SEASON 4

Mary Elizabeth, a courageous survivor of stage 4 metastatic melanoma, participated in a groundbreaking Phase 1 immunotherapy trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She became one of the pioneering individuals to receive nivolumab, a cutting-edge treatment. Just three months into the trial, her remarkable progress showed no signs of disease. Join us as we delve into her journey, highlighting the transformative potential of immunotherapy.

For the past several years Mary Elizabeth has been chronicling her adventures with Stage 4 melanoma and working toward a better healthcare experience for all of us. She is a doctoral student of Medical Humanities at Drew University and has written for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Salon, Time, and Health. Her recent book, A Series of Catastrophes and Miracles, A: A True Story of Love, Science, and Cancer, is on her experience with metastatic melanoma — and the groundbreaking immunotherapy clinical trial, pioneered by Nobel winner James Allison — that saved her life. Her book can be found here.

Dr. Telivala, holding Board Certifications in medical oncology, hematology, and internal medicine, currently practices at Cancer Specialists of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.

Originally from India, Dr. Telivala completed his M.B.B.S. at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College. He further pursued his medical education and training, earning his Doctor of Medicine from Temple University in Pennsylvania, where he also completed his hematology/oncology fellowship. With a passion for patient care and guidance, Dr. Telivala cherishes the collaborative environment he works in, surrounded by a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and support staff who share the same primary goal of improving patients’ lives.

“The compassion and empathy offered by the team as CSNF is truly unmatched.”

Dr. Jennifer Byer earned her medical degree and completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, FL. In 2014, she was awarded a Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center/University of South Florida. She is currently an oncologist at Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute.

Rachel lives in Vero Beach with her husband and two children. She and her husband own a veterinary clinic and founded Community Health Coalition, a charity that vaccinates canines in remote areas of Africa against rabies.

More information on The Sugar Bloom Foundation can be found here.

More information on Dr. Byer and Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute can be found here.

Nora is a Patient Benefit Representative at Illinois Cancer Specialists with 30 years of pharmacy technician experience. Janine is the Lead Rx Services Coordinator at CARE Fresno – California Cancer Associates for Research & Excellence. Taryn is the Oncology Pharmacy Technician Association coordinator. Nora and Janine were the first pharmacy technicians certified in oral oncology.

His book is based on his experience with his first wife Rachael and her battle with brain cancer. It shares the knowledge he feels will benefit others going through similar situations. His weekly podcast provides skills with action steps that people can take and apply to their own lives.

More information on Craig’s book and podcast can be found here.

*This episode is brought to you by Cardinal Health. Cardinal Health™ Medically Integrated Dispensing Solutions helps your care team navigate industry complexities, optimize your processes and expand the amount of patients you serve. To connect with a Cardinal Health team member to learn more, go to cardinalhealth.com/dispensing.

Alison is a Clinical Pharmacy Manager at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. She obtained her PharmD at the University of Florida and completed her PGY1 and PGY2 residencies at the Medical University of South Carolina. She has been in clinical practice for 19 years at MD Anderson and manages a team of clinical pharmacy specialists in pediatric hematology/oncology and adult stem cell transplant.

Kamakshi is an Interim Director of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel Hill. She oversees Adult Ambulatory and Acute Clinical Services as well as the hospital’s academic enterprises, including resident and student training programs.  Additionally, she leads the department’s growing efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion. She spent 20 years in direct patient care, working with patients undergoing bone marrow transplants at the North Carolina Cancer Hospital before moving into her current role.

Zahra is a Clinical Pharmacy Manager in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Health System (TUKHS). She earned her PharmD and MBA from the UMKC School of Pharmacy and the Henry W. Bloch School of Management. She completed residency training at The Ohio State University Medical Center and The Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. She has been a board-certified oncology pharmacist since 2012. In 2022, she was the recipient of the ASTCT Pharmacy Special Interest Group Lifetime Achievement Award and ASCO’s 40 Under 40 in Cancer award.

You can read more here: https://accpjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jac5.1693

Sotirios-Charalampos (Sotiris) Diamantoudis is a 2nd-year Pharmacy student at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. His passion for oncology has led him to take the position of Co-Head of Chemoprevention, Nutritional Supplements, and Cancer at the Cancer Prevention Research Group in Greece. When he first encountered NCODA in Athens during the 18th European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association Autumn Assembly, where he volunteered, he considered the initiative of most interest and immediately joined in. Taking it a step further, Sotiris notified his network to spread NCODA and its values in Greece. 

Maria Vasileiou is a 4th-year pharmacy student at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her area of interest is cancer research, which includes primary and secondary prevention, chemoprevention, and the association of dietary supplements and medicines with cancer incidence and progression. She has hands-on experience in cancer research, having attended a postgraduate program on immunotherapy in advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma. She serves as Co-Founder and President-Elect of NCODA Greece.

Elpida Lytra is a 5th-year Pharmacy student at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She serves as Director of Finances at NCODA Greece.

You can follow NCODA Greece on Instagram @ncodagreece or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ncodagreece/.

Sarah manages the Reimbursement Services and Medication Assistance Program for infusion services at the James Cancer Hospital and Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University. She oversees the reimbursement staff who obtain authorizations for infused medication and files medication denials at the James and Wexner Medical Center. She also oversees, coordinates, and advocates for the award-winning Medication Assistance Program for patients who cannot afford their infusion medications.

Jeffrey Pilz, PharmD, MPA, MS, BCPS, currently serves as Assistant Director of Pharmacy for Medication Safety and Drug Policy at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) in Columbus, Ohio. In this role, he serves as co-chair for the OSUWMC Drug Shortages Committee and coordinates Department of Pharmacy initiatives around managing recent critical shortages.

