Vinay Prasad, MD MPH

Plenary Session

Science EN ↓ 399 episodes

A podcast on medicine, oncology, & health policy. Host: Vinay Prasad, MD MPH from University of California, San Francisco. Tweet your feedback to @Plenary_Session or e-mail plenarysessionpodcast@gmail.com.

Author

Vinay Prasad, MD MPH

Category

Science

Podcast website

soundcloud.com

Latest episode

May 20, 2026

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Episodes

1.24 Useless Medical Conferences and Dr. Adam Obley on Vascepa, Fish Oil, Vitamin D and Methotrexate 20.11.2018

In this episode we discuss John Ioannidis' article on the uselessness of medical conferences, published in JAMA: "Are Medical Conferences Useful? And for Whom?", followed by an interview with return-guest Dr. Adam Obley on a few recent clinical trials: Vascepa, fish oil, vitamin D, and methotrexate. Medical conferences: doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.360

1.23 BONUS! Developing Technology with Fewer Reversals: Maybe We Need More Translation Failure 15.11.2018

This BONUS episode is the recording of a lecture given as part of the Biomedical Engineering Seminar series at Oregon Health & Science University on November 9, 2018. The talk is on how to move technological devices to the clinic with fewer reversals.

1.22 Elo-Pom-Dex, Immunotherapy Combos, Inherent Bias, and the FDA with Dr. Erick Turner 13.11.2018

In this episode, we tackle the recent papers in the New England Journal of Medicine on "Elotuzumab plus Pomalidomide and Dexamethasone for Multiple Myeloma" and "Immunotherapy Combinations in Multiple Myeloma", as well as a comment in The Lancet Oncology's editorial "9 Weeks That Matter for Patients With Gastric Cancer". We conclude with an interview with Dr. Erick Turner of OHSU on the FDA, regul...

1.21 Nab-Paclitaxel in CCA, OS of PALOMA-3, Transparency, and Dr. Talal Hilal's Advice for Trainees 06.11.2018

In this episode we question the conclusions of the phase II trial "Nab-Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine as First-line Treatment of Advanced or Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma", review the long-term overall survival results from PALOMA-3, discuss Dr. Gyawali et al.'s paper on the need for transparency in reporting harms from cancer drugs, and interview Dr. Talal Hilal from the Scottsdale Mayo Clinic on his...

1.20 Precision Oncology: Some Benefit, Mostly Hype and Mentorship with Dr. Andrae Vandross 30.10.2018

We begin this episode analyzing the unrepentant hype of precision oncology in a monologue that was originally one half of a debate titled: "Is Precision Oncology Generating Patient Benefit or Just Hype?" We conclude with an interview with Dr. Andrae Vandross on the mentor/mentee relationship.

1.19 BONUS! Introduction to Cancer Drug Policy 26.10.2018

This BONUS episode is the recording of a lecture given as part of a Cancer Intersession course for med students at Oregon Health & Science University on October 25, 2018. The talk is an introduction to cancer drug policy.

1.18 IMpassion130 and Hot-Spotting with Dr. Brian Chan 23.10.2018

In this episode we evaluate the IMpassion130 trial on the use of atezolizumab in triple-negative breast cancer. We also interview Dr. Brian Chan of OHSU on a randomized controlled trial he's running that tests whether Dr. Gawande's idea of "hot-spotting" -- tailoring interventions to medically complex patients -- does decrease hospitalizations. IMpassion130: doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1809615 Hot-spott...

1.17 BONUS! Interpretation of Cancer Clinical Trials 22.10.2018

This BONUS episode is the recording of a two-part talk addressed to oncology fellows given at Oregon Health & Science University on October 5 and October 12, 2018. The talk is on how to interpret cancer clinical trials.

1.16 BONUS! Crowdsourcing Data Analysis and Medical Reversal: Why 40% of What We Do is Wrong 17.10.2018

This BONUS episode is the recording of the Hospitalist Grand Rounds given at Oregon Health & Science University on October 11, 2018. The talk is on medical reversal. Before the talk we discuss the paper "Many Analysts, One Data Set: Making Transparent How Variations in Analytic Choices Affect Results" by Silberzahn et al., published in Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. Pa...

1.15 Minimally Effective Treatments, CheckMate 331, and Dr. Adam Obley on Low-Value Healthcare 16.10.2018

In this episode we review the recent paper in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology by Booth, C.M. and Detsky, A.S. titled "Why patients receive treatments that are minimally effective?". We discuss the failure of CheckMate 331 to meet its primary endpoint despite having received accelerated FDA approval. Finally, we bring back Dr. Adam Obley (from episode 1.01) to talk about low-value healthcare, medi...

1.14 BONUS! Immunotherapy in Desperation and the Pennington Lecture: Myths of Medicine and Marketing 12.10.2018

This BONUS episode is the recording of the 22nd annual Pennington Lecture given at Oregon Health & Science University on September 21, 2018. The lecture is on seven myths of medicine and marketing. Before the lecture we read and discuss the editorial "Desperation Oncology" by Tito Fojo, published in Seminars in Oncology.

