Oncology Overdrive

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Melody Harris about the evolution of precision medicine, what physicians and companies can do to help patients better understand precision oncology and more. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 0:14 •    About Harris 0:20 •    The interview 1:11 •    Tell us about how you ended up in this niche role. 1:32 •    How did you make the decision to move from practicing law to transitioning your career into this space?  3:56 •    Jain and Harris on the “hype” around precision medicine. 7:11 •    What is the central thesis of the work at NeoGenomics? 10:36 •    What do you feel companies need to be doing to make expectations surrounding diagnoses more transparent for patients?  11:49 •    Where do you think this is all going in the future? Where do you think we’ll be in another ten or twenty years?  13:30 •    What do you see yourself doing next?  19:04 •    How can companies address the disparities in health care access, especially in underserved areas?  21:06 •    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want listeners to take away? 23:32 •    How to contact Harris 24:30 •    Thanks for listening 25:14 Melody Harris serves as chief operations officer and president of informatics at NeoGenomics, a leading oncology testing services company.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Harris can be reached at [email protected]. 

Disclosures: Jain and Harris report no relevant financial disclosures. 

In this special crossover episode of Oncology Overdrive, we bring you Healio coverage from the 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer, as well as Healio’s top headlines from the meeting. With insights from Benjamin P. Levy, MD, and top headlines from the conference, Meeting Mic is your on-the-go source for highlights, pearls, and perspectives across all specialties.

Benjamin P. Levy, MD, discusses key takeaways from the meeting. 0:49

Read the full coverage here:

Ivonescimab extends PFS vs. pembrolizumab in advanced NSCLC, may be ‘a new standard’

Source: Zhou C, et al. Abstract 2700. Presented at: IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer; Sept. 7-10, 2024; San Diego.

Perioperative nivolumab improves outcomes in resectable NSCLC

Source: Forde PM, et al. Abstract 3589. Presented at: IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer; Sept. 7-10, 2024; San Diego.

Despite progress, barriers to lung cancer biomarker testing persist

Source: Smeltzer M, et al. Abstract 3000. Presented at: IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer; Sept. 7-10, 2024; San Diego.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD.

Disclosures: Jain reports no relevant financial disclosures. Healio could not confirm relevant financial disclosures for Levy at the time of posting.

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Alice Chen, MD, about the impact of misinformation and disinformation during elections, the health care issues on the 2024 ballot and more. Content warning: This episode discusses sensitive topics surrounding women’s health and reproductive rights. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 0:14 •    About Chen 0:32 •    The interview 1:38 •    How did you get into the public health and advocacy spaces? 1:58 •    Have you seen an evolution in medical professionals becoming more involved in politics and advocacy?  5:08 •    How has misinformation impacted politics, health care, policy and the election? 7:25 •    As health care workers, how do we address misinformation to help our communities and patients? 10:51 •    Do you feel that health care workers should use social media for this type of advocacy work?  15:26 •    Is there more of a need for health care workers to be doing this work now than it was pre-social media?  18:14 •    Jain and Chen on how discussions around politics have changed in the last decade.  26:05 •    What are the major health care topics being discussed and impacted by this upcoming election? Why is health on the ballot?  28:33 •    Jain and Chen on women’s health and why it matters in this election.  30:58 •    What are health care workers doing to promote advocacy?  37:05 •    If you could summarize this episode in one minute, what would you want listeners to take away? 45:36 •    How to contact Chen 46:11 •    Thanks for listening 46:53 Alice T. Chen, MD, is a mom, physician and national leader in public health, physician advocacy and community organizing.  She serves as the co-chair of the board of directors of Health Care Without Harm.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Chen can be reached @atychen on X and on LinkedIn. 

Disclosures: Jain and Chen report no relevant financial disclosures.

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Amita Patnaik, MD, FRCPC, about providing patient access to breakthrough drug developments, bringing early phase cancer trials to physicians and more. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 0:14 •    About Patnaik 0:21 •    The interview 1:23 •    How did you decide to become an oncologist, and how did you end up co-founding the START Center for Cancer Research?  1:32 •    Can you tell me about START’s overarching purpose and where you see its need being most fulfilled? […] What do you hope START will accomplish in the next five to ten years?  11:33 •    How successful has START been at including underrepresented patient populations in clinical data? 17:52 •    What are some challenges you’ve found as you have navigated through founding a company and executing its mission? 21:48 •    What is next for you?  25:21 •    If someone else wanted to create a company like START, what are some tips you would give them?  27:23 •    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 32:03 •    How to contact Patnaik 34:44 •    Thanks for listening 35:27 Amita Patnaik, MD, FRCPC, is an internationally recognized medical oncologist and the co-founder of the START Center for Cancer Research.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Patnaik can be reached via email [email protected] or via the START website.

