly and steadily becoming a partner of the global registration trials. And it's more recently, the last five years or so, we have seen that the number of phase 2 and phase 3 trials are increasing and we are able to offer now these trials as well to our patients. Dr. Monty Pal: That was a terrific overview. I just want to highlight for the audience, as we go through some of your discussions today around specific trials, the speed at which this can be done. Just for context, for me to accrue a clinical trial of 30 patients – I think many people have probably come across some of the work that I've done in the microbiome space – at a single institution, 30 patients, right, takes me about a year and a half, two years. We're going to go through some trials today where Dr. Batra and his team have actually, in fact, accrued close to 200 patients over a span of just a year, which is just remarkable by, I would say, any American standard. So, I see a real need for partnership and Atul, I'll kind of get back to that at the end. But without further ado, the focus of this podcast today, I think, is really this terrific presentation you gave in an oral session at ESMO and subsequently published in Annals of Oncology related to the PLANeT study. Would you give the listeners some context around what the study entailed and population and so forth? Dr. Atul Batra: So, we know the KEYNOTE-522 became the standard of care for triple-negative breast cancer, where Keytruda, when added at 200 mg, the standard dose every three weeks with neoadjuvant, increases the pCR from around 51% to 64% by a magnitude of around 13%. However, in India and other low-middle income countries, less than 5% of the patients actually have access to this dose of pembrolizumab. So, our standard of care was actually just chemotherapy till now. And this kind of led us to design this trial. There are data that come from previous trials conducted in India, from the Tata Memorial, done in head and neck space, some other studies done in Hodgkin's lymphoma, that a much lower dose, probably around one-tenth of the dose, works well in these cancers. So, that's where we designed the PLANeT study, where we gave the standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the control arm, and in the experimental arm we added 50 mg of pembrolizumab. This was given every six weeks for three doses. So, that's a total of 150 mg over the neoadjuvant period as compared to 1,600 mg that was given in the KEYNOTE-522 study. So, this was almost one-tenth of the study. Dr. Monty Pal: So, a tenth of the dose, which is just remarkable. I mean, that's just such an interesting concept. Dr. Atul Batra: And the results, when we – the primary outcome, this was a phase 2 study. We just wanted to see, is there a signal of activity? And to even our surprise, when we looked at the pathological complete response rates, in the control arm this was 40.5%, and in the experimental arm this was 53.8%. So, a difference came to around 13.3%; it was numerically, I mean, so much similar to what KEYNOTE-522 had with just these many doses. So, this was around 160 patients randomized over one year. We could randomize them in one year because of the load that we see. And the primary endpoint was met, and we could see that the path complete response did show a remarkable increase. We are still following these patients to see whether there is a difference in event-free survival at a longer follow-up. Until now, it's a small follow-up, so the number of events absolute, are different: four events in the experimental arm and 11 events in the control arm. So, we are seeing some signal even in this much short follow-up period as well. But we need to see more of what happens in the longer term. Dr. Monty Pal: That's so impressive. I wonder, with this lower dose, do you attenuate toxicity at all as far as you can gather? Dr. Atul Batra: So, although we shouldn't be doing kind of cross-trial comparisons, but if you look at thyroid dysfunction, we saw that around 10% of our patients had this thyroid dysfunction. This was compared to 15% in the KEYNOTE-522, that was a larger sample size though. But we're seeing that all the toxicities are somewhat less as compared to those in the standard dose. So, the exposure is less, but I mean, I can't really commit definitely on this. For this we would need much more data to say this with more confidence. Dr. Monty Pal: Yeah. I'm going to ask you a really tough question to follow up, and this is probably something that's on everyone's mind after reading a study like this. Is this something that is disease-specific that needs to be replicated across other histologies? The reason I ask this is, you know, you think about paradigms like, for instance, in the States we're toying between intravenous versus subcutaneous delivery of checkpoint inhibitors, and we have studies focused in specific histologies that might justify use across all histologies. With this particular phenomenon, do you think we need to do dedicated studies in renal cell or in colon cancer and other places where, you know, in selected settings we might use checkpoint inhibitors and then decide whether or not there's this dose equivalence, if you will? Dr. Atul Batra: That's a real tough one, though. But I'm happy to share that there are several ongoing studies within India currently. At our institute, my colleagues are leading studies in lung cancer space, cervical cancer. There was already a publication from Tata Memorial Hospital in head and neck cancers and we see that the signal has been consistent throughout. Regarding