We're joined today by Dr. Aaron Goodman, a hematologist/oncologist at the University of California San Diego, to talk about calling out an unethical clinical trial, Melflufen, and academic oncology. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Nov 06, 2021•56 min
We're joined by Dr. Bapu Jena of Harvard Medical School to talk about his show, Freakonomics, M.D., and his career at the intersection of economics and medicine. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 20 min
We have three topics for you today: We talk about our recent paper on the use of second-line immunotherapy in kidney cancer, the controversy over whether a cancer clinical trial was unethical, and the results of the randomized clinical trial CASSIOPEIA. Kidney Cancer: doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.24728 CASSIOPEIA doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00428-9 Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Oct 28, 2021•35 min
Today we have an interview with Dr. Zeb Jamrozik, an infectious disease bioethicist at the Monash Bioethics Centre and the University of Oxford. We talk about COVID-19 health policy and where we went wrong, speaking specifically from the values framework of health, fairness, and freedom. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 13 min
We have a summary of our thoughts for you on recent news about COVID. We discuss the prospect of FDA authorization of a Moderna booster, 8 lessons for health policy in times of crisis, updates on myocarditis data from Israel and Europe, how our experiences with COVID warn us of the possible end to democracy, how progressivism is dead, why social media should not censor views, the CDC's new masking studies, the slogan "follow the science", weekly testing of vaccinated college students who don't h...
Oct 16, 2021•1 hr 47 min
On today's episode we're joined by a number of special guests: Dr. Christopher Booth and Dr. Adam Fundytus of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Dr. Manju Sengar of the Tata Memorial Centre, and Dr. Aaron Goodman of the University of California at San Diego. We talk about their new papers: "Access to cancer medicines deemed essential by oncologists in 82 countries: an international, cross-sectional survey", "Practicing on the edge of oncology: when standard of care feels uncomfortable", an...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr 28 min
On today's episode, in honor of him and in recognition of his passing, we have an old interview with Dr. Elihu Estey of the University of Washington on his 40 years of experience as an oncologist, the "Renaissance" of drugs for leukemia, and advice for trainees on how to approach career goals. This interview originally aired as episode 1.49. He will be missed.
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 18 min
This week we take a break from #zercovid to give you another episode that's a deep dive into COVID-19. We start with an interview with epidemiologist and infectious disease expert Dr. Daniel Morgan of the University of Maryland School of Medicine; we talk about cognitive errors in medical decision-making and how it relates to COVID-19 health policy. After that, we have a series of thoughts for you on COVID vaccine mandates for schools, President Biden's vaccine plan, the FDA's vote on boosters, ...
Sep 22, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Today we take a brief break from our #zerocovid mantra to offer you our thoughts on current events. We cover a variety of topics, including: medical doctors in academia, cancelling conferences even for the vaccinated, masking 2-year-olds, equipoise, the CDC Georgia study, myocarditis, booster shots, outdoor masking at Duke, no more zero COVID in Australia, the Bangladesh cluster RCT on masks and its implications for kids in the USA, the resignation of two senior FDA officials, LA schools mandati...
Sep 14, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Today's episode is a lecture our host, Dr. Vinay Prasad of University of California San Francisco, gave recently on censoring patients in Kaplan-Meier plots. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Sep 08, 2021•31 min
Today we're joined by social epidemiologist, Dr. Maria Glymour of UCSF. We talk about her work in studying public health interventions for dementia and how her experience in academia has led to her conviction in the necessity of rigorous, quantitative technical skills training for epidemiology PhD students. We touch on how to have a good idea, her advice for PhD applicants, and working in a soft money (grants) vs hard money environment. Finally, we discuss her idea for a stepped-wedge trial appr...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 18 min
We have two oncology conversations for you today. The first is with Dr. Saroj Niraula of the University of Manitoba, and together we discuss the necessity of randomized controlled trials for granting FDA approval of cancer drugs. The second is with Dr. Ghulam Rehman "Manni" Mohyuddin of the University of Utah on a variety of myeloma studies, including LIGHTHOUSE, OCEANS, and HORIZON. Feasibility of RCTs: doi.org/10.1093/jncics/pkab061 RR of Alternative Treatments: doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33231 Study...
Aug 27, 2021•59 min
Today we interview Dr. Bita Fakhri of UCSF on the current research behind treatments for lymphoma. We touch on CAR-T, ABVD, DA-EPOCH-R, and more. We also talk about histiocytic disorders, Dr. Fakhri's career in academia, and learning through teaching. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Aug 21, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Today we're compiling all our recent monologues on COVID-19. That's right -- we're taking a break from #zerocovid to give you an episode that's #allcovid! We cover a whole range of news and opinions covering the Delta variant. We give an evidence-based-medicine doctor's take on the question: Are RCTs necessary in the age of COVID19? We also talk about how the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) lost the narrative. We detail how America failed kids because the AAP, CDC, & the teachers unions all...
Aug 19, 2021•42 min
Today we interview Dr. Alan Venook of UCSF, a renowned expert in clinical trial design and gastrointestinal malignancies. We talk about the evolution of the treatment for colorectal cancer over the last few decades, starting with 5FU. We also discuss his time working as an editor for the Journal of Clinical Oncology and we talk about his advice for budding clinical trialists. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9...