1.13 KEYNOTE-189, Dr. Talal Hilal on MRD, and Medical Education with Dr. Adam Cifu 08.10.2018

Listen in for a breakdown of the good and the bad of KEYNOTE-189(trial published in NEJM), a discussion with Dr. Talal Hilal of the Mayo Clinic on the rise of minimal residual disease as a clinical endpoint, and an interview with Dr. Adam Cifu of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine on medical education, sham trials, and more.

1.12 BONUS! Evidence-Based Medicine Has Been Hijacked in Oncology 03.10.2018

This BONUS episode is the recording of a Grand Rounds talk given at Oregon Health & Science University on September 19, 2018. The talk was inspired by the article by JPA Ioannidis titled "Evidence-based medicine has been hijacked: a report to David Sackett", published May 2016 in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

1.11 Peanut Gallery, Research Parasites, Appendectomies, HRQoL and PFS, Dr. Bishal Gyawali 02.10.2018

We discuss Dr. Califf's comment on the "social media peanut gallery of experts", Dr. Drazen's comment on "research parasites" and his retirement from NEJM, the recent paper in JAMA on long-term follow up for antibiotics as compared to appendectomies, and the paper in JAMA Internal Medicine on the relationship between health-related quality of life and progression-free survival. Finally, we intervi...

1.10 Criticism via Twitter, PACIFIC, PCI for CAD, and Dr. Rebecca Cooney of The Lancet 25.09.2018

Today we tackle some cardiologists' opposition to criticizing clinical trials on Twitter, the PACIFIC trial on durvalumab in stage III non–small-cell lung cancer, and the recent paper in Heart: "Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Stable Coronary Artery Disease" by R.K. Al-Lamee, A.N. Nowbar, and D.P. Francis. We end with an interview on academic medical publishing with Dr. Rebecca Cooney, Nort...

1.09 Response Rate in Phase I trials, JACOB, and MI, Stroke, and Metastasis as Hard Endpoints 20.09.2018

Special episode! We discuss the recent correspondence in NEJM on response rate in phase I clinical trials, the JACOB trial published in The Lancet Oncology on pertuzumab for HER2-positive gastric cancer, and we give an evaluation of MI, stroke, and metastasis as hard endpoints.

1.08 Hyperprolific authors, NCCN with Jeff Wagner, and Dr. Renee Dversdal on Ultrasounds 14.09.2018

In this episode we discuss hyperprolific authors and the recent comment in Nature by JPA Ioannidis, R Klavans, & KW Boyack; NCCN guidelines with fourth-year medical student Jeffrey Wagner; and point-of-care ultrasounds with Dr. Renee Dversdal of OHSU.

1.07 Adjuvant Sunitinib in RCC, future of EBM with Dr. John Mandrola 11.09.2018

In this episode we discuss the USA FDA's recent approval of sunitinib as the adjuvant treatment for patients with resected renal cell carcinoma who are at high risk of relapse. We also interview cardiologist Dr. John Mandrola on new directions forward for evidence-based medicine.

1.06 RELEVANCE, Jenny Gill, and Dr. Catherine Livingston of the Oregon Health Authority 07.09.2018

In this episode we break down the RELEVANCE trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine; discuss big data in observational studies with Jenny Gill, MS; and interview Dr. Catherine Livingston of OHSU, an expert in healthcare policy, on her work with the Oregon Health Authority and state Medicaid.

1.05 Cost and Efficacy of Cancer Drugs, ECHELON-1, Dr. Derrick Tao, and EBM with Dr. Martha Gerrity 05.09.2018

In this episode we cover the cost and efficacy of cancer drugs; review ECHELON-1; interview Dr. Derrick Tao of OHSU about his recent Lancet Oncology paper on poor control arms; and discuss evidence-based medicine with EBM expert and internist at OHSU, Dr. Martha Gerrity.

1.04: Nutritional Epi, Lenvatinib, Nivo and Ipi for Melanoma, and Dr. Avi O'Glasser 30.08.2018

This week's episode is on nutritional epidemiology by JPA Ioannidis; lenvatinib for hepatocellular carcinoma; nivolumab and ipilimumab for melanoma; and #medtwitter with Dr. Avi O Glasser from OHSU.

1.03: RWE, Right to Try, Talazoparib, Nivolumab, and Dr. Andrae Vandross 21.08.2018

We're moving to our new format. We begin with a monologue of the most noteworthy articles in this week's news. We'll be talking about real-world evidence, Right to Try, talazoparib, and the FDA approval for nivolumab in small-cell lung cancer. In the second half of the show, we'll interview Dr. Andrae Vandross, a community oncologist at UCLA Medical Center.

1.02: HemOnc Fellowship and Hype in Cancer Medicine with Dr. Jeremy Cetnar 16.08.2018

In episode 2, we discuss the fellowship program and then take a deep dive into hype surrounding cancer drugs. Our guest is Jeremy Cetnar, MD from Oregon Health & Science University.

1.01: Introduction and Dr. Adam Obley 14.08.2018

Join us for an introduction to who we are and what our podcast is about, then stick around for a hard-hitting discussion of evidence-based medicine, randomized controlled trials, sham controls, and broad next-generation sequencing in cancer. Our guest is Adam Obley, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University.

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