Asian- Americans face disparities in lung cancer healthcare

April 13, 2023Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:33 — 39.0MB) | Embed

HOST: HILDY GROSSMAN CO-HOST: JORDAN RICH
GUEST: GLORIA ZHANG, Executive Director of Strategic Alliances at New Tang Dynasty

The Asian and Pacific Islander population represents over 30 countries and
contains ethnic groups that speak more than 100 different languages! Chinese-
Americans represent over 24% of the Asian-American population and are the
focus audience for our guest, Gloria Zhang. She is the executive director of
strategic alliances at New Tang Dynasty, an independent, nonprofit television
network that provides a wide range of programs for the Chinese-American
community and around the world. The network aims to educate its audience
about the higher incidence of lung cancer among Southeast Asian Americans
compared to White Americans. In fact, the group with the greatest increase in
lung cancer is with non-smoking women. Be sure to listen to this important
discussion. podcast.

¿Está el doctor? (Is the doctor in?) Barriers to Healthcare for the Hispanic Community

March 2, 2023Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:47 — 33.7MB) | Embed

HOST: HILDY GROSSMAN CO-HOST: JORDAN RICH
GUESTS: KEVIN SALINAS, MD AND FRACINE JACOBSON, MD, MPH

By 2060, the Census Bureau projects that the Hispanic/Latino population will make up almost one third of the US population. In addition, the Hispanic population is a diverse group who trace their heritage to more than 20 Spanish-speaking countries, regardless of race.
Kevin Salinas, MD is a Harvard Medical School student in his final year. His family immigrated from Mexico and they continue to live in a small town in the US. He describes his family background and his focus on issues that face Hispanics in access to health care as well as considerations in receiving care.

Thoracic radiologist, Francine Jacobson, MD, MPH joins the discussion regarding poverty and lack of health insurance, language barriers, cultural barriers and limited access to standard care. For undocumented individuals, there is anxiety about deportation if they access medical treatment.

In our country of diversity, we all grow in understanding how cultures within the general population view lung cancer and treatment. This is a discussion you won’t want to miss.

Wending Her Way to Wellness: Improving the Emotional Impact of Lung Cancer

January 16, 2023Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:16 — 36.9MB) | Embed

Hosts: Hildy Grossman with Jordan Rich co-host
Guests: Susan Smedley, Founder, Resilient Souls
Anyone receiving a cancer diagnosis wonders what else they can be doing to cope that isn’t dependent on a physical protocol. Too often medical treatment overlooks the emotional component of diagnosis and treatment in facing lung cancer. Patients undergo the emotional and psychological impact of feeling walloped by their illness, often by experiencing insomnia, anxiety and depression. Our guest, Susan Smedley, was diagnosed with lung cancer when she was 32 years old. She discusses her process of transitioning from the shock of learning she had lung cancer at such an early age, with an 11-month-old child, to looking for healthy ways to cope using mindfulness, joining advocacy efforts and now creating her own organization to focus on wellness while facing trauma and challenging medical circumstances. This uplifting podcast is for everyone to help show how gravitating toward wellness efforts can significantly improve the quality of life.

The Power of Scans: Lung Cancer Screening Matters!

December 14, 2022Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:07 — 35.8MB) | Embed

Lung Cancer detected early saves lives.

Hosts: Hildy Grossman with Jordan Rich co-host
Guests: Francine Jacobson, MD, MPH; Dusty Donaldson; Dan Cardigan, MD
Three exceptional guests join the conversation about the importance of lung cancer screening from a medical and personal point of view. Dr. Francine Jacobson is a founding director of the lung cancer program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Health Care in Boston. As a thoracic radiologist, she describes CT scans, what patients need to know about the process of having a scan and what can be learned from them. Dan Cardigan, MD continues the discussion as a primary care physician and also as someone diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. In addition, patient advocate and lung cancer survivor Dusty Donaldson shares her experience of learning that she had lung cancer at an early stage. She tells how that experience has fueled her commitment to spending her life advocating for patients with lung cancer. This is a dynamic, encouraging and convivial discussion you won’t want to miss.

A Journalist Journals His Own Journey: TV reporter, Bill Shields’ Own Lung Cancer Story

November 2, 2022Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:47 — 22.7MB) | Embed

Host: Hildy Grossman Co-Host: Jordan Rich
Guest: Bill Shields, Journalist and TV Field Reporter
Bill Shields has had a celebrated career as a Boston area broadcaster for over forty years. Originally from Texas, Bill began his career at a local TV station before moving to Boston for a job at WBZ-TV where he happily spent his career after falling in love with the city. Ten years ago, Bill was diagnosed with Stage 3B small cell lung cancer. He describes how he was successfully treated at the time and lived cancer free until last year when he received a new diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer. Bill describes his cancer journey, his experience as a reporter and how important humor is to living a full life. Bill’s own words show his grace, humanity and ability to find joy in life, no matter the hardships. You’ll hear why he’s so beloved by all who worked with him and all who watched him on the news.