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Annmarie Ison about developing safe and accurate software, how software can improve health care disparities and more. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 0:14 •    About Ison 0:25 •    The interview 1:10 •    Tell me about how you got into this space […] Can you explain what software development is?  1:34 •    What is Elekta and what does the company do?  10:24 •    How do you feel that this type of innovation is transforming cancer care and treating oncology patients? 13:19 •    How is Elekta and its services helping to address health care disparities? 19:32 •    Where do you think AI fits into the bigger picture of the cancer care landscape?  24:53 •    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 28:29 •    How to contact Ison 30:25 •    Thanks for listening 31:05 Annmarie Ison is head of customer service for the software business line at Elekta. She has over 25 years of experience as a software development professional, specializing in product development and software architecture for information management systems and radiation therapy delivery devices.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Ison can be reached via email [email protected] or via LinkedIn.  Disclosures: Jain and Ison report no relevant financial disclosures. 

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Brian Fiske about bringing biotech business ideas to fruition, antibody drug conjugate developments and more. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 0:14 •    About Fiske 0:21 •    The interview 1:45 •    How did you get to where you are today, and how did you become interested in this specific area of health care?  2:06 •    What is a timeline from start to finish to bringing an innovative idea to fruition?  6:01 •    How long does it take to form an actual company from an idea?  11:20 •    How do you figure out who you need on your team to move an idea forward? 15:11 •    Tell us about your previous positions at biotech companies, and how did they help lead you into your current space? 20:22 •    What excites you about your job? […] Why do you feel the drive and desire to do this type of work?  24:40 •    Where do you see the work at Mythic Therapeutics doing in the next five to ten years for patient care?  26:27 •    How can we work towards making sure this type of innovative work is available and accessible to patients?  29:20 •    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 31:16 •    How to contact Fiske 32:12 •    Thanks for listening 32:56 Brian Fiske is chief scientific officer and co-founder of Mythic Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to the development of next-generation antibody-drug conjugate therapies for the treatment of a wide range of cancers.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Fiske can be reached via LinkedIn or the Mythic Therapeutics website.   Disclosures: Jain and Fiske report no relevant financial disclosures. 

On this special edition episode, Shikha Jain, MD, with Physicianary’s Hansa Bhargava, MD, and Mend the Gap’s Dagny Zhu, MD, discuss the evolution of empowering yourself and others and advocacy with a panel of guests.  •    Intro 1:01 •    What does it mean to empower women in medicine, and what are the ways that we can really empower others to achieve the things that they may not see for themselves?  2:39 •    What are some ways in which you have empowered or hope to empower women in medicine? Are there tips or skills that have worked well?  5:43 •    How have you been empowered by others, or have helped others find their voices?  8:38 •    Do you agree that the conversation is changing toward a cultural shift in empowerment for women in health care? 13:53 •    What are some challenges facing advocacy and empowerment? What do you do when your advocacy work is not being received or it is a struggle to speak up for someone?  18:40 •    Emphasizing the importance of communication in advocacy work. 24:00 •    Intro to Physicianary’s part 3 on physician burnout and work-life balance. 24:16 •    Thanks for listening 25:00 Vineet Arora, MD, MAPP (NAM), is a Herbert T. Abelson professor of medicine, vice dean of education in the biological sciences division and dean for medical education at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She is also an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. She is a founding member of the 501c3 Women of Impact and advisor to the Women in Medicine Summit. Jennifer Bepple, MD, MMCi, is a double board-certified physician in urology and informatics. She is a member of the American Telemedicine Association, American Urologic Association and American Medical Informatics Association and holds a certification from the American Board of Telehealth and the American Board of AI in Medicine. Hansa Bhargava, MD, is Healio's chief clinical strategy and innovation officer. Listen to her Healio podcast, Physicianary. Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, is a board-certified hematology and oncology physician. She is a tenured associate professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology, the director of communication strategies in medicine and the associate director of oncology communication & digital innovation at the University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago.  Mara Schenker, MD, FACS, FAOA, is an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital. She is double board certified in orthopedic surgery and clinical informatics. She serves as the chief of orthopedics and associate chief medical information officer.  She is an associate professor of orthopedics at Emory University School of Medicine. She serves on multiple boards for medical and digital technology advisory and sits on major national committees for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, AAMC, American College of Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Dagny Zhu, MD, is a cornea, cataract and refractive surgeon and medical director and partner at NVISION Eye Centers in Rowland Heights, CA. She can be reached on X @DZEyeMD. We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD.  Disclosures: The hosts and guest report no relevant financial disclosures.

