The PQI Podcast

PQI Podcast | Season 10, Episode 4

March is Blood Clot Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to spotlight an often overlooked but life-threatening complication in cancer care: blood clots.

In this episode of the PQI Podcast, we speak with Leslie Lake, Voluntary President and Board Chair of the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA). After surviving a bilateral pulmonary embolism in 2018, Leslie became a passionate advocate for improving patient education, awareness, and prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Her personal experience with limited information after discharge from the hospital inspired her to help ensure that other patients receive the knowledge and support they need.

Leslie shares insights into the mission of the National Blood Clot Alliance and their national education initiative, Stop the Clot®, which works to increase awareness of blood clot risks, symptoms, and prevention strategies. The conversation also highlights why oncology teams should pay close attention to blood clot risk in patients with cancer, how healthcare professionals can better educate patients, and the role of advocacy and policy in improving outcomes.

Listeners will learn practical strategies for patient education, key risk factors oncology teams should recognize, and how organizations like NBCA are working to improve awareness and prevention nationwide.

Learn more at: www.stoptheclot.org

In Season 10, Episode 3 of the PQI Podcast, we are joined by Laura Bray, MBA, founder and Chief Change Maker of Angels for Change, to explore one of the most urgent challenges in oncology today: drug shortages.

Laura shares the powerful personal story that led to the creation of Angels for Change after her daughter faced multiple life-saving drug shortages during cancer treatment. She provides a patient-centered perspective on what drug shortages truly look like in real time and why they have such a profound impact on care.

This episode also focuses on the role of pharmacists and the medically integrated oncology team in addressing shortages. From improving visibility to taking action within their own practices, listeners will walk away with practical ways to engage, advocate, and support patients during supply disruptions.

Laura closes by sharing what gives her hope for the future and how collective action can move us closer to ending drug shortages for good.

Bhavana (Tina) Bhatnagar, DO—Associate Professor of Medicine at the WVU Cancer Institute—shares her journey from academic centers to rural West Virginia, where she’s working to expand access and improve outcomes for underserved communities.

We talk about what high-quality rural cancer care really takes: overcoming transportation and financial barriers, navigating limited specialty resources, building community-based clinical trials, and expanding access to innovations like CAR T—powered by strong multidisciplinary teams.

Key takeaway: the best care starts with understanding the person behind the patient.

Bill Wimbiscus is a longtime journalist and NCODA collaborator—and in this bonus episode, he shares what it felt like to go from reporter to patient after a multiple myeloma diagnosis. He talks candidly about the realities that show up outside the clinic: oral oncolytic logistics, specialty deliveries, dose changes, and the financial uncertainty that can derail care.

Bill’s connection to NCODA started as a patient, when an NCODA member pharmacist helped secure urgent financial assistance in minutes after his support fell through mid-year. That experience later shaped his work on the updated NCODA-ASCO Updated Standards for Medically Integrated Dispensing.

In this episode:

• What patients experience between visits (delivery, cost, adherence stress)
• Why cycle-to-cycle changes create real medication waste and confusion 
• What medically integrated pharmacy support looks like from the patient side
• How patient voice can shape standards that improve access and care

Nuclear pharmacy is rapidly moving from the background to the forefront of oncology care.

In this season finale episode, Nic Mastiscusa, PharmD, Chief Nuclear Pharmacist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, breaks down how theranostics and radiopharmaceutical therapies are changing the way certain cancers are diagnosed and treated. Nick explains how targeted radioactive drugs can both locate tumors and deliver therapy, what this means for diseases like neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer, and why concepts such as alpha vs. beta emitters and dosimetry matter clinically.

This episode is ACPE-accredited for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and is worth 0.5 credit.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the role of nuclear pharmacy and theranostics in oncology care
• Differentiate between diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals
• Explain clinical differences between alpha- and beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals
• Identify the role of dosimetry in personalized radiopharmaceutical treatment
• Recognize key patient counseling and safety considerations related to radiopharmaceutical therapies

CE Information
This activity is ACPE accredited for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
CE credit is available upon successful completion of the post-activity requirements.

