CANCER BUZZ

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Misha Kaur, chief operating officer at Cureety, about her key takeaways as a member of the panel: Value-Based Care in Oncology: From Pilots to Scale. Kaur discusses the importance of keeping quality and affordability at the heart of value-based care, and how Cureety's remote monitoring solution effectively captures nuanced patient insights in precision oncology care.

"[Value-based care] was never meant to be a contract. The original spirit was [about] aligning incentives [and creating] better outcomes for patients. But in practice, over time...it can sometimes become just a contracting discussion [about] targets, benchmarking, reporting, utilization, [and] cost reduction." – Misha Kaur

Guest: Misha Kaur Chief Operating Officer Cureety

Resources:

• 2026 ACCC Leadership Summit

• Innovation, Policy, and Partnership: Key Takeaways From the Inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit

• From Hospital to Home: A Solution for Proactive Symptom Monitoring and Precise Care

• Staying Connected Between Visits: A Sustainable Model for Remote Monitoring

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Jay Seemann, vice president of market and access value at BeOne Medicines, about his key takeaways as a member of the panel: Health Policy: Provider Voices Outlook. Seemann addresses macro-level health care reform changes across all market segments, and the impact on manufacturers, providers' choice of therapy, and patient access to care.

"What we heard at the conference is that we all need to unite, come together, and come up with partnerships and solutions collectively versus independently." – Jay Seemann

Guest: Jay Seemann

Vice President of Market And Access

BeOne Medicines

Resources:

• 2026 ACCC Leadership Summit
• Innovation, Policy, and Partnership: Key Takeaways From the Inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit
• ACCC 2026 Policy Priorities
• Legislative and Regulatory Updates
• Year in Review: 2025 Policy Wrap-Up
• Policy Shifts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Threaten Access & Care Coverage for Patients With Cancer

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, engaging panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Michele LeSueur, DBA, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Johnson & Johnson, about her key takeaways as a member of the final panel of the Summit: Strategic Partnerships: Creating a Thriving Innovation Oncology Ecosystem. Across the diverse panel of stakeholders, one theme consistently rang true: Innovation is happening very quickly in oncology, but the gap continues to widen between the inception and the implementation of these ideas into day-to-day patient care. Lesueur also comments on the importance of industry partners listening and understanding where friction might occur when launching a new treatment or delivery system.

"It's not just about continuously generating breakthrough science or breakthrough treatment. That's only going to take us so far. We have to think about how to actually incorporate that and get it to the patients." – Michele LeSueur, DBA

Guest:

Michele LeSueur, DBA Vice President of Sales and MarketingJohnson & Johnson

Resources:

• 2026 ACCC Leadership Summit
• Innovation, Policy, and Partnership: Key Takeaways From the Inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit
• One Purpose, One Passion, 2 Directions: How to Bring Together Clinical and Administrative Leaders

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, engaging panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Ashley Johnson, MBA, chief innovation officer at LeanTaas, about her key takeaways as a member of the first panel of the Summit: AI in Oncology: Tools for Today, Breaking and Remaking for Tomorrow. Johnson reflects on the challenges oncology leaders face as they attempt to vet and adopt a flood of new AI tools in health care, as well as the importance of being an educated consumer in this space.

"I hope oncology leaders took away [that] you can become a smart consumer of AI and AI tools even if you don't fully understand AI and all of the buzzwords." – Ashley Joseph, MBA

Guest: Ashley Joseph, MBA

Chief Innovation Officer

LeanTaas

Resources:

• 2026 ACCC Leadership Summit

• Innovation, Policy, and Partnership: Key Takeaways From the Inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit

• Artificial Intelligence: The Legalities of AI in Health Care and the Day-to-Day Use of AI in the Clinical Setting

• Precision With Purpose: Transforming Oncology Care Through Predictive Insights

• Scaling Early Detection Across Rural America: Lifepoint Health's Healthy Person Program

• The Evolving AI Landscape in Cancer Care: An NCCN Summit

• AI's Changing Role in Oncology: Recapping the NCCN Summit

• Harnessing AI to Empower the Community Oncology Workforce

Indications for the use of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are rapidly increasing in oncology. While many cancer centers are keeping an eye on this developing field, curiosity must be transformed into proactive planning to avoid being caught unprepared as BsAb indications expand. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Laura Kuzma, MSW, admin administrative director of FirstHealth Cancer Center and Oncology Services at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, about the real-world lessons she has learned about governance considerations, ramp-up strategies, and workflows. She shares the importance of proactively building workflows, readiness plans, and cross-team communication pathways to safely operationalize BsAb therapy.

