The COVID-19 pandemic created ripple effects across all of health care, especially for at-risk populations like cancer patients. Early in the pandemic, the National Cancer Institute initiated a study to examine the intersection of cancer and COVID-19 diagnoses. More than two years later, we discuss with NCI Head of Breast Cancer and Melanoma Therapeutics Dr. Larissa Korde from the Clinical Investigations Branch on the status of the study, some of the preliminary findings and how it's evolved.

As America's largest integrated healthcare network, the Department of Veterans Affairs also oversees a considerable scope of advanced medical and biomedical research programs. Hear from VA Director of Data Analytics and Innovation Amanda Purnell on how the agency is making innovative use of synthetic data like creating algorithms and machine learning models to support and advance health issues for veterans, including suicide prevention, COVID-19 and more.

The Food and Drug Administration released an Enterprise Modernization Action Plan (EMAP), the next installment of the agency’s “stronger data and technology foundational approach,” which follows action plans around technology and data modernization. FDA CIO Vid Desai says the plan will accelerate operational efficiency, data use and cross-agency alignment. Desai dives into FDA’s requested fiscal year 2023 budget and what it means for continued modernization across the agency.

Immunotherapy, or the ability to use a person's own immune system to fight cancer, is rising as a promising treatment option in cancer care. In our first episode of our Cancer HealthCasts miniseries, we talk to one of the fathers of successful immunotherapy, Dr. Steven Rosenberg, about how a study he's leading is unveiling a new form of personalized immunotherapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to combat metastatic breast cancer.

Last year we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act with the NCA Miniseries, but there's still so much to discuss in the field of cancer research. This new miniseries explores how NCI is pushing the ball forward in the fight against cancer. We'll dive into news and program highlights in the cancer space, and dig deeper into how NCI is collaborating with partners to enable new technologies and cutting-edge research. Tune in next week for the first episode interview with NCI Surgery Branch Chief Dr. Steven Rosenberg.

Drug-involved overdose rates and deaths have been increasing at alarming rates across the country, and a majority of those deaths have been attributed to opioids in recent years. Amid the growing crisis, the National Institutes of Health started the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative (HEAL) to study and address the opioid epidemic. HEAL Director Dr. Rebecca Baker discusses the strides NIH has taken to help advance science for pain management, barriers for substance use disorder treatment and other critical pieces to addressing opioid misuse and addiction.

The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains one of the most comprehensive benefits and healthcare services of any institution in the United States. Hear from VA digital services expert John Rahaghi on how the agency is further integrating its various services through the integrated Login.gov portal, and how these developments fit within VA's broader customer experience strategy.

Adm. Rachel Levine is Assistant Secretary for Health, coordinating public health efforts at the federal level. Levine discusses challenges and lessons learned from the pandemic, as well as how she is approaching other public health challenges like mental health, the opioid epidemic and more. We'll also see how innovation, intersectional health, telehealth and other approaches are key for addressing these challenges.

As America's largest civilian agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs manages one of the country's most substantial Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) programs to provide federal documents to the public upon request. Hear from VA FOIA Director Michael Sarich on how the agency is using new capacities like process automation to expedite the FOIA process and release documents more quickly and efficiently.

Any IT modernization strategy is most successful when it incorporates human-centered design principles. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, this ensures the veteran is at the center of its products and services. Samara Strauss, VA Product Manager at the U.S. Digital Service, discusses how her team is contributing to VA's enterprise effort to provide veterans with world-class customer service and guidance through their VA experience, focusing on the modernization of va.gov and other innovative digital services.