*This episode is brought to you by Cardinal Health. Cardinal Health™ Medically Integrated Dispensing Solutions helps your care team navigate industry complexities, optimize your processes and expand the amount of patients you serve. To connect with a Cardinal Health team member to learn more, go to cardinalhealth.com/dispensing.

He is a double board-certified surgeon and surgical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of cancers in the abdomen, particularly cancers that have spread to the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity. He specializes in complex cytoreductive surgery and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).

Dr. Eng has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts in journals including Cancer Discovery, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer, and British Journal of Cancer. He has received numerous teaching and research awards and was most recently a recipient of The Lynx Group’s 40 Under 40 in Cancer Award, which recognizes the contributions being made across the field of cancer by emerging leaders nationally.

Ngozi is a Public Health Professional, working as a Patient Support Manager for Run for a cure Africa, which is a not-for-profit organization that provides psychological support to patients diagnosed with breast cancer.  She’s currently listed as one of the 40 Under 40 Professionals in Cancer Care 2022 worldwide.

*This episode of the podcast was recorded prior to World Cancer Day on Saturday, February 4, 2023.

Sami began her career in 2003 and is one of the world’s first cancer exercise specialists and wellness experts. Her experience working with countless cancer survivors worldwide and seeing the power of exercise and wellness strategies in their lives is the driving force behind her persistence and passion.

She is the Director of Oncology Wellness for the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at HCA Midwest Health, a program she developed in 2017. She is also a contributing author on the topic of exercise and has provided her knowledge and expertise to many organizations including ASCO as part of their guideline’s implementation team.

You can find more on Sami here.

This episode is brought to you by Cardinal Health. Cardinal Health™ Medically Integrated Dispensing Solutions helps your care team keep patient care within the four walls of your practice to deliver the most personalized, patient-centric care. With differentiated technology and analytics — along with best-in-class program support and expertise — we’ll help your medically integrated dispensing pharmacy navigate industry complexities, optimize your processes and expand the amount of patients you serve.  To connect with a Cardinal Health team member to learn more, go to cardinalhealth.com/dispensing

Dr. Jones is an Associate (Clinical) Professor in Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2009 and completed his residency in Family Medicine at the University of Utah in 2012. Since then, he has worked at the Neurobehavior HOME Program, a clinical program for individuals with a developmental disability, where he leads the Utilization Management Team.

He is the author of the award-winning and best-selling book Fallible: A Memoir of a Young Physician’s Struggle with Mental Illness. His most recent book HOSPITAL!: A Medical Satire of Unhealthy Proportions came out in December 2022. Both books are available on Amazon or from your local independent bookstore. You can find Dr. Jones’ website here.

Dr. Vazquez Roque is from San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 2003, she completed her medical degree at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus. In 2008 she finished her internal medicine residency in Puerto Rico. She then pursued a Gastroenterology fellowship in the NIH training grant at Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota. After graduating from GI fellowship, she began to work in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic Florida in April 2012.

She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, the Associate Chair for the Outpatient Practice for the Department of Medicine, and Medical Director for Accreditation and Supply Chain for Mayo Clinic Florida. She championed and developed the Fecal Microbiota Transplant program at the Mayo Clinic Florida campus for patients who suffer from recurrent episodes of Clostridium difficile infection and to date has conducted over 200 procedures with success. She is actively participating in research studies evaluating the role of the gut microbiome in immunotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitor colitis.

Brandon is the Area Pharmacy Manager for the Central/South Texas and San Antonio regions of Texas Oncology. He is Co-Founder of the pharmacy education website, tl;dr pharmacy, and serves as the Residency Program Director at Texas Oncology for the NCODA Medically Integrated Oncology Pharmacy (MIOP) Residency Program. 

You can find more information on tl;dr pharmacy here.

You can find more information on NCODA’s Medically Integrated Oncology Pharmacy Residency Program here.

Neshama received her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and her master’s degree in Social Work from Rutgers University School of Social Work, with a concentration in Non-Profit and Public Management.   She also has her post-graduate Certificate in Gerontology from Rutgers University, as well as a post-graduate Certificate in Grief Counseling.

This episode is brought to you by Cardinal Health. Cardinal Health™ Medically Integrated Dispensing Solutions helps your care team keep patient care within the four walls of your practice to deliver the most personalized, patient-centric care. With differentiated technology and analytics — along with best-in-class program support and expertise — we’ll help your medically integrated dispensing pharmacy navigate industry complexities, optimize your processes and expand the amount of patients you serve.  To connect with a Cardinal Health team member to learn more, go to cardinalhealth.com/dispensing

To register for CE click here:

https://www.lecturepanda.com/r/PedsPodCE

The objectives of today’s podcast are:

• To identify the differences between adult and pediatric oncology
• To summarize the role of the pharmacist and pharmacy technician in pediatric oncology
• To recognize the challenges when treating pediatric patients with cancer

Prior to this role, she was a stem cell transplant Clinical Pharmacist at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Dr. Thakrar received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Purdue University College of Pharmacy. She completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis and a PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency at the University of North Carolina Medical Center.

He received his Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner license in April 2022 and currently runs the breast oncology pharmacy clinic in collaboration with the medical oncologists he supports. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy in Bradenton, FL in 2016 and completed both his PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY-2 Oncology Practice Residency at Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. Ingoglia’s professional interests include medical oncology, malignant hematology, and infectious diseases. Personally, he enjoys spending time with his wife, three daughters, and two dogs.

A regular contributor to the Well section of the New York Times, he is the author of When Blood Breaks Down: Life Lessons from Leukemia (MIT Press). More information on Drugs and the FDA can be found HERE.