Access the CE activity here:
https://www.lecturepanda.com/r/PQIPodcastTheranostics

CE Disclosures
Nic Mastascusa, PharmD, R.Ph., BCNP discloses affiliations with NMTCB and NANP.

Melanoma used to have almost no effective treatment options. Now? Immunotherapy is changing lives — and Oxford’s Dr. Mark Middleton joins us to unpack the science, the turning points, and the innovations reshaping melanoma care.

In this episode, he reflects on decades of research — from the early trials that taught researchers what not to do, to the breakthroughs in checkpoint inhibition and precision approaches that dramatically improved outcomes. We also dive into MyMelanoma, a nationwide effort gathering real-world patient data to answer questions traditional trials often leave behind.

Takeaways:

• What researchers learned from early immunotherapy trial failures — and how those lessons shaped today’s strategies 
• The evolving science behind checkpoint inhibitors and why certain patients respond more durably than others
• How MyMelanoma is uncovering insights on risk, survivorship, lifestyle factors, and real-world outcomes at scale 
• The future of melanoma treatment, including biomarkers, combinatorial approaches, and better trial designs

In this special Giving Tuesday episode, Ginger talks with Chuck Akanegbu, PharmD, a PGY1 resident and longtime NCODA PSO leader, whose involvement in the student community led to something bigger than he ever expected: donating stem cells through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).

Chuck reflects on how the PSO shaped his interest in oncology, what leadership taught him, and how he went from supporting donor drives as a student to becoming a donor himself. He breaks down the donation process in a straightforward way and shares how the experience is shaping his approach as a future oncology pharmacist.

It’s a timely reminder of what Giving Tuesday represents at NCODA: showing up for others, supporting patients and peers, and taking action when you have the chance to make an impact.

Learn more about NMDP here.

What happens when a group of breast cancer survivors climb into a 40-foot boat and start paddling together?
You get the Mammoglams — a Jacksonville dragon boat team turning survivorship into strength, resilience, and community!

In this episode, we’re joined by Pam Reckner, breast cancer survivor, Team USA paddler, and Team Captain of the Mammoglams, along with Jeri Millard, breast cancer survivor, longtime patient advocate, and Founder/CEO of In the Pink, a nonprofit boutique supporting cancer patients in Jacksonville. Together, they share how dragon boating has become a powerful part of recovery — improving mobility, supporting lymphedema management, and offering survivors a place to rebuild confidence and connection.

They also take us inside the global breast cancer paddling community, talk about what it’s like to compete internationally, and describe how the Mammoglams support survivors at every fitness level with a truly “no paddler left behind” approach.

In this episode:

• How dragon boating supports strength, mobility, and physical healing after breast cancer
• Why survivors describe the Mammoglams as a genuine “floating support group”
• Pam’s path from treatment to Team USA paddler and team captain
• Jeri’s advocacy journey and the origins of dragon boating in Jacksonville
• Insight into the international breast cancer paddling movement and upcoming world competitions

Learn More:
Mammoglams Website: www.mammoglams.com
Jacksonville Dragon Boat Club: www.jacksonvilledragonboatclub.com
In the Pink nonprofit: https://inthepinkboutique.com

This Veterans Day, we’re shining a light on care for those who’ve served.

Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) O’Donnell, Director of the Multi-Cancer Early Detection Clinic at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, joins the PQI Podcast to discuss the Sentinel Study—a Department of Defense–sponsored clinical trial offering multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing to U.S. veterans.

Through a single blood draw, the test can screen for more than 50 types of cancer, addressing the urgent need for improved screening among veterans, who face a cancer risk nearly 20% higher than the general population.

Dr. O’Donnell shares how this innovative study combines science, service, and compassion to bring life-saving research to those who’ve served—and what it could mean for the future of oncology care.

Listen to learn more about:

• How early detection technology is transforming the future of cancer care
• Why veterans face unique cancer risks linked to their service
• What makes the Sentinel Study a model for accessible, equitable screening
• The personal motivation that drives Dr. O’Donnell’s work

For more information on the Sentinel study or to determine eligibility, visit redcap.link/VeteransScreeningStudy or contact the Sentinel Team at [email protected]