Patient from Hell

In this episode, Dr. Supriya Mohile discusses the need for geriatric oncology and the underrepresentation of older adults in clinical trials. She highlights the challenges of decision-making in oncology and the discrepancy between guidelines and patient goals. She also discusses the significance of patient-reported outcomes in treatment decisions. Finally, Dr. Mohile explores the role of social ne...

Dr. Simmons and Dr. Sepucha are back for Part 2 of their episode to talk about colorectal cancer screening, and in particular, the importance of individualized decision-making for patients aged 76 to 85. The conversation highlights the challenges faced by clinicians in initiating discussions about continuing or stopping screening, and the importance of patient preferences and goals in guiding thes...

Alexandra Drane, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of ARCHANGELS , discusses her unconventional experience working as a cashier at Walmart and its importance in informing her approach to business and life: solving complex problems by starting with the community and addressing real-life issues. Alexandra delves into “the unmentionables” of healthcare: the idea that when life goes wrong, health goe...

In this episode we delve into the world of healthcare decision making. Dr. Simmons and Dr. Sepucha, who collaborated on a study funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, discuss the importance of shared decision-making and its impact on patient care. Collaboration between patients and their care teams empowers patients to actively participate in their treatment plans, factoring t...

Dr. Karen Wernli, Senior Scientific Investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, delves into the intersection of epidemiology and personalized medicine, exploring the challenges of balancing population-level research with individualized healthcare needs. She discusses survivorship in breast cancer with a comparison of mammograms vs. MRIs for surveillance imaging. Dr. Wer...

Molly MacDonald was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 years ago, 3 years into her marriage with her husband Tom Pettit and founded Pink Fund out of her experience. This year Tom was diagnosed with tonsil cancer, and Molly has become the caregiver. This episode takes a look at the couple’s role reversal, how family relationships shift after a cancer diagnosis and the wake-up call you receive when you...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Glyn Elwyn and Danielle Schubbe about the ethical imperative of including patients in the decision-making process. They discuss how patient goals inform treatment decisions and the challenge of making choices for a “future self” with the lived experiences and preferences of today. Glyn and Danielle talk about this process for early stage breast cancer and some of...

Dr. David Penson, Chair of the Department of Urology at Vanderbilt University, discusses his comparative effectiveness research in prostate cancer. In the second of our two-part prostate cancer series, we delve deeper into the world of prostate cancer treatment decision-making. Dr. Penson discusses the emotional and informational hurdles that patients face, as well as the importance of patient edu...

Wills Levy was only five years old when he donated bone marrow to his one year old brother, Andrew. On this episode, Wills and his mom Esther talk about Andrew’s cancer experience and the impact on their family, how Wills’ cells gave the family extra time with Andrew to create memories, and how Andrew continues to guide the way they live, even after his death in 2016. This beautiful conversation h...

Dr. David Penson, Chair of the Department of Urology at Vanderbilt University, discusses his comparative effectiveness research in prostate cancer. He talks about the evolution of Prostate Cancer awareness in the US, and historic screening and side effect issues that have made it a stigmatized topic for many men. Dr. Penson describes the nuances of PSA testing and how higher diagnosis rates of Pro...

The latest episode of "The Patient from Hell" features a conversation with David Moriah, a “Stage IV” cancer patient and outdoor enthusiast, who talks about living a life of adventure. David shares about his early days as an Outward Bound instructor, his contributions to the Cornell University Outdoor Education Program and the life lessons he has learned from “sleeping in the mud and swa...

Samira’s mom, Monika Daswani, joins the podcast to discuss her experience navigating Samira's cancer diagnosis and treatment as her caregiver. Monika, a trained chef by profession, shares her perspective on caring for her daughter during her cancer treatment including the challenges of maintaining nutrition during treatment, adapting meals to symptoms, and the importance of a strong support ne...

Our guest this week is a scientist, an author and a father living with cancer, Jeff Stewart, who talks about the uncertainty of time. He delves into the complexities of calculating risk, understanding the abundance of sometimes ambiguous data and partnering with your oncologist or health care provider to help navigate uncertainty. Jeff addresses misinformation and biases in the US healthcare syste...

