The Research Evangelist

On today's episode, meet Lori Hall. Lori is Senior Director of Global Health Literacy at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, though she would describe herself as a patient whisperer, social intrapreneur and quiet revolutionary. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Purdue University and practiced as a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse before embarking on her journey in the pharmaceutical industry. She calls health literacy "empathy in action."

On today's episode, meet Magnolia Contreras, MSW, MBA. Magnolia is Vice President of Community Health at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. In this role, she is charged with helping the Institute carry out its community benefits mission through the delivery of evidence-based cancer prevention, screening and early detection programs. Prior to joining Dana-Farber, Ms. Contreras was employed by AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts where she served in senior executive roles as the Director of External Affairs and Director of Public Policy and Community Relations. In her work, she partners with local community organizations to increase access to services and create the conditions that promote health for everyone.

On today's episode, meet Dr. Danny Nguyen. Dr. Nguyen is a Medical Oncologist and Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research at City of Hope in California. He is passionate about treating patients in the community setting close to where they live. Danny completed fellowship training in oncology and hematology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, his residency in internal medicine at Emory University and medical school at the University of South Florida. He aims to reduce disparities in cancer care by improving access to innovative therapies through clinical trials for the Orange County community.

I want to thank the 65 amazing humans who I've had the honor of having on my show so far. I am humbled by the work that you do every day to support patients in research and care, and just so grateful that you took the time to share your stories with me and my listeners. And I'm proud to call you friends! - Dave Bjork

On today's episode, meet Dr. Coral Olazagasti. Dr. Olazagasti is a medical oncologist and Assistant Professor at the Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami. She specializes in thoracic oncology, as well as head and neck oncology. She is passionate about reducing health disparities and is a proud member of the Duma Lab. She received her medical degree from Universidad Central del Caribe, did her residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital and her Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health. She also loves to go horseback riding with her dad in Puerto Rico.

On today's episode, meet Dr. Douglas Mathisen. Dr. Mathisen is a thoracic surgeon and visiting surgeon at Mass General, and distinguished Hermes Grillo professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. He received his MD from University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1974. He was a general surgery resident and cardiothoracic resident at the Mass General from July 1974 to December 1982. He spent two years in the surgery branch of the National Cancer Institute of Health (NIH). He joined the Mass General Department of Surgery in 1984, and was chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery from 1994-2019, the chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery from 2007-2011 and the program director of cardiothoracic surgery from 1995-2017.

On today's episode, meet medical oncologist David Carbone, MD, PhD. Dr. Carbone serves as a professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University and co-leader of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, where he also directs the Thoracic Oncology Center. In addition, he holds the Barbara J. Bonner Chair in Lung Cancer Research. Among his many other talents, he is a woodworker who has made and distributed many white ribbons to patients and others at his cancer center on behalf of the White Ribbon Project.

On today's episode, meet Dr. Anne-Marie Baird. Dr. Baird is a lung cancer researcher at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Her research interests are in inflammation, the metastatic cascade, drug resistance and disease biomarkers. Dr. Baird is the President of Lung Cancer Europe, a European platform for lung cancer advocacy. She is active in lung cancer advocacy, and an avid supporter of The White Ribbon Project. The White Ribbon Project promotes awareness about lung cancer by changing public perception of the disease. Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.

On today's episode, meet Dr. Leah Backhus. Dr. Backhus trained in general surgery at the University of Southern California (USC) and cardiothoracic surgery at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She practices at Stanford Hospital and is Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the VA Palo Alto.  She is also Co-Director of the Thoracic Surgery Clinical Research Program, and has grant funding through the Veterans Affairs Administration and NIH. Her current research interests are in imaging surveillance following treatment for lung cancer and cancer survivorship.

On today's program, meet Dr. Marc Matrana, Director of the Precision Cancer Therapies (Phase I) Research Program, Endowed Professor of Experimental Therapeutics & Associate Director of Clinical Cancer Research, at the Ochsner Cancer Institute. Marc is a ninth-generation native of the New Orleans region. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in human genetics from Tulane University, and his medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. Marc completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Ochsner Medical Center and completed training in hematology and medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He believes every cancer patient should be screened.