In this episode, host Camilla Frost-Brewer interviews Alumni Star Tina Shih, PhD, Professor of Health Economics and Director of the Program in Cancer Health Economics Research at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Shih talks about how health economics can tackle various issues across the entire cancer care continuum, from prevention to treatment to survivorship. As newer treatments are developed, health economists like Dr. Shih are analyzing the financial burden on patients and ways to make cancer care more affordable. She also reflects on taking on leadership roles at different stages of her career.

In this special episode, Camilla Frost-Brewer held a fireside conversation with two former directors and one current director to learn what it is like to lead a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and how they approached the opportunities and challenges of the role. Medical oncologist Richard L. Schilsky, MD, Director from 1991 to 1999, drove initiatives to modernize and organize the Cancer Center. Cancer geneticist and cancer biologist Michelle M. Le Beau, PhD, Director from 2004 to 2021, not only helped the Cancer Center achieve Comprehensive status, but she strengthened our programs in population research and community research. Physician-scientist Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, Director since 2021, is leveraging resources, advanced technologies and partnerships from across the University network to take a pipeline of discoveries to the clinic where they can make an immediate impact. Together, they reflected on what is unique about the intellectual environment at the University of Chicago and predicted where cancer research is going next.

Host Camilla Frost-Brewer has a conversation with Alumni Star Angela Bradbury, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center. Dr. Bradbury is a medical oncologist with specialized training in clinical cancer genetics, cancer prevention and medical ethics. Her research focuses on integrating genetic medicine into the clinic to reduce the burden of cancer and improve the health of individuals and families. In 2012, she started the Penn Telegenetics Program based on research evaluating remote phone and real-time services for cancer genetic counseling and testing. In this episode, she explains how technology has enable greater access to genetic counseling for people in the community. She also repeats the career advice that keeps her grounded, including the importance of saying “no” to avoid overextending yourself.

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