Dr. Douglas Blayney, past ASCO president and oncologist, gives us his thoughts on some of the key scientific themes presented at the 2023 ASCO annual meeting. In the field of breast cancer, there are three key areas of interest Dr. Blayney discusses. First, there is growing attention towards the use of CDK 4/6 inhibitors in the treatment of hormone positive breast cancer. Second, the significance...

There is a lot of buzz around the annual ASCO meeting, which brings together 40,000 oncology professionals from around the world. But as a patient, what does that mean for us? Dr. Douglas Blayney, past ASCO president and oncologist gives us a behind the scenes understanding of the purpose, process and outcomes that are driven by the information shared at the ASCO annual meeting. He shares how diff...

Dave Durante, former USA Gymnastics Olympic team member and co-owner of Power Monkey Fitness , talks about his journey from elite athlete to coach. He details the importance of consistency in movement of the body, and the value of smaller but consistent periods of activity each day. Dave shares tips on how cancer survivors can start to regain some of their strength and mobility back after treatmen...

After experiencing symptoms for a year and a half, Katie Coleman was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer at the age of 29. She began to share her story on social media (@katiekickscancer), and her honest storytelling of her own experience as well as her advocacy for other cancer patients, has grown a large and engaged following. In this episode, Katie talks about the challenges of getting a diagno...

Radiation oncologist and entrepreneur, Dr. Madhu Shetti, gives a “radiation 101” overview to understand more about the art and science of this treatment. She delves into the importance of treating a patient holistically, understanding how cancer treatment fits into the logistics of daily life, and creating a treatment plan to honor this full view of each person. Creating a safe, non-judgemental sp...

Part 2 of 2 with Dr. Manuela Kogon, Integrative Medicine Internist, Clinical Professor and author of “ When Cancer Visits: How to Free Your Mind from the Grip of Distress and Heal Your Jolted Nervous System .” Dr. Kogon specializes in mind-body medicine and non-pharmacological treatment of illness distress and delves more into the topic of stress. In addition to defining stress, she talks about ho...

Part 1 of 2 with Dr. Manuela Kogon, Integrative Medicine Internist, Professor and author of “ When Cancer Visits: How to Free Your Mind from the Grip of Distress and Heal Your Jolted Nervous System .” Dr. Kogon specializes in mind-body medicine and non-pharmacological treatment of illness distress and talks about the internal and external stimuli that drive stress . She discusses the unique uncert...

A July 2021 diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer at the age of 43 completely changed Dr. Yi-wen Huang’s life. In this episode, Yi-wen talks about how she has reprioritized what is important in her life given her diagnosis. Telling her two children about her cancer was difficult, but the entire family has found silver linings in her diagnosis. Yi-wen has already had a number of treatment plans and...

Dr. Gayatri Gowrishankar, a cancer researcher, talks about how her professional life collided with her personal life when her daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After a number of confusing symptoms, Gayatri followed her motherly instinct when she felt something wasn’t right with her daughter’s health. Dr. Gowrishankar talks about what her daughter remembers about her experience at the age...

Our guest, Carolyn Taylor, is a photographer, a supportive cancer advocate, and a survivor of ovarian and endometrial cancer. She has worked across the globe increasing access to cancer care. In this episode she talks about how she developed broad-based partnership and built strong alliances with stakeholders to introduce lasting change in access to care. She discusses the differences between the...

Our guest this week has lived with a slow growing, incurable cancer for the past two decades. She tells us about how she has modified her lifestyle using nutrition as well as a combination of distraction and mindfulness to grapple with the mental challenges of uncertainty. She talks about the idea of “median survival statistics” and how a powerful essay by Stephen J. Gould helped her see those sta...

Our guest is Jane Gutkovich who was thrust into the land of patient advocacy and navigation after her son was diagnosed with Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma (EHE), a rare type of sarcoma cancer. Given the rare nature of EHE and after four different treatment plans from the four of the top cancer centers in the US, Jane had to turn to other patients to help determine her son’s path. Jane talks wit...