The CFRI CF Community Voices Podcast

Dr. Luanne McKinnon, an adult with CF who has had a rich career in the visual arts for over forty-five years, recounts in colorful detail her life with CF, from a diagnosis in 1969 through the arc of CF care that, like a travel log, leads us from Texas to Europe to New York City, Scotland and France, then New Mexico to Palo Alto. Dr. McKinnon also shares an excerpt from her memoir-in-progress enti...

Dr. Natalie West, Assistant Professor of Medicine of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and Associate Program Director of the Adult CF Program, addresses a wide range of sexual and reproductive health topics - including puberty, transgender and gender nonbinary identities, contraception, cyclical hemoptysis, fertility, contraception, and parenthood - that specifically...

Dr. Natalie West, Assistant Professor of Medicine of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and Associate Program Director of the Adult CF Program, addresses a wide range of sexual and reproductive health topics - including puberty, transgender and gender nonbinary identities, contraception, cyclical hemoptysis, fertility, contraception, and parenthood - that specifically...

Nicholas Kelly, adult with CF, dietitian, author, artist, motivational speaker, and advocate, shares his experiences living with a chronic disease, what it takes to fight despite obstacles, and thrive in the face of adversity. He talks about his passion for shining a light on research, addressing inadequacies, advocating for the community, and driving the mission to make CF stand for "Cure Found."...

Nicholas Kelly, adult with CF, dietitian, author, artist, motivational speaker, and advocate, shares his experiences living with a chronic disease, what it takes to fight despite obstacles, and thrive in the face of adversity. He talks about his passion for shining a light on research, addressing inadequacies, advocating for the community, and driving the mission to make CF stand for "Cure Found."...

Robin Modlin, mother of an adult daughter with CF, artist and writer, reads excerpts from her book “Love, Courage and Miracles.” The autobiographic book chronicles Robin’s daughter Anna's life-limiting prognosis, the challenges of living with cystic fibrosis, and Anna's miracle resurrection through a double lung transplant. It is a testament to the unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter an...

Robin Modlin, mother of an adult daughter with CF, artist and writer, reads excerpts from her book “Love, Courage and Miracles.” The autobiographic book chronicles Robin’s daughter Anna's life-limiting prognosis, the challenges of living with cystic fibrosis, and Anna's miracle resurrection through a double lung transplant. It is a testament to the unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter an...

Dr. Lucas Hoffman, Professor of Pediatrics and Adjunct Professor of Microbiology at the University of Washington in Seattle and Seattle Children’s Hospital, reviews the microbes that are most frequently detected and other less common ones involved in CF airway infections. He discusses the benefits and risks of current treatments, especially antibiotics, the meaning of antibiotic resistance, and on...

Dr. Lucas Hoffman, Professor of Pediatrics and Adjunct Professor of Microbiology at the University of Washington in Seattle and Seattle Children’s Hospital, reviews the microbes that are most frequently detected and other less common ones involved in CF airway infections. He discusses the benefits and risks of current treatments, especially antibiotics, the meaning of antibiotic resistance, and on...

Dr. Benjamin Chan, Associate Research Scientist in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, gives a comprehensive overview on bacteriophage (phage) therapy, the therapeutic administration of the bacteria killing viruses. He shares experiments and case studies that resulted in a significant decrease in production of targeted virulence factors in single-phage treated sa...

Dr. Benjamin Chan, Associate Research Scientist in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, gives a comprehensive overview on bacteriophage (phage) therapy, the therapeutic administration of the bacteria killing viruses. He shares experiments and case studies that resulted in a significant decrease in production of targeted virulence factors in single-phage treated sa...

In this panel session, three adults with CF - Elyse Elconin Goldberg, MA, Thomas Horal, and Colleen Lewis - share their personal experiences with diverse cancer diagnoses, while a sibling of an adult with CF – Christine Nash, MBA - describes her brother’s battle with pancreatic cancer. Moderated by Jean Hanley, MD, the discussion explores panelists’ insights and perspectives on detection and treat...