Aug 11, 2021•1 hr 8 min
We have two short thinkpieces for you. The first is on the lessons that can be learned, or have been learned along the way, from publishing 300 peer-reviewed papers in medical/scientific journals. The second is on the recent publication with Jenny Gill out now in the International Journal of Cancer, titled "After COVID-19, telemedicine may be used in addition to usual care and not in lieu of: Implications for health systems". Telemedicine: doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33752 Back us on Patreon! www.patreo...
Aug 06, 2021•15 min
Today we interview Dr. Josee-Lyne Ethier of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on her new paper "Practice Patterns and Outcomes of Novel Targeted Agents for the Treatment of ERBB2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer", out now in JAMA Oncology. We talk about the real-world survival outcomes for pertuzumab and T-DM1, comparing these outcomes to the results of pivotal clinical trials CLEOPATRA and EMILIA. Practice Patterns and Outcomes: doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.2140 Back us on Patr...
Aug 03, 2021•36 min
Today's episode is a compilation of a few short monologues. We provide an oncologist's evidence-based medicine perspective on four papers: CheckMate 274, adjuvant nivolumab in urothelial cancer; PARADIGM-HF/Entresto; the POLO trial, olaparib in pancreas cancer; and the paper "An algorithmic approach to reducing unexplained pain disparities in underserved populations". CheckMate 274: doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2034442 PARADIGM-HF: doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1409077 POLO: doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1903387 Knee ...
Jul 31, 2021•54 min
Today we sit down (in person!) with Dr. Jeff Bien of Stanford University to break down all the details -- from the methods to the statistical analysis to the conclusions -- of the CheckMate 649 trial, which pitted first-line nivolumab plus chemotherapy against chemotherapy alone for advanced gastric, gastro-oesophageal junction, and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. CheckMate 649: doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00797-2 Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: ww...
Jul 28, 2021•59 min
Today we have two short monologues for you on recent papers. The first, by popular request, is the problems with the VISION trial, which treated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with lutetium-177–PSMA-617 (Lu-177–PSMA-617) radioligand therapy and standard of care. The second is on the paper recently published in Science titled "Fecal microbiota transplant promotes response in immunotherapy-refractory melanoma patients". Fecal transplant: doi.org/10.1126/science.abb5920 Back us on ...
Jul 23, 2021•27 min
In today's quick episode, we talk about our new paper out now in JAMA Network Open titled "The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee Votes of April 2021—Implications for the Fate of Accelerated Approval" ODAC Votes: doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.3046 Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Jul 16, 2021•12 min
We have a reverse episode for you today! Emma Greenstreet, a second-year medical student at UCSF, interviews our usual host, Dr. Vinay Prasad on why and how he chose hematology/oncology as a specialty, engaging with criticism, mentorship, medical student rotations, choosing a research project, and urging doctors in academia to aim higher. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Jul 09, 2021•49 min
We sat down in person with Dr. Rahul Banerjee, a BMT/CAR-T fellow at UCSF, to talk about all manner of topics including CAR-T, randomized trials in oncology (and, specifically, Dr. Banerjee's two recent papers out now), social media, treating Multiple Myeloma, and how people make career decisions. What Oncologists Can Learn From COVID-19: doi.org/10.1038/s41571-020-00448-y Are Observational, Real-World Studies Suitable: doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.12119 Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.c...
Jul 08, 2021•1 hr 32 min
Today we are joined by Dr. Ameet Sarpatwari of Harvard Medical School to discuss how so many great minds in oncology are leaving cancer research in academia for industry. We also talk about the evidence (or lack thereof) behind the recent FDA approval of aducanumab to treat Alzheimer's disease. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Jul 07, 2021•53 min
Today we have a short monologue for you on just a few topics: a treatment algorithm for follicular lymphoma and our host Dr. Prasad's new paper out now in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation: "Reliable, cheap, fast and few: What is the best study for assessing medical practices? Randomized controlled trials or synthetic control arms?" RCTs or Synthetic Control Arms?: doi.org/10.1111/eci.13580 Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube...
Jun 26, 2021•31 min
Today we're back with another real-life (non-virtual!) interview. We're joined by Dr. Nina Shah of UCSF to discuss her career and her work in mutiple myeloma as well as the complexities of advancing your career -- dealing with productivity metrics like the h-index or the Kardashian index, switching institutions, balancing work with your home life, adapting to the changing field of oncology, and more. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.co...
Jun 18, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Today we sit down with Dr. George Sledge of the Stanford University Medical Center to hear the story of his career and to discuss the history of breast cancer research and treatment. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 44 min
Today we're launching season 4 of Plenary Session! This season we're returning to our love of monologues. On today's episode we talk about highlights from the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Jun 11, 2021•50 min
On today's episode, we interview Dr. Marty Makary of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health on how he chose his path in medicine, how health care as it is in the United States needs to change, and how groupthink dominated COVID-19 health policy. We discuss a variety of topics from his research on overuse, the prevalence of burnout in healthcare professionals, silos in medicine, to patients' lawsuits against hospitals. We touch on his two books, the latter of which...
Jun 04, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Today we have a brief monologue for you on how to think about COVID-19 policy in the context of rare event and declining probabilities. We also touch on what to expect from season 4 of this podcast, as season 3 comes to an end. Back us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/plenarysession Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUibd0E2kdF9N9e-EmIbUew
Jun 03, 2021•28 min