Healthcare Unfiltered

Drs. Hossein Borghaei and Tony Calles dissect the pivotal abstracts and cutting-edge data unveiled at ESMO 2023, spotlighting the transformative landscape of lung cancer treatment. From exploring innovative immunotherapy combinations to the promising prospects of antibody-drug conjugates, they navigate through the complexities of neoadjuvant and adjuvant sequencing, shedding light on optimal thera...

Steve Stavs, a “pro biohacker” and “health futurist,” unveils his model to combat chronic diseases by addressing root causes, while exploring Eastern medicine's approach to preventive care and its current standing in research and empirical evidence for complementary interventions. As a pro biohacker, Stavs shares insights on optimizing whole-body performance and health, highlighting the impac...

Ameish Govindarajan, MD, a Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, shares his journey outlined in the Journal of Clinical Oncology's Art of Oncology piece, "Chasing Milestones," which sheds light on his personal experience as a patient diagnosed with stage 4 NSCLC. Dr. Govindarajan shares how this diagnosis influenced his career trajectory,...

Chadi is joined by experts Jennifer Wargo, MD, Nazli Dizman, MD, and Sumanta (Monty) Pal, MD, from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and City of Hope, to unravel the intricate relationship between the microbiome and cancer. Delving into the historical context and evolution of this connection in oncology, they share insights on manipulating the microbiome and its potential impact on...

Dr. Allison Rosenthal, Assistant Professor of Medicine and a driving force behind Mayo Clinic's Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program, candidly shares her personal odyssey as a leukemia survivor during her young adulthood and how this transformative experience steered her career toward advocating for AYA cancer patients. She navigates through complex topics such as survivor guilt, identif...

Dr. Clifford Hudis, the ASCO CEO, shares ASCO's approach to the continued ABIM-MOC saga. With many oncologists expressing their angst about the MOC process, ASCO, under his leadership, approached the situation methodically, sending a survey to its members to quantify the problem and explore next steps. This is the FIRST time the results of this survey are shared publicly. Learn about Dr. Hudi...

Join Chadi as he engages with Petros Grivas, MD, PhD, Professor in the Clinical Research division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, to unravel the groundbreaking updates in bladder cancer revealed at the ESMO Congress. Dr. Grivas provides a comprehensive overview, dissecting the advancements in the realms of muscle invasive bladder cancer, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, and advanced bladder c...

Chadi is joined by two distinguished experts in the field of oncology and dermatology, Dr. Soo Park and Dr. Farah Abdulla. Together, they unravel the complexities of melanoma, non-melanoma, and non-cancerous dermatological diseases, shedding light on sun-related vs. non-sun related melanoma, race-related disparities in dermatologic malignancies, and the intricate choices between surgery and therap...

Chadi sits down with Jennifer Mack, MD, MPH, pediatric oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston, to delve into the delicate art of communicating difficult news to cancer patients. Dr. Mack shares her expertise on the timing of revealing an incurable diagnosis, distinguishing communication strategies for children and adults, handling the "How long do I have to live" discussio...

With Moshe Chasky and Lor Terzian of Alliance Cancer Specialists, Chadi explores the high-stakes lawsuit filed by Alliance against Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, alleging anti-competitive practices that have reverberated throughout the healthcare industry. The duo provides insights into the case, its impact on patient care, and the broader implications for the healthca...

Chadi is joined by Dr. Robert Brodsky, President of ASH, and Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, Chair of Communications at ASH, to discuss what led to the recent ASH statement on the ABIM MOC and to gather their reactions to the ABIM response and to what next steps might look like. The guests detail the relationship and progress made between ASH and ABIM since the beginning of the partnership in 2001, the proce...

Shelly Rosenfeld, Director of the Disability Rights Legal Center, Cancer Legal Resource Center, joins the show to share some pearls of wisdom regarding the intersection between medical and legal concerns in cancer care. She begins by explaining what the Cancer Legal Resource Center offers patients with cancer, how patients should handle their employer relationship upon diagnosis—including when pot...

