Healthcare Unfiltered

In his second appearance on the show, Christopher Booth, MD, Professor in the Departments of Oncology and Medicine as well as a Health Services Researcher, Queen's University (Canada), shares his unique career path and early considerations of conflicts of interest in the medical world, how the influences of pharma relationships are more subtle than expected, whether you can be a clinical tria...

To tackle some of the burning questions and concerns in global medicine—specifically in radiology, diagnostics, and AI—Chadi hosts a Healthcare Unfiltered mainstay as well as a new guest: Saurabh Jha, MD, radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania and self-proclaimed “global radiology enthusiast,” and Prashant Warier, co-founder and the CEO of Qure AI. The trio begin by detailing the developmen...

Brothers Rakesh Popat, PhD, multiple myeloma expert, and Sanjay Popat, PhD, thoracic oncologist, join the show for a special discourse on surrogate endpoints and patient benefit. The conversation fluctuates between the “assumption” that surrogate endpoints translate to better survival; breakdowns of the utility and association with overall survival of PFS, ORR, and MRD in the latest literature; re...

Returning to the show is Adam Cifu, MD, University of Chicago, to tell us about his exciting new podcast venture. “The Clinical Excellence Podcast” is dedicated to discussing issues with clinicians, patients, and researchers studying the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Cifu shares the tricky conversations that doctors and patients have (eg, terminating patient relationships, burnout, second opini...

Chadi hosts a roundtable of five guests—four first-timers and one recurring guest—to discuss the challenges of international medical graduates (IMGs) in oncology and medicine in general in the US. Led by Ayesha Butt, MBBS, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, the group discusses the findings of a recent nationwide survey, published in JCO Oncology Practice, that uncovered bias...

Making her long-awaited return to the show is Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, Professor of Health Policy and the Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, Vanderbilt University Medical Center – this time to discuss and simplify the Inflation Reduction Act that was recently signed into law. She begins by giving the background inspiration of the Act, whether reducing inflation is the true purpose of the Act, how...

In this change-of-pace episode, Chadi hosts show-regular Aaron Goodman and his wife: Amalia Aleck, MD, UC San Diego. The couple sit down for a casual conversation on how they met and their love story, applying for residencies and full-time employment as a couple, balancing their professional and family lives together and the inherent sacrifices they’ve had to make, the dynamics of “Papa Hem” on Tw...

Christopher Booth, MD, Professor in the Departments of Oncology and Medicine as well as a Health Services Researcher, Queen's University (Canada), brings a different perspective to the show on healthcare policy and where the cancer system may be failing patients. Dr. Booth shares the “desert island” hypothetical scenario he used in a previous publication in which he asked oncologists all over...

Dr. Myriam Chalabi, a GI oncologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, joins the show after making waves at the latest ESMO Congress for her NICHE-2 study – an assessment of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibition in locally advanced dMMR colon cancer. She shares the initial inspiration to give neoadjuvant immunotherapy for dMMR tumors, the surprisingly positive early results that led to expand...

To tackle the relatively unknown topic of Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), Chadi invites four experts from the Hyperemesis Education & Research (HER) Foundation: Kimber MacGibbon, RN, executive director and co-founder; Aimee Brecht-Doscher, MD, adviser and long-time supporter; Kelly Ryerson, MBA, chair of the board of directors; and Marlena Fejzo, PhD, survivor of HG and research advisor. The grou...

Recurring guest Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, is today’s guest of honor to discuss and spotlight his just-published book: Drugs and the FDA: Safety, Efficacy, and the Public's Trust. Dr. Sekeres begins by sharing an anecdote of his experience on the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) for...

In this somber and forewarning episode, Chadi hosts Jodi Odell, mother of the late Jackson Odell – actor and victim of an accidental drug overdose. Jodi tells the background of Jackson’s life—from his early childhood days up through his final days at 20 years old—as a backdrop for a commentary on the drug overdose pandemic and addiction. Then, she shares his journey from rehab to a sober home, rec...

Vivek Subbiah, MD, executive director of medical oncology research, MD Anderson Cancer Network, makes his triumphant return to the show to break down designing clinical trials for investigative therapies and the regulatory maze that follows before these therapies can find their way to the market. Dr. Subbiah begins by using precision medicine advances in lung cancer as a backdrop for the discussio...