Guest: Laura Kuzma, MSW Administrative Director, Oncology Services and Clinical Trials FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Pinehurst, NC

"That was the biggest hesitancy: are we equipped to manage this type of care in this type of setting?"

"My request to the hospital administrators was to allow me to put together a team across the hospital to fully explore the financial side as well as the medical management side."

"We had doctors in every area of the hospital on this. They cared about it, and I think it was exciting to them too. They felt like they were doing something meaningful, and their input was taken seriously."

Resources:

• A Blueprint for Successful Integration of Bispecific Antibodies

• Delivery Models for Administering T-Cell-Engaging Bispecific Antibodies

• Deliverying T-Cell-Engaging Bispecific Antibodies: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• ACCC Office Hours Recording - Bispecific Antibodies: One BiTE at a Time

• Bispecific Antibodies Checklist for Community Providers

• Using Bispecific Antibodies in Community Practice: Challenge and Opportunities

• Expanding Access to Cellular and Bispecific Therapies: Considerations and Recommendations

For 52 years, ACCC has brought together thousands of health care professionals from across the nation representing all disciplines in oncology. Today, with over 46,000 members, ACCC's mission remains the same: to provide education, forums, and opportunities to promote the delivery of high-quality, equitable cancer care. Each year, the Association produces an ACCC Annual Report showcasing key educational programming and policy work it has produced for its member cancer programs and practices across the country. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Meagan O'Neill, MS, executive director of ACCC, about the 2025 ACCC Impact Report, highlighting advancements in financial advocacy, patient-centered care for Veterans with cancer, and access to cutting-edge therapies like CAR T-cell therapy.

"The most exciting thing about [the Impact Report] is it's a reflection of what's possible when the oncology community works together. Progress in cancer care is not going to happen through isolation. It's going to happen through collaboration, and that's what ACCC is here to support." – Meagan O'Neill, MS

Guest: Meagan O'Neill, MS Executive Director Association of Cancer Care Centers

Resources:

• 2025 ACCC Impact Report

• 2025 ACCC Innovator Award Winners

• Financial Advocacy Network

• Addressing Care Disparities for Veterans

In this episode of Oncology Unscripted, hosts Mark Liu and Deirdre Saulet speak with 2025 ACCC Innovator Award Winner Andrew Ambort, DO, a palliative care consulting physician at WellSpan Health. Dr. Ambort received the award for his team's innovation "Adopting Machine Learning-Enabled Decision Support to Improve Oncology End-of-Life Outcomes," which leveraged an existing module in the electronic health record to integrate a 12-month mortality risk into clinical workflows. He discusses the vision behind this initiative, plans for expansion into other specialties and service lines, and the human impact that early, integrated palliative care has had on WellSpan's patient community.

"[Caregivers] are so busy dealing with the chaos of end-of-life care...and then [they] get this bill at the end that surprises [them] too. It's not the experience we want for anyone, especially patients with cancer." – Mark Liu, MHA

"Unfortunately, the bills don't stop coming when people die...and it puts them right back in that [difficult] place. Being able to reduce that cost helps them grieve appropriately and get to a place where they [find acceptance] and prevent backsliding." – Andrew Ambort, DO

"The visibility is huge in terms of staying at the forefront of the oncology team's mind...[and reminding them] this is a resource we need to be leveraging and bringing into the fold." – Deirdre Saulet, PhD

Andrew Ambort, DO Palliative Care Consulting Physician WellSpan Health

To submit a topic of discussion to the podcast, please email [email protected] and [email protected].

Resources

• Precision With Purpose: Transforming Oncology Care Through Predictive Insights – Oncology Issues

• 2025 ACCC Innovator Award Winner: WellSpan Cancer Institute

• Spirituality and Cultural Humility: Core Components of Comprehensive Palliative Care

• Bringing Cancer Care Home: The Shaw at Home Model for Community-Based Oncology Palliative Care

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy is a promising option for patients with advanced melanoma, but logistical and referral challenges can be a barrier to care. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Lilit Karapetyan, MD, MS, FACP, medical oncologist at Moffit Cancer Center and Research Institute, an authorized treatment center (ATC) for TIL cell therapy, and Raju Vaddepally, MD, hematologist-oncologist at Florida Cancer Specialists, a non-ATC, about the referral process. Both guests discuss the relationship between their cancer programs, offering actionable tips on how to streamline the identification and referral of melanoma patients for TIL therapy across institutions.