renal cancer, there was one study that was presented for sure at ASCO from CMC Vellore, that's again a center in South India. That was in RCC at a much lower dose. And for patients who cannot take the full dose, we actually are offering lower dose nivolumab in such patients and we are seeing responses. I mean, we haven't done those randomized trials again because the numbers are much lower in kidney cancers, we know. We could do this trial in triple-negative ones because we had support and we had numbers to conduct this trial. But I'm sure this should be a class effect. I mean, when we can get tumor-agnostic approvals, then some real-world data has come up in almost all tumors, we have seen that consistent effect across tumors. And as we speak of today, I'm also delighted to share that in India, yesterday, we had the first biosimilar of nivolumab and that's now available at a much, much lower price than the original patent product. There was a long ongoing lawsuit that was there, that's over now, and from yesterday onwards, I'm so happy to share here that we would have the first biosimilar of nivolumab that's available. That's going to bring the cost to almost like one-tenth already. Dr. Monty Pal: Wow. That's huge.  I'm going to be very selfish here for a second and focus on a study that is in the renal cell space that your group has done. You know, when it came out, I was really sort of intrigued by this study as well and it reflects sort of a different capability, I think, of AIIMS New Delhi, and that's in the, what I'm going to call, biomarker space. This, for the audience, was a prospective effort to characterize germline variants in patients with advanced kidney cancer. And it's something that we talk about a lot in the kidney cancer literature, whether or not we're missing a lot of these so-called hereditary patterns of RCC. Can you tell us a little bit about that study too? Dr. Atul Batra: Yeah, so that was led by one of our fellows, Chitrakshi Nagpal, and she's just completed her fellowship. And two years back we published that. So, that was done in almost 160 consecutive patients that we recruited over the span of just one year and we saw, apart from the common known mutations in RCC, that was around 5% or so, but a lot of other mutations were also seen that we don't generally see in kidney cancers and we see in other cancers like BRCA1, BRCA2 and others. We are still, I mean, doing those analyses to see whether we get more things out of there in the somatic: is there a loss of heterozygosity or was it just present and in there? Dr. Monty Pal: I thought it was a terrific study and again, I was just so blown away at the pace. I mean, as I look at 140 patients accrued over a span of one year, this is something that would take us perhaps three times as long at City of Hope, and that's with a very sort of, what I consider to be large and dedicated kidney cancer program. So, it really underscores, I think, the need for collaboration. And ever since I came back from my visit to you at AIIMS Delhi, I think I've just been sort of transformed in the sense of trying to think of better ways for us to collaborate. One tangible thing that I'm going to get cracking on is seeing whether or not perhaps we can form some partnerships through SWOG or what we call the NCTN, the National Clinical Trials Network here within the U.S. Talk to me about collaboration. I mean, you've been really terrific at this. How do you sort of envision collaboration enhancing the global landscape of oncology? Dr. Atul Batra: That's really amazing, Monty. That's what we need. We have the infrastructure, we have the manpower, we have patients. I mean, these are all high-volume centers. Unfortunately, we are a little less in numbers, so we are more clinically occupied as well. So, sometimes it's kind of tougher, but again, when it comes to helping out the patients, global collaboration, we need to kind of take you guys along with us and have our patients finish trials earlier. This is a win-win situation for patients, one, because they also get exposure or an option to participate in the clinical trials, and second, we can answer all these scientific questions that we have at a much faster pace. All those things can be done within a much shorter span of time for sure. We are so happy to hear that, and with open hands we are ready to collaborate for all these efforts. Dr. Monty Pal: That's awesome. You know, I came back thinking, gosh, this would be so ideal for some of these rare subtypes of kidney cancer. Prospective clinical trials that I'm running in that space where really we're threatened with closure all the time. And if we just sort of extended a hand to, you know, our partners in India and other countries, you know, I'm sure we could get this research done in a meaningful way and that's got to be a win for patients. Atul, I had such a terrific time chatting with you today. I'm looking forward to seeing lots more productivity from your group there. By the way, for our viewership here, take a look and see what AIIMS New Delhi is doing under the leadership of Dr. Batra and others. It is just a real powerhouse and I think that after doing so, you'll be enticed to collaborate as well.  I'm hoping this is the first of many times that we have you on the podcast. Thank you so much for joining. Dr. Atul Batra: Thank you so much for having me here, Monty. It was a pleasure as always speaking to you. And thank you again. Dr. Monty Pal: You got it.  Well, and thanks to our listeners. I encourage you to check out Dr. Batra's paper. We'll actually have a link to the study in the transcript of this episode.  