Chadi convenes yet another expert roundtable to discuss CLL with a few returning guests as well as a physician-patient: Liz Brem, MD, assistant clinical professor of hematology, UC Irvine, Alan Skarbnik, MD, director of the lymphoma and CLL program, Novant Health (Charlotte, NC), and Brian Koffman, MDCM, FCFP, DABFM, MS Ed, executive vice president and chief medical officer, CLL Society. The group...

Adam Cifu, MD, general internist and professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, is fresh off his rounds and ready to talk about the advantages and pitfalls of evidence-based medicine in today’s medical world. Dr. Cifu offers his thoughts on the level of evidence needed for vaccinations in children as well as the number of vaccinations and boosters needed for adults, what the evidence tell...

To explain and dissect the world of naturopathic medicine, Chadi hosts Nasha Winters, ND, FABNO, a renowned speaker and author on the topic. Dr. Winters shares her background of a devastating, terminal ovarian cancer diagnosis 30 years ago, the nontraditional care she received that put her on the road to recovery, and how that set things in motion for her career. Then, Dr. Winters expands on a sys...

Nikita Mehra, medical oncologist in India, and Guilherme Perini, hematologist in Brazil, join the show to give a first-hand perspective on what it’s like to practice oncology in low and middle income countries. They begin by explaining variation in income levels and cancer care access within their own cities, expound on screening programs and ability to travel for care among their populations, sha...

Hosted by Ralph Weichselbaum, MD, Chair of the Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, University of Chicago, this episode tackles the burgeoning world of radiopharmaceuticals and features two radiation oncologists: Jeff Michalski, MD, MBA, Washington University in St. Louis and president of ASTRO, and Freddy Escorcia, MD, PhD, National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health. Th...

Drs. Ross Levine, David Steensma, and a surprise recurring guest form a roundtable on today’s show to discuss making the career choice of a non-PhD lab-based scientist and what that entails on a day-to-day basis, how mentoring individuals in other labs is a rewarding and continuous process, what makes a good mentor, managing and securing grant funding for lab research (including the secrets of wri...

Jarushka Naidoo, MBBCH, MD, Chair of the Thoracic Oncology Division, Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre (Dublin, Ireland), and Stephen Liu, MD, Director of Thoracic Oncology and Director of Developmental Therapeutics, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University, join the show to preview all of the important and exciting advancements in thoracic oncology leading up to the IASLC 2022 Worl...

Chadi hosts Dr. Neal Shore, a urologic oncologist who became heavily involved in GU oncology research – including trials that incorporate systemic chemotherapy. Dr. Shore has a unique practice where he and his staff deliver chemotherapy when appropriate. Chadi was intrigued by this setting as medical oncologists are the ones customarily delivering chemotherapy, and invited him to the show to share...

Returning guests Sanam Loghavi, MD, hematopathologist and molecular pathologist, University of Texas MD Anderson Center, and Aaron Goodman, MD, hematologist, University of California San Diego, break down the latest classification system updates in leukemia. They begin by explaining what triggers a new classification and why it is needed, how soon clinicians should adopt it, and the relationship a...

On this special episode, Chadi hosts three phenomenal physicians to help us better understand the complexity of designing and executing clinical trials. Hira Mian, MD, faculty of health sciences, McMaster University (Canada), and Murali Janakiram, MD, MS, assistant professor, City of Hope, both faced and continue to face challenges in bringing their clinical trial ideas to light. Saad Usmani, MD,...

Joining Chadi on today’s show is Donald Harvey, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Dr. Harvey shares available career paths and how the pharmacist role has evolved over the years, how pharmacists continue to stay involved with patients after discharge, strategies he uses to help cancer patients adhere to oral oncolytics, and his “Call to Action” to improve suc...

Christina Arnold, MD, gastrointestinal pathologist, University of Colorado, is today’s guest of honor discussing her unconventional career change to a full-time professional “life coach.” Dr. Arnold explains what inspired her to make this change, differentiates a life coach from a psychotherapist and how people should know which professional they need to see, reminds us how mental health is still...