Episodes

March 8, 2022

Carly Flumer Takes No Prisoners

Today I talk to Carly Flumer, two-time thyroid cancer survivor, Director of Medical Engagement at MMG, and Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer torch bearer. Carly was diagnosed with stage I, metastatic papillary thyroid cancer in January 2017 at the age of 27. She went through treatment, got her mast…
March 3, 2022

Vax On: COVID by Stealth, Ukrainian Pets, and Pandemic Patents

Ukraine is going through a lot right now… See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feb. 28, 2022

Frank Licciardi: A Geezer By Proxy

Today I speak with Frank Licciardi, a cancer survivor and an award-winning healthcare advocate. Frank was diagnosed with metastatic gastric cancer in his early thirties and given a one percent probability of survival. Not only did he beat the odds, but he’s 12 years cancer-free. Since then, Frank l…
Feb. 24, 2022

Vax On: Do It Yourself

England and Ikea have a lot in common... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feb. 22, 2022

Mel Mann: Beating Leukemia’s Odds

On the show today I speak with Mel Mann, the longest living person who participated in the clinical trial for Gleevec. When Mel Mann was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia at age 37 in 1995, he was told he had three years to live. But he’s here some 26 years later and still going strong. Mel s…
Feb. 17, 2022

Vax On: Thanks for Mutton

Trudeau, the calming magic of stroking sheep, and Super Bowl lunacy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feb. 15, 2022

Alan Russell: Master of Serendipity

On the show today, I speak with Alan Russell, Vice President of Research at Amgen. He’s got a long list of esteemed creds: He previously served as the Highmark Distinguished Career Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Disruptive Health Technology Institute at Carn…
Feb. 10, 2022

Vax On: The Masks Are Off with Stephanie Santoriello!

Got orange sauce? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feb. 8, 2022

Grace Vinton Dishes on How the Sausage Gets Made

Today I talk to patient advocate, digital health influencer, and podcasting maven Grace Vinton. She hosts HITeaWithGrace on the HIT Like a Girl podcast, which celebrates women leaders in healthcare and health IT. She’s the smartest person in the room at any given time and she’s here to let us in on…
Feb. 4, 2022

[BONUS] Reacting to the New Biden Cancer Moonshot Announcement

I talk to David and Robin Dubin, founders of the cancer advocacy organization AliveAndKickn, about Biden's new Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to reduce cancer deaths by half over the next 25 years. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://ar…
Feb. 3, 2022

Vax On: Don’t Vax, Don’t Tell, No Rogan, and the Novastans

Be well, John Spartan... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feb. 1, 2022

Mensch of Mensches: The One With Gil Bashe

Gil Bashe, the Nostradamus of healthcare (says Matthew), predicted the rise of digital health in 2000 with his book Branding Health Services: Defining Yourself in the Marketplace. In addition to being an ordained rabbi and former combat medic, Gil is a patient advocate, a champion of health innovat…
Jan. 27, 2022

Vax On: Could CBD Be Effective COVID Prevention?

You’d have to CBD it to believe it… See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan. 25, 2022

Unraveled: When Science CAN Speak Human

Today I talk to Michael Buller, the Senior Director of Content and Creative Services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He’s a ten-year cancer survivor, a SUNY alum, writer, editor, and media producer. And Michael oversees Dana Farber’s amazing new podcast Unraveled about the mysteries of the science…
Jan. 20, 2022

Vax On: COVID vs. The Animal Kingdom

Find out why you shouldn't kiss your chinchillas. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan. 18, 2022

The Urge: Our History of Addiction

Today I talk to author and addiction physician Carl Erik Fisher. Carl is an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, where he works in the Division of Law, Ethics, and Psychiatry. He also maintains a private psychiatry practice focusing on complementary and integrative app…
Jan. 13, 2022

Vax On: New Year, Aerosol Arguments, and Testing Shortages

In this episode of Vax On, Matthew Zachary and Elura Nanos discuss the Supreme Court’s COVID-19 precautions during Tuesday’s oral arguments. They also discuss a nationwide COVID-19 testing shortage and NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ questionable remarks about the city’s workforce. See Privacy Policy at htt…
Jan. 11, 2022

Kasey Altman: Diagnosed with Next-Level Badassery

Today I talk to Kasey Altman, an intrepid 25-year-old living with late-stage cancer. Before her diagnosis, Kasey landed her dream job working as an Account Executive for Google. She crisscrossed the country. She was an athlete with an active fitstagram. Then in October 2020, at age 24, Kasey was di…
Jan. 5, 2022

Best Of 2021: The Medidata Show with Glen de Vries

Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes from 2021 featuring Glen DeVries, Co-CEO at Medidata, the most used platform for clinical trials worldwide. Tragically, Glen died in a plane crash in November. We remember him for his great work, including his book, "The Patient Equation: The Precision…
Jan. 4, 2022

Best Of 2021: Michele Rhee on Thyroid Cancer, a Heart Tumor, and Traversing All Seven Continents

Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes from 2021 featuring Michele Rhee, young adult cancer survivor of thyroid cancer, whose ordeal left her having over a dozen major surgeries, including open-heart surgery for a related underlying rare disease. Michele received both her MBA and MPH in thr…
Dec. 30, 2021

Holiday Tidings and Gratitude

As 2021 draws to a close, we reflect on important moments in patient advocacy, listenership growth, and new additions to our OffScrip family. Thank you for listening! We'll see you in 2022 with lots of new and exciting content. Excelsior! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor…
Dec. 28, 2021

The Many Lives of Warrior Megsie

Matthew Zachary talks with writer, influencer, and breast cancer survivor extraordinaire Megan-Claire Chase. When her health and future were thrown off by a cancer diagnosis in 2015, Megan-Claire began documenting her journey on her hit blog, Life on the Cancer Train, where through her online perso…
Dec. 23, 2021

Vax On: An Omicron Christmas

In this episode of Vax On, Matthew Zachary and Elura Nanos get ready for another holiday season with Covid in everyone’s vision. They talk about school woes, cruise ship outbreaks, and toxic influencers. They also discuss the latest Sermo poll! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and C…
Dec. 21, 2021

The Cancer Mavericks EP7: Cancer Doesn't Suck Equally

A cancer diagnosis sucks no matter what — but factors like income, education, racism, geography, housing, and access to health care, known as "social determinants of health," can worsen the burden. When researchers zoom out from individual experiences and survey cancer survivors, they see patterns …