Finally, if you value the insights that you heard today on the ASCO Daily News Podcast, please rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. More on today's speakers:     Dr. Monty Pal   @montypal Dr. Atul Batra @batraatulonc Follow ASCO on social media:          ASCO on X    ASCO on Bluesky         ASCO on Facebook          ASCO on LinkedIn          Disclosures:       Dr. Monty Pal:      Speakers' Bureau: MJH Life Sciences, IntrisiQ, Peerview     Research Funding (Inst.): Exelixis, Merck, Osel, Genentech, Crispr Therapeutics, Adicet Bio, ArsenalBio, Xencor, Miyarsian Pharmaceutical     Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Crispr Therapeutics, Ipsen, Exelixis     Dr. Atul Batra: Stock and Other Ownership Interests: Zydus Pharmaceuticals, Glenmark, Caplin Point Laboratories, Laurus Research Funding: AstraZeneca, Astellas Pharma, Alkem Laboratories

In this deeply human and inspiring conversation, Bart sits down with Dr. Eric Fishon — author, educator, disability advocate, and nonprofit leader — to explore the lived reality of unseen disabilities and the power of advocacy, empathy, and inclusion. Dr. Eric shares his journey from a successful corporate career in customer experience and organizational culture to discovering his diagnoses of narcolepsy, chronic fatigue, ADHD, anxiety, and depression later in life. What followed was not an ending, but a reinvention. Through his Doctor Disruptor platform, Xtermigator Kids, and his work with the Invisible Disabilities Association, Dr. Eric is helping individuals and families understand that disability is not inabilityand that different is, in fact, beautiful.Major Takeaways / LearningsUnseen disabilities are real — even when others can't see them. Validation can be life‑changing.Diagnosis brings clarity, not limitation. Knowing what you're dealing with opens the door to tools, accommodations, and self‑compassion.It's okay to not be okay. Giving yourself grace is a critical step toward healing and growth.Advocacy often begins with personal struggle. Dr. Eric turned his own challenges into a mission to help others.Accommodations are not special treatment — they're access. Education and workplaces still have work to do.Helping others creates purpose and fulfillment. Service can be as powerful as medicine.Technology and AI can be equalizers. The right tools help people with limited energy amplify their impact.Disability does not define your ceiling. With support, inclusion, and understanding, potential expands.Memorable Quotes“It's okay to not be okay.”“Disability is not an inability — it can be your greatest superpower.”“Those letters after your name mean nothing if you're not helping someone behind you.”“Helping others gives a high no medicine can replace.”“Never forget where you've been — and turn around to help someone else get there.” Why It Matters / How to Use ItThis episode is a powerful reminder that many of the struggles people carry are invisible, and that empathy, awareness, and inclusion are leadership skills, not extras. Dr. Eric Fishon's story offers hope to anyone who has felt misunderstood, dismissed, or alone in their challenges. Whether you're living with an unseen disability, supporting someone who is, or leading a team, this conversation encourages you to ask for help, give grace, and use your experiences to lift others. It's a call to redefine success, not by what we overcome alone, but by how we help others rise with us.

We are joined in this episode by Stacey Shubitz, K-6 literacy consultant, a former elementary school teacher, and the co-founder of the Two Writing Teachers blog and podcast. Her forthcoming book, Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future, empowers parents to navigate the special education system. In this episode, we talk openly about what it really takes to support a child with learning challenges in today's school system. Drawing from decades of experience on both sides of the table, Stacey shares why she wrote Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities and what she wishes someone had told her when she was first trying to make sense of evaluations, IEP meetings, and endless paperwork. Our conversation centers on some of the practical mindset shifts that can help change everything for families, with Stacey explaining why leading with a child's strengths and not just their needs is so important for confidence and motivation. She also addresses disability language head-on, discussing why it is that naming disability isn't limiting but instead opens doors to services, legal protections, and access that families often don't realize they're entitled to. Throughout the episode, we highlight how knowledge of data, timelines, rights, and documentation can shift the power dynamic and help parents advocate more effectively. We offer some concrete guidance on when to push for evaluations, why waiting too long can do a lot of harm, and how to ask for progress data without feeling confrontational. Stacey also shares what makes IEP meetings feel collaborative instead of adversarial, from simple preparation strategies to small human touches that ease tension. Communication comes up again and again: how approaching teachers with curiosity, clarity, and respect can lead to better outcomes for kids! Stacey also speaks candidly about burnout, emotional exhaustion, and why joy isn't optional but protective. This conversation offers reassurance, realism, and a clear-eyed look at how parents can show up informed, empowered, and