In this panel session, three adults with CF - Elyse Elconin Goldberg, MA, Thomas Horal, and Colleen Lewis - share their personal experiences with diverse cancer diagnoses, while a sibling of an adult with CF – Christine Nash, MBA - describes her brother’s battle with pancreatic cancer. Moderated by Jean Hanley, MD, the discussion explores panelists’ insights and perspectives on detection and treat...

Samantha Johnson, Certified Child Life Specialist III at Stanford Children's Hospital, and Kate Yablonsky, social worker at the Stanford Adult CF Center, review signs and symptoms of medical trauma and discuss strategies for people with CF and their loved ones across the lifespan to effectively process and integrate these experiences. The presentation highlights the significant impact on quality o...

Samantha Johnson, Certified Child Life Specialist III at Stanford Children's Hospital, and Kate Yablonsky, social worker at the Stanford Adult CF Center, review signs and symptoms of medical trauma and discuss strategies for people with CF and their loved ones across the lifespan to effectively process and integrate these experiences. The presentation highlights the significant impact on quality o...

Dr. Rick Moss, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Stanford University and former Director of the Stanford CF Center, presents an overview of the challenges of aging in the modulator era of CF, such as diabetes, a variety of cancers, cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis, and other health challenges. He also presents CFRI’s new programmatic efforts to raise expertise of caregivers for agin...

Dr. Rick Moss, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Stanford University and former Director of the Stanford CF Center, presents an overview of the challenges of aging in the modulator era of CF, such as diabetes, a variety of cancers, cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis, and other health challenges. He also presents CFRI’s new programmatic efforts to raise expertise of caregivers for agin...

Dr. Amy Ryan, Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Gene Therapy at the University of Iowa, highlights potential mechanisms underlying immune complications observed in CF patients despite modulator treatment. She discusses an integrated approach combining physics-based models, gene-edited immune cells, and lung-on-chip technologies, which holds pr...

Dr. Amy Ryan, Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Gene Therapy at the University of Iowa, highlights potential mechanisms underlying immune complications observed in CF patients despite modulator treatment. She discusses an integrated approach combining physics-based models, gene-edited immune cells, and lung-on-chip technologies, which holds pr...

Dr. Jennifer Taylor-Cousar, a tenured professor of adult and pediatric pulmonary medicine and co-director of the Adult CF Program at National Jewish Health, gives a comprehensive overview of nucleic acid-based therapies (NABT), which aim to deliver the correct instructions to the cell for making a functional CFTR protein. She reviews lessons learned from historical NABT efforts, pre-clinical data...

Dr. Jennifer Taylor-Cousar, a tenured professor of adult and pediatric pulmonary medicine and co-director of the Adult CF Program at National Jewish Health, gives a comprehensive overview of nucleic acid-based therapies (NABT), which aim to deliver the correct instructions to the cell for making a functional CFTR protein. She reviews lessons learned from historical NABT efforts, pre-clinical data...

California has two programs that can help CF patients with health care access, but many don’t utilize this support because they are not aware of their eligibility and potential assistance. Lynne Kinst, Executive Director of the Hemophilia Council of California, provides an overview of California’s Genetically Handicapped Person’s Program (GHPP) which helps adult beneficiaries with their health car...

California has two programs that can help CF patients with health care access, but many don’t utilize this support because they are not aware of their eligibility and potential assistance. Lynne Kinst, Executive Director of the Hemophilia Council of California, provides an overview of California’s Genetically Handicapped Person’s Program (GHPP) which helps adult beneficiaries with their health car...

In this podcast, David Weill, MD, discusses his newest – and first fictional – book, All That Really Matters, in which transplant plays a central theme. Dr. Weill spent over 20 years as a transplant physician, including as Director of Stanford’s Center for Advanced Lung Disease and the Lung Transplant Program. In addition to sharing a reading from his novel, Dr. Weill discusses real life issues th...

In this podcast, David Weill, MD, discusses his newest – and first fictional – book, All That Really Matters, in which transplant plays a central theme. Dr. Weill spent over 20 years as a transplant physician, including as Director of Stanford’s Center for Advanced Lung Disease and the Lung Transplant Program. In addition to sharing a reading from his novel, Dr. Weill discusses real life issues th...