West Wind (audio)

Host Jack West speaks with Dr. Taofeek Owonikoko of Emory University, who traces his childhood & medical training in Nigeria as a pathologist, followed by a move to Düsseldorf, Germany before settling in the US & re-training in oncology.

Dr. Jack West chats with breast cancer specialist & ASCO Annual Meeting Education Committee chair Dr. Tatiana Prowell about how she engages oncologists & patients alike through live teaching, longitudinal mentoring, & social media.

Dr. Tatiana Prowell of Johns Hopkins & US FDA speaks with host Dr. Jack West about how she came to focus on breast cancer, her path to working at FDA, & how her clinical practice & research complement her regulatory work & vice versa.

Dr. Tatiana Prowell, breast cancer specialist at Johns Hopkins Univ/Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center & the US FDA, traces her meandering path into medicine & discusses the struggle to choose what to say no to when balancing career & personal life commitments.

Thoracic surgeon Brendon Stiles, MD, speaks with host Jack West about alternatives to open surgery for smaller lung cancers, which patients with locally advanced NSCLC should undergo surgery, and whether we should aim to "downstage" patients with marginally resectable or unresectable lung cancer.

Host Jack West speaks with cardiothoracic surgeon Brendon Stiles, MD, who describes his path from being raised on a farm in rural VA to cancer research and surgery in NYC, & how debating medicine outside of your echo chamber raises everyone's game.

Dr. Jean-Charles Soria reviews the challenge in academic research of "champagne dreams on a beer budget", his decision to pursue a research leadership role at AZ, & shares his vision of a future of molecular oncology & a growing role for liquid biopsies.

Jean-Charles Soria, MD, PhD, Senior VP of R&D Oncology at AZ, traces his path from Bolivia to France to the US & how he was influenced by his sister's struggle with ALL to enter medicine & oncology, as well as the humbling impact of his own son's illness.

Dr. Benjamin Besse, Head of Medical Oncology at Institut Gustave Roussy, reviews his path into oncology & describes how strong national programs & a collaborative oncology community conduct translational research together across France.

Dr. Reshma Jagsi, radiation oncologist at University of Michigan, discusses her work on gender equity and disparities in medicine along with the challenges in overcoming them with host Dr. Jack West.

Dr. Reshma Jagsi, radiation oncologist at University of Michigan, speaks with Dr. Jack West about her parents settling in Texas, her childhood, her move to Harvard to study government, & shaping her career & personal life priorities.

Dr. Ben Solomon, thoracic oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, recounts unique aspects of cancer care in Australia & his circuitous path from Sri Lanka to Zambia and Colorado before settling in Australia.

Host Jack West speaks with Dr. Yuman Fong, surgical oncologist at City of Hope, about a multidisciplinary approach to metastatic cancer that includes local therapies to improve survival & potentially cure selected patients with colon & other cancers.

Dr. Yuman Fong, surgical oncologist at City of Hope Cancer Center, recounts how he defined career goals, the experience of raising 3 daughters in NYC with a wife who is a successful lawyer, & his efforts to balance his work with personal commitments.

Dr. Tony Mok of the Chinese University of Hong Kong reflects with host Dr. Jack West on his circuitous career path that led him back to Hong Kong after training in Edmonton & Toronto, as well as the exciting career opportunities he has cultivated.

Lung cancer advocates Ivy Elkins and Jill Feldman talk with Dr. West about the role of cancer patient advocates working with researchers, attending professional conferences, as well as how different cultures manage a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.

Lung cancer advocates Jill Feldman and Ivy Elkins discuss the value in terms of both needed support & information sharing from fellow patients, whether in direct local contact or via online connections, & value of the EGFR Resisters group.

Lung cancer patient advocates Ivy Elkins & Jill Feldman reflect with host Dr. Jack West on the difficulties of facing a new diagnosis of lung cancer, navigating the work-up, developing a treatment plan, & connecting with fellow patients.

Host Jack West chats with Dr. Narjust Duma about her activity on social media, her Latinas in Medicine initiative, her work on gender equity, and the connections she has forged through the Women in Hematology & Oncology Facebook group.

Dr. Narjust Duma recounts her childhood and early education in South America & Central America, followed by her transition to additional training in the US, including fellowship at Mayo Clinic and a new faculty position at the University of Wisconsin.