In this special 100th episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with her father, Krishna Jain, MD, about work-life balance pertaining to private practice, improving a fragmented health care system and more. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 1:18 •    About Krishna Jain 1:27 •    The interview 2:27 •    How did you end up in the United States? What was your journey to becoming a world-renowned vascular surgeon?  2:44 •    What was it like being a resident back then, especially as someone who came from abroad?  7:30 •    After training, why didn’t you go back to India? 10:12 •    Shikha Jain on how her father inspired her passion for research and mentorship.  13:19 •    Why did you choose to go into private practice, and how did you build your practice and become a leader in this space?  15:18 •    The Jains on the importance of being present for and supporting family.  19:16 •    How did your entrepreneurial life start?  23:55 •    What do your limb preservation centers do?  27:33 •    What are some things that need to be done to improve our fragmented health care system?  29:45 •    What led you found the South Asian American Vascular Society?  34:16 •    How did you end up deciding to go to Kalamazoo, MI instead of going back to India? 39:11 •    What are most proud of in your career? 41:28 •    What do you want to share with the next generation of surgeons and physicians? 44:07 •    The Jains on their relationship growing up and now. 45:44 •    If someone could only listen to the last minute of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 47:48 •    How to contact Jain 48:48 •    Thanks for listening 50:43 Krishna Jain, MD, is a vascular surgeon who has been intimately involved in the growth of office based endovascular centers throughout the country since 2007.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Krishna Jain can be reached via email [email protected].  Disclosures: Jain reports no relevant financial disclosures. 

In this special throwback episode, Shikha Jain, MD, talks with Olympic champion Kikkan “Kikkanimal” Randall, about how her positive attitude and athlete mentality have helped her navigate a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, valuable advice for both oncologists and patients and more. •    Intro 1:44 •    About Randall 1:58 •    The interview 3:22 •    Tell us a bit about you. Who are you? How did you get to where you are and how did you decide you wanted to be a part of the U.S. Olympic cross-country ski team? 3:51 •    How were you diagnosed? 6:12 •    How old were you when you first realized that you had this pebble in your breast? 7:33 •    What type of mentality is it that makes you such a phenomenal Olympic athlete that you were able to translate into this taking charge of your health and taking charge of your cancer as you move forward? 9:20 •    What was the best way for you to cope as you felt this loss of control going through your treatment in certain times? 12:09 •    What did you do to prepare for your clinic visits when you were trying to advocate for yourself? 16:17 •    Can you talk more about the video blog you kept during treatment? 17:55 •    How did you navigate the disease with your son? 21:50 •    How long do they recommend for you to wait to try again (to conceive)? Did you have those conversations? 26:17 •    Do you feel like you are mentally approaching this period of your post-cancer care or your post-treatment time? 29:58 •    Randall running a marathon following the completion of her treatment 32:07 •    How did you get involved with Healthy Futures and Fast and Female, and what exactly do they do? 38:08 •    Did the way that you participate in advocacy change after you were diagnosed with cancer? 42:46 •    One thing you wish oncologists knew when they are treating patients with any kind of cancer, and one thing patients should know if they’re newly diagnosed? 48:09 •    How to find Randall 50:26 •    Thanks for listening 51:58 Kikkan Randall is an Olympic champion, active mom, cancer fighter and “Get-Activist.”  We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Randall can be reached at kikkan.com.  Disclosures: Jain reports no relevant financial disclosures. 

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Shyam Natarajan, PhD, about machine learning in cancer research and testing, using technological innovation to address disparities in health care trials and more. •    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 1:17 •    About Natarajan 1:22 •    The interview 2:10 •    How did you get into the medical technology space?  2:29 •    Can you explain what machine learning means?  4:37 •    How did you end up co-founding Avenda Health?  7:18 •    Do you think that this type of technology is replicable in other disease types as well? […] Where else do you see this being a benefit? 9:53 •    When you think about AI, what are the other applications for this type of technology outside of oncology?  11:24 •    How do you respond to concerns that AI is becoming too sentient or independent?  12:50 •    What are the checkpoints we need to put in place to make sure that biases in AI algorithms do not become the norm?  16:21 •    Do you have ways to predict who would benefit from these types of technology, and can you categorize patients into who is appropriate for trialing these technologies?  19:44 •    Is there a way to utilize this technology to address disparities in health care?  22:04 •    Have you found that there are specific things that make it harder to enroll patients in these particular clinical trials? How do you navigate those? 24:47 •    If you had a crystal ball that could see fifty years into the future, where do you see all of this technology going? 27:28 •    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 30:56 •    How to contact Natarajan 31:31 •    Thanks for listening 32:22 Shyam Natarajan, PhD, is the co-founder and CEO of Avenda Health, a medtech company focused on improving outcomes for the one in seven men at risk for prostate cancer.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Natarajan can be reached at www.avendahealth.com or via LinkedIn.  Disclosures: Jain and Natarajan report no relevant financial disclosures.