GENETIC ENGINEERING AND LUNG CANCER, This Isn’t Science Fiction

September 13, 2022Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:13 — 34.1MB) | Embed

Hosts: Hildy Grossman with Jordan Rich co-host
Guests: Francisco J. Sánchez-Rivera, Ph.D. and Jane Wilkinson
Our prior podcast, “What Did the Human Genome Project Ever Do For Us?” was so exciting and enjoyable that we all felt there was no stopping the conversation with just one podcast. We just had to go on. Our guest, Jane Wilkinson actually worked on the original Human Genome Project and was able to share her experiences and explain this blockbuster effort in such a down-to-earth way that it transformed this complicated topic to a very accessible one. Our other guest, Francisco Sanchez-Revera, Ph.D. began to describe some of the medical consequences that resulted from this work.
Today’s podcast continues with Francisco’s highlighting some of the amazing work being conducted in his lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His work is focusing attention on the cause of cancer as well as specifically on the cause of lung cancer. Listen to this important and wonderful conversation!

WHAT DID THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT EVER DO FOR US? Genetics of Lung Cancer Made Simple

July 26, 2022Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:08 — 38.6MB) | Embed

Hosts: Hildy Grossman with Jordan Rich co-host
Guests: Jane Wilkinson and Francisco J. Sánchez-Rivera, Ph.D.

In this podcast, we do our utmost to help make a complicated topic something we can all understand. Many of us have heard about the Human Genome Project (HGP), but few of us could explain it to someone else. There are terms that are basic to the project, such as “genes”, “genome”, “DNA” “Sequencing” and – no! Wait a minute! Don’t be frightened!

Jane Wilkinson, Executive Director of MIT’s Koch Institute for Cancer Research shares her experience of being a part of the original team unraveling the human genome. She clarifies some of the basic ideas behind the HGP, and describes her specific role. Her exciting explanation of the development and significance of this amazing project directly impacts the research of our other guest, professor of biology at MIT, Francisco Sanchez- Rivera, PhD. He explains, in a very understandable way, how his laboratory is investigating the origins of cancer and how the knowledge of the human genome has resulted in finding and targeting treatment of lung, and other cancers. This project is a perfect compliment to our other podcasts looking at biomarker testing. Don’t miss this thoroughly enjoyable and informative discussion.

She Refuses To Be Knocked Down! One woman’s strategy for thriving with lung cancer

June 29, 2022Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:35 — 28.0MB) | Embed

Hosts: Hildy Grossman with Jordan Rich co-host
Guests: Heather Smith

Heather Smith was only 34 when she was diagnosed, simply by accident, with
lung cancer. It had already spread to other areas of her body. After experiencing
this frightening curve ball, she was grateful that biomarker testing revealed that
she was ALK+. Knowing this genetic mutation, she could be treated with targeted
therapies that specifically aim at this genetic mutation. Heather discusses her
diagnosis, the course the disease has taken and the challenges she continues
to face.
Once her disease progressed, she developed seizures, and after one of
the seizures, she fell onto her concrete patio and was hospitalized. While
hospitalized, she resolved to not be taken down by her circumstances. “I didn’t
want to merely survive my cancer diagnosis. No! I wanted to thrive with cancer.”
Heather got up from being knocked down by her lung cancer diagnosis,
more determined than ever. She became a life coach. She creatively
decided to share what she’s learned, to help other lung cancer
patients face adversities. Heather is empowered by knowing: “I’m living my best life as a kick a** cancer thriver!” Her message is powerful for all of us.
Do not to take threats lying down!

Creativity at the Heart of Research and Music

June 5, 2022Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:58 — 17.4MB) | Embed

Co-Hosts: Hildy Grossman and Jordan Rich

Good friends, Hildy Grossman and Jordan Rich put their heads together to talk about the importance of creativity when initiating innovative new research. They compare this experience in the lab to one of a songwriter and composer looking at a blank sheet of paper to come up with a new song. Upstage Lung Cancer has always taken pride in being innovative and outside of the box where lung cancer advocacy is concerned. Song requires a healthy use of lungs, and ULC produces concerts to share the joy and vitality of music while bringing information to the audience about lung cancer. This is a bit like Mary Poppins’ concept of “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down”. Thus, the dynamic duo delightfully discuss ULC’s musical programs as well as the innovative research and scientists our organization support.

What is Exon 20 in Lung Cancer?

May 24, 2022Episodebackstageupstage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:56 — 32.0MB) | Embed

Listen to caregivers for spouses diagnosed with rare biomarkers

HOST: HILDY GROSSMAN CO-HOST: JORDAN RICH

Guests: Marcia Horn, JD. President and CEO at ICAN, International Cancer Advocacy Network and Executive Director, Exon 20 Group;
Caren Suesserman, Care Partner, Spouse, and Patient Advocate, Exon 20 Group; Sandy Kitchner, Care Partner, Spouse and Patient Advocate, Exon 20 Group

In our latest podcast focusing on biomarkers, we talk with Marcia Horn, from ICAN, the International Cancer Advocacy Network, and who serves as executive director of the Exon 20 Group. Previously as part of our podcast series, we’ve discussed the biomarker EGFR and how drug therapies have been developed to directly target this mutation. In this podcast, Marcia discusses rare Exon 20 Insertion Mutations found primarily in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer, but also found in many other cancer types. The problem is, these rare mutations do not respond like classical EGFR mutation to traditional targeted therapies. Also, Non Small Cell Lung Cancer patients can also be diagnosed with a HER2 Exon 20 insertion mutation, and those insertion mutations in fact, comprise around 50% of all HER2 lung cancer mutations.

Our guests, Caren Suesserman and Sandy Kitchner, have both been care partners for spouses who were diagnosed with EXON 20 insertion mutations. They discuss what can be helpful for those caring for loved ones with advanced disease, and how their own experiences have led them to advocate for other Exon 20 Group lung cancer patients.

Backstage @ Upstage

Presented by Upstage Lung Cancer