grounded while advocating for their children. Show Notes: [2:32] - Hear how Stacey's experiences with IEPs inspired her to help other parents. [4:04] - Stacey describes leading with strengths, not just challenges or disabilities. [6:03] - Highlighting positives alongside challenges helps children see themselves as capable. [9:42] - Stacey argues that children should know their rights and services so that they can advocate for themselves. [12:49] - It's so important for parents to monitor progress, request data, and push for evaluations when their child isn't advancing. [14:58] - Stacey adds that it's also essential to advocate firmly and request evaluations when interventions aren't producing results. [16:20] - Preparing for meetings with clarity, human touches, and understanding who's present can help make discussions more productive. [19:44] - Coming to meetings prepared with documents in advance helps balance power and supports advocacy. [23:04] - Stacey discusses how reviewing IEPs in advance can help ensure more effective teacher interactions. [25:00] - Approaching teachers with curiosity and gathering accurate information helps promote calm, productive conversations around school. [28:18] - Stacey gives an example of how being open about personal struggles allows teachers to provide better support for children. [30:33] - Stacey asserts that assuming positive intentions about teachers helps lead to collaboration and avoids unnecessary conflict. [32:07] - Stacey wishes that she had known sooner how important it is to read the procedural safeguards book to understand parental rights and timelines. [34:12] - Stacey expresses that she has learned that intentionally curating joy and connection can help prevent burnout. [37:05] - Joy is a legitimate form of intervention. Links and Related Resources: Stacey Shubitz - Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future Episode 164: 5 Keys to Productive IEPs with April Rehrig Episode 238: Dismantling DEI and the Department of Education: How Changes Impact Your Child with Vickie Brett & Amanda Selogie Episode 246: Accommodations, Modifications, or Remediation? How to Know What Your Child Really Needs with Amy Cushner   Connect with Stacey Shubitz: Stacey's Website Email: stacey@staceyshubitz.com Stacey's Substack Two Writing Teachers Website  

40 Trips to France: Plus a French Christmas Feast with Annie & Elyse opens with host Annie Sargent welcoming back longtime traveler Janice Chung, who has now visited France 40 times. This episode explores why France keeps calling people back and how repeat travel changes the way you experience the country. Listen to this episode ad-free Janice explains why France feels like home to her. She talks about slowing down, speaking French even when it's imperfect, and choosing experiences over checklists. She shares how she plans trips around things that excite her. Sometimes it's a race, like the Adidas 10K in Paris. Sometimes it's a scenic train ride in the Ardèche. Other times it's simply walking for hours and letting the day unfold. Annie and Janice discuss favorite regions, especially lesser-known places like the Aveyron. They talk about beautiful villages, local food like aligot, and why these areas remain less touristy. Janice also explains how she mixes trains, rental cars, biking, and walking depending on where she goes. This episode also looks at how France has changed over the decades. Janice remembers dirtier streets, heavier smoking, and more car traffic. Today, she notices cleaner cities, contactless payments everywhere, and easier trip planning thanks to technology. Prices have gone up, especially in Paris, but great value still exists outside major cities. The episode ends with a festive magazine segment. Annie Sargent and Elyse Rivin talk about French Christmas traditions. They cover chocolate, foie gras, oysters, cheese, bûche de Noël, and how bakeries prepare for the holidays. It's practical, warm, and very French. If you love real conversations about travel, food, and life in France, this episode is for you. Subscribe to the Join Us in France Travel Podcast on your favorite podcast app, on Spotify, or on YouTube so you never miss an episode. Table of Contents for this Episode [00:00:16] Introduction and Welcome [00:00:31] Today on the podcast [00:00:49] Podcast supporters [00:01:20] Magazine segment [00:02:31] 40 Visits to France with Janice Chung [00:02:57] Why France Feels Like Home [00:04:02] Exploring Lesser-Known Regions [00:04:49] Unique Experiences in Ardèche [00:07:38] Running and Racing in France [00:08:53] Travel Preferences and Challenges [00:09:58] Biking Adventures in France [00:17:12] Changes in France Over the Years [00:22:14] Travel Duration and Cat Care [00:23:05] Discovering a Love for France [00:23:54] Starting a Travel Blog [00:25:22] Unique Travel Experiences [00:26:16] Booking Trips and Accommodations [00:28:14] Navigating French Language and Culture [00:29:55] Favorite French Foods [00:30:46] Travel Tips for First-Time Visitors [00:33:02] Cash and Contactless Payments [00:35:03] Booking accommodation [00:39:26] Medical Encounters in France [00:42:51] Final Thoughts and Future Plans [00:43:32] Christmas Foods with Elyse and Annie More episodes about Christmas in France #JoinUsInFrance, #FrancePodcast, #TravelFrance, #FrenchCulture, #ExploreFrance, #DiscoverFrance, #FranceTravelTips, #RealFrance, #Francophile, #FranceAdventures, #SlowTravelFrance, #FranceBeyondParis, #FrenchChristmas, #ChristmasInFrance, #RepeatTravel, #FranceLovers, #TravelPodcast, #FranceByTrain, #FranceFood, #LifeInFrance