Chadi sits down with three experts from the Cancer and Aging Research Group and contributors to the ASCO guideline on geriatric oncology: William Dale, MD, PhD, FASCO, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center; Supriya Mohile, MD, MS, University of Rochester; and Heidi Klepin, MD, MS, Wake Forest University. The group explores the cutting-edge developments in geriatric oncology, from geriatric asse...

Join Chadi in a thought-provoking discussion with Bryan Carmody, aka the “Sheriff of Sodium” and a pediatric nephrologist, as they tackle the challenges of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Bryan shares his visionary solutions to simplify and improve the MOC process, shedding light on the potential benefits for physicians and patients alike....

Current FDA commissioner, Robert Califf, joins the show to cover his story – from his career path to his crucial role today. Join Chadi in this eye-opening episode as they uncover the complexities of drug shortages in the United States, especially in the realm of cancer treatment. Learn about the intricate web of factors contributing to drug shortages, how cancer drug scarcities emerged, and the F...

Making their return to the show are Drs. Jack West and Nathan Pennell, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic, respectively, this time to use the ADAURA trial as a springboard to discussing pitfalls and shortcomings of modern clinical trial designs. The trio go back and forth on control arms keeping pace with standards of care, studies mandating the ability for crossovers...

Join Chadi as he engages in a dynamic and informative conversation with two distinguished guests, Drs. Neeraj Agarwal and Rana McKay. In this illuminating episode, they delve into the groundbreaking research and pivotal developments in genitourinary oncology unveiled at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal, renowned for his extensive contributions to urologic oncology, and Dr. Rana McK...

So much has happened since the petition against the ABIM MOC started on 7/21/2023, which is nearing 20,000 signatures. Physicians have called upon their societies and organizations to offer statements on their behalf, but only The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) so far has done so. Drs. Srihari Naidu and Allison Dupont, both members and leaders of SCAI, come on th...

Making her triumphant return to the show is Urvi Shah, MD, hem/onc and multiple myeloma expert at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, this time to shed light on how dietary considerations present a low-risk way to modify the microbiome and help prevent cancer. She opines on whether her findings on the association between diet and cancer in myeloma will be scalable in other malignancies, offers...

Dr. Wes Fisher joins the show to continue highlighting ABIM recertification and the MOC program following a petition that has gathered over 12,000 signatures to end this program. Dr. Fisher is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, IL; he is also a clinical Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Fisher is...

A lot has been stated about the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) implemented by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM,) and many physicians, regardless of specialty, have been opposed to the MOC as it adds cost, burden, and takes away from patient care. This led Dr. Aaron Goodman from UCSD to start a petition to end the MOC, which gathered unwavering support with over 10,000 signatures i...

Kuljit Kapur, DO, MBA, hospice and palliative medicine specialist, is today’s guest of honor to bring about new perspectives and clarify some misconceptions regarding palliative and hospice care. Dr. Kapur shares her inspiration to go into palliative care and to pursue her MBA, reflects on her regular routine of home visits and how it affected her personal life, offers a way in which we can change...

Ilana Yurkiewicz, MD, medical oncologist and primary care physician with a focus on cancer patients, and esteemed author of the book “Fragmented: A Doctor's Quest to Piece Together American Health Care,” joins the show as today’s guest of honor. Chadi and Dr. Yurkiewicz discuss her unorthodox career path and inspiration to write the book, where the fragmentation within the healthcare system c...

Dr. Julie Gralow, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of ASCO (American Society of Medical Oncology,) the largest society for oncologists around the world, shares her career journey until she assumed the post of ASCO-CMO during the COVID-19 pandemic. Julie is a pioneer in global oncology and a world-renowned leader in breast cancer, being an innovator and a researcher at the Fred Hu...

In another change-of-pace episode, Chadi hosts Tom Harari, MBA, serial entrepreneur and writer of personal finance, business, and self-improvement. Tom shares his personal business ventures and professional story to date, opens up about how heartbreak in his personal life was a truly life-changing moment from which to grow, and recaps his viral Twitter thread of the “38 lessons I'd tell my 18...