Guests:

Lilit Karapetyan, MD, MS, FACP Medical Oncologist Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Tampa, FL

Raju Vaddepally, MD Hematologist-Oncologist Florida Cancer Specialists Naples, FL

"It is extremely important that providers think about this earlier, because the huge issue that we have with TIL therapy is that we get a lot of patients referred but unfortunately, they are no longer fit to proceed with the therapy." - Lilit Karapetyan, MD, MS, FACP

"Cancer care can be so fragmented and always requires multidisciplinary input, whether it be within the town or going to an academic center, so we do have a specialized department in which they handle all these referrals." - Raju Vaddepally, MD

Resources

• ACCC TIL Therapy Resources

• ACCCBuzz Blog: Streamlining TIL Cell Therapy: ACCC Resources to Improve Referral Pathways and Academic–Community Coordination

• CANCER BUZZ: Developments in TIL Cell Therapy

Changing regulations are reshaping the practice of oncology. Issues such as prior authorization, shifting coverage policies, reporting mandates, and reimbursement certainty all affect how clinics must operate to provide the best care. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with 3 oncology professionals, representing different roles and regions of the country, about their experiences of how policy impacts care delivery. Martin Palmeri, MD, MBA, FASCO, medical oncologist at Messino Cancer Centers, Patricia Serna, MHS, PA-C, CGRA, APP area manager at Texas Oncology, and Gretchen Van Dyck, financial counselor at Green Bay Oncology, connect the dots between legislative intents and clinical realities.

"When my patients see that their options for clinical trials are diminishing, or some of these clinical trials are shutting down, they lose hope." - Martin Palmeri, MD, MBA, FASCO

"Being able to work with the Texas Society of Clinical Oncology has given me that behind-the-scenes background of if we don't speak up, our patients are going to suffer." Patricia Serna, MHS, PA-C, CGRA

Guests: Patricia Serna, MHS, PA-C, CGRA APP Area Manager – APP Services Texas Oncology Dallas, TX

Gretchen Van Dyck Financial Counselor II Green Bay Oncology Green Bay, WI

Martin Palmeri, MD, MBA, FASCO Medical Oncologist Messino Cancer Centers Asheville, NC

This podcast is part of the Oncology State Societies (OSS) Advocacy Engagement program, made possible with support from Johnson & Johnson.

Resources:

• ACCC Advocacy Resources

• Access, Payment & Reimbursement Reform

• ACCC Community Oncology Research Institute (ACORI)

As the number of patients and survivors of cancer grows each year, awareness of the disease's emotional toll—including depression, anxiety, and deep existential distress—is increasingly recognized as a critical aspect of cancer care. In response, psychedelic-assisted therapy is gaining attention as a promising alternative to traditional mental health interventions, providing relief for some patients. To shed light on the patient experience with this treatment, CANCER BUZZ spoke with breast cancer survivor Judy Wight; Jennifer Bires, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FACCC, executive director of Life with Cancer and Patient Experience at Inova Health System; and Manish Agrawal, MD, cofounder and CEO of Sunstone Therapies, about the human side of psychedelic-assisted therapy, promising existing research, and how it can shape the future of psychosocial care.

"It's not that I'm a different person. It's more like I'm becoming the person I was meant to be. And all those layers of trauma and sadness...I've been able to shed a lot of that." – Judy Wight

"When I started to learn about psychedelic-assisted therapy, read some of the patient accounts, and see some of the research, I said, 'I've got to learn about this. I think that this could be another tool that would be useful for people in this space where we don't have the perfect answer, and we don't have the perfect treatments.'" – Jennifer Bires, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FACCC

"When I give talks around this, I have an iceberg. Above the iceberg I have chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, and underneath the iceberg I have what's called psychosocial, psycho-spiritual, psychological care. And I think true cancer care is treating everything in the iceberg, not just what's above the water." – Manish Agrawal, MD

Guests:

Jennifer Bires, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FACCC Executive Director, Life with Cancer and Patient Experience

Inova Health System

Fairfax, VA

Judy Wight

Breast Cancer Survivor

Manish Agrawal, MD

Cofounder and CEO

Sunstone Therapies

REKINDLE Investigator

This podcast is sponsored by Reunion Neuroscience.

Resources:

• The REKINDLE Study

• ClinicalTrials (NCT07002034)

• REKINDLE Brochure

• Reunion Neuroscience

• Adjustment Disorder Associated With Medical Illness: Unmet Needs and Rationale for RE104 as a Novel Psychedelic Therapy

• Exploring Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Oncology

• Addressing the Psychological Burdens of Cancer on World Mental Health Day

• Psychosocial Care in Oncology: Advocating for Policy Changes that Improve the Culture of Care

• Collaborative Care: A Model for Embedding Counseling in Oncology and Palliative Care

• Spirituality and Cultural Humility: Core Components of Comprehensive Palliative Care

• Psychosocial Care in Oncology

• Collaborative Care: A Solution for Increasing Access to Psychosocial Care in Cancer Programs and Practices

Scan to learn more about the REKINDLE study: