Inside Cancer Careers

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, Dr. Tony Kerlavage and Jeff Schilling discuss the role of AI in cancer research and the challenges and safety measures associated with its use. They emphasize the need for standardized data and the importance of addressing biases in AI models. They also discuss the recruitment of talent in data science and the potential for partnerships with Silicon Valley...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, Dr. Shaalan Beg, Senior Advisor for Clinical Research at the NCI and Principal Investigator at Science 37, discusses the challenges and opportunities in the field of clinical trials. The conversation centers on the increasing number of potential cancer interventions and the need for efficient clinical trial infrastructure to test these interventions. Dr. B...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and cancer research. Dr. Juli Klemm and Dr. Sean Hanlon from the NCI's Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives discuss various applications of AI in cancer research, including image analysis, clinical informatics, and basic cancer biology. They emphasize the importance of data sharing, model e...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we discuss the significance of mentorship in cancer research with one of the 2025 NCI Outstanding Mentor Awardees, Dr. Andrea Apolo, and two of her fellows, Dr. Saad Atiq and Dr. Andre Kydd. They explore the evolution of mentoring styles, the importance of communication within teams, and the innovative research being conducted at the NCI, particularly in b...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we hear from Dr. LeeAnn Bailey, branch director of the Community Outreach, Research, and Engagement Branch in the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities at NCI and head of the NCI's new Early Onset Cancer Initiative. The initiative focuses on understanding and addressing the rising incidence of cancers diagnosed in individuals aged 18 to 49. The conver...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we hear from the winners of the 2024 NCI Technologies for Cancer Prevention, Diagnosis, or Treatment Prize, which is part of the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge managed by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering: three biomedical engineering alums from Stanford, Gabriel Seir, Shreya Garg, and Kelly Lopez-C...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we highlight the Big Data Scientist Training Enhancement Program (BD-STEP), a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). We hear from Dr. Michelle Berny-Lang, Director of the BD-STEP of the NCI Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, Dr. Frank Meng, National Director of BD-STEP of the Depart...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we explore international efforts to combat cancer, featuring Dr. Lisa Stevens from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Dr. Andre Carvalho from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), World Health Organization (WHO).  They discuss integrating radiotherapy and nuclear medicine into cancer control, the importance of national canc...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we hear from Dr. Satish Gopal, Director of the NCI Center for Global Health, and Dr. Peter Kingham, Surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Director of the Global Cancer Disparities Initiative at MSK, about the global cancer challenge. They discuss the importance of understanding cancer in different settings, drawing on their own deep experie...

In this episode, we learn about NCI's Intramural Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (iCURE), a program that supports mentored research experiences from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Jessica Calzola, iCURE Program Director and Branch Director of Innovative Programs Branch in NCI's Center for Cancer Health Equity, and Dr. Stephanie Pitts, an iCURE Scholar and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, Dr. Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, Acting Director of the NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT), discusses the intersection of informatics, data science, and epidemiology in cancer research. She also shares her career path and offers advice for those interested in pursuing careers in these fields and so much more. SHOW NOTES Jill...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Montserrat Rojo de la Vega, Deputy Editor at Cancer Cell, and Dr. Cansu Cirzi, Scientific Editor at the same journal. They delve into the multifaceted role of editors in scientific publishing, particularly at Cancer Cell. The discussion covers key aspects like manuscript selection, peer review coordination, and author guidance during revisions. Beyond their editor...

In the last episode of Inside Cancer Careers, "Empowering the Next Generation of Women Scientists: The Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship Program - Part 1", we learned about the origins of the Sallie Rosen Kaplan (SRK) Fellowship Program from Dr. Jeff Rosen and Ms. Erika Ginsburg. In this episode, we feature a discussion with two alums of the SRK fellowship program, Dr. Tiffany Lyle and Dr. Kylynda Ba...

In this episode, host Dr. Oliver Bogler speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Rosen and Ms. Erika Ginsburg about the Sallie Rosen Kaplan (SRK) Postdoctoral Fellowship for Women Scientists. Dr. Rosen, who helped establish the fellowship in honor of his aunt, shares the program's origin story and its impact on advancing women in biomedical research. Ms. Ginsburg discusses how the program has evolved from a recrui...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we have Dr. Swati Choksi, a Staff Scientist at NCI Center for Cancer Research, and Dr. Christophe Marchand, Deputy Associate Director in the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis and former Staff Scientist, sharing insights about their roles in cancer research. They talk about the advantages and responsibilities of being a staff scientist, such as men...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we hear from Dr. Eytan Ruppin, Dr. Tiangen Chang, and Dr. Yingying Cao, computational scientists at NCI's Center for Cancer Research. They discuss their newly developed AI tool, LORIS, which can predict how a patient will respond to immunotherapy. LORIS analyzes six variables commonly measured in clinical settings to calculate a score indicating the patien...

In this special episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we hear from Dr. Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society (ACS).  Dr. Knudsen shares her career journey into science and the path that led her to her current leadership role at the ACS. She shares her story of finding the right mentor, asking the right questions, and being open to new opportunities.    SHOW NOTES Dr. Karen Knudsen American...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we hear from Dr. Ray DuBois, Director of the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, Associate Provost for Cancer Programs at MUSC, and Executive Chair of the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research along with Dr. Marvella Ford, Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at MUSC and Associate Director of Hollings Cancer Center for Population Sciences and Commu...

In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we are joined by Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee, the current chair of the President's Cancer Panel, and Ms. Daniela Monterroza, an NCI Communications Fellow who supports the panel. They discuss the panel's responsibility in overseeing the National Cancer Program and National Cancer Plan, emphasizing the importance of patient-centric care, community engagement, and a...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Yamini Dalal , Senior Investigator and Senior Advisor for Faculty Development, and Dr. Sweta Sikder , Postdoctoral Fellow in NCI Center for Cancer Research. They discuss their experiences of moving to the US for their scientific careers, including the challenges they faced and the opportunities and benefits of working in the US. They also share their paths to biol...

    In this episode of Inside Cancer Careers, Dr. Oliver Bogler interviews two guests, Dr. Itai Yanai, who is a Professor at NYU School of Medicine, and Dr. Martin Lercher, who is a Professor at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. They are also co-founders of Night Science, which is the creative aspect of scientific research.  They discuss the importance of scientific creativity and explore why...

In this episode, host Oliver Bogler speaks with NCI fellows live at the American Association for Cancer Researchers (AACR) Annual Meeting in San Diego, California. They share their science, career path, and thoughts on attending the AACR annual meeting.   Show Notes:   ·       American Association for Cancer Researchers (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024   Wayne Lawrence, Dr. P.H.,M.P.H. , Research Fellow...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Khadijah Mitchell, an Assistant Professor of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center and a former NCI fellow. Dr. Mitchell discusses her research on lung cancer and health disparities. She highlights the importance of the menthol cigarette ban in reducing health disparities and shares her experience in advocacy work. Dr. Mitchell share...

In this episode, we get insights from three guests - Dr. Brigitte Widemann, Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB) and Special Advisor to the NCI Director for Childhood Cancer, Dr. Andrea Gross, an Assistant Research Physician, and Sneh Patel, a Postbac Fellow in the Pediatric Oncology Branch within NCI's Center for Cancer Research. They share their perspectives on the unique challenges face...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Jennifer Couch, Chief of the Biophysics, Bioengineering, and Computational Sciences Branch in NCI's Division of Cancer Biology, and Dr. Manu Platt, Director of the Center for Biomedical Engineering Technology Acceleration at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. They discuss the importance of integrating physical sciences, biology, and e...