Dr. Joel Palefsky: The Father of Anal Dysplasia Screening, Treatment, and Research
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
Release Date: 12/04/2023
Hablar e Falar Claro: Anal Cancer Screening in Latin America
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
There is a clear call to create a space for sharing experiences in IANS’ many languages, where exchange is often richer and more precise. This open and honest exchange, with the help of two talented interpreters, taught us that opportunities exist for IANS to rethink how to move toward more inclusive, multilingual exchanges that reflect the international community it serves. Drs. Valéria Uellner and Luciana La Rosa, from IANS’ Spanish/Portuguese Task Force, underscore the global reach of our podcast audience. From Brazil and Argentina, the doctors discuss the challenges of practicing this...
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The Screening Nobody Mentions: Anal Cancer. A Conversation with Dr. Tamzin Cuming
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
Dr. Tamzin Cuming — a colorectal surgeon and the second woman president of the International Anal Neoplasia Society (IANS) — discusses teamwork, gender bias, and the urgent need to destigmatize conversations about anal cancer. She highlights IANS’s impact on her career and its commitment to structured training and organized prevention, urging clinicians to listen carefully, examine thoroughly, and speak openly about symptoms and risk factors. Addressing misconceptions about women’s risk, she envisions a future in which screening is routine and cross-specialty collaboration is standard....
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PERSEVERANCE, CREATIVITY, AND TEAMWORK “WHERE IT’S HAPPENING”
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
With a background in colorectal surgery and health informatics, as well as a passion for promoting prevention within the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. Elliot Aroniadis accomplished something unprecedented. At the Twin Cities Pride Event in 2023, his group, Save The Bottoms, provided on-site self-screening for anal pre-cancer and cancer. A few days later, his presentation about the success of this event at Grand Rounds impressed his professional community. This led to a collaboration with the Masonic Cancer Center, the University of Minnesota, and The Randy Shaver Research and Community Fund. A...
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BOTTOM LINE: Preventing colorectal and anal cancers - A frank discussion with two influential pioneers who are making a difference
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
Bottom Line A candid and delightful discussion with two pioneers who are shaping the awareness of anal and colorectal cancer in the LGBTQ+ community. What do an entrepreneur and a stand-up comic have in common? A desire to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community about anal and colorectal cancers. David founded Cheeky Charity following his own health scare with colorectal cancer in 2021. Daniel has been HIV positive for fourteen years and was engaged in advocacy when he was diagnosed with anal cancer. The two began collaborating only a year ago, providing special sensitivity to mental...
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Radical Feminism, Bravery and Vision: The Creation of Two Giants in the Field of Anal Dysplasia and Screening
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
Today, gender care is fluid, but in 2012, in the early days of ANCHOR, it took the NY Times and a brave Boston gynecologist to shift the direction of focus of anal cancer prevention. On the other coast, a self-described radical feminist was told that “the anus is just like the cervix,” and a historical career began. In this podcast, Drs. Beth Stier and Naomi Jay discuss how they collaborated to build consensus from a large group with diverse expertise to create the first Consensus Guidelines for Anal Cancer Screening (2024). This project is changing the course of anal cancer screening....
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Anal Cancer Foundation - Passion, Determination & Love: A Conversation with Justine & Camille Almada
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
For Justine, Camille, and Tristian Almada anal cancer is personal. After losing their dear mother, Paulette, to Stage IV HPV-related anal cancer in 2010, the siblings set out to change the course of this disease. In her honor, they created what they wished had been available to them, The Anal Cancer Foundation. For over a decade, their work has improved awareness as they advocate for policies that help eradicate the disease and educate about the importance of early detection and HPV vaccination uptake. In this interview, the two sisters describe not only their frustration with the lack of...
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Improving Barriers to Intimacy - A Toolbox
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
IMPROVING BARRIERS TO INTIMACY – A TOOLBOX Irena Nurkic is a specialist in continence and pelvic health physiotherapist at the Royal Perth Hospital in Western Australia. With over fifteen years of in-depth clinical expertise in management of pelvic health conditions in women, men and transgender persons, she lectures and serves as a clinical tutor at Curtin University. In this interview Irena generously shares her passion for learning and translating science into patient care. She applies her expertise to improve and manage often ignored biological changes of post-pelvic radiation. Her...
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Dr. Andrew Wong -- Leading Hong Kong's Anal Pre-Cancer Programs
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
In this podcast Dr. Wong discusses how a talk he heard about HRA, high resolution anoscopy, piqued his interest in something he knew nothing about. He reasoned because he was caring for HIV patients that he should know more. He found his way to places where HRA was done and where he could be trained. His interest and dedication took him from his home in Hong Kong to Australia, to New York and San Francisco, where he learned from the experts. In a compelling interview, Dr. Wong shares the challenges and successes of his impressive professional journey. He discusses his fascination with this...
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Exploring New Territory - A Conversation with Dr. Mary Birdsall
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
Dr. Mary Birdsall didn’t see herself getting anal cancer, and neither did her physician colleagues. As a GYN specializing in IVF she found herself, not the expert, but the “man on the street.” In this interview, she speaks frankly and passionately about her own struggle to have her symptoms taken seriously and her commitment to agitate for primary and secondary prevention. She shares of how deeply troubling the diagnosis was and how isolated she felt. “You’re not the person who’s supposed to get this,” was her GI doctor’s response. She explores the disservice this lack of...
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Dr. Joel Palefsky: The Father of Anal Dysplasia Screening, Treatment, and Research
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassment
Dr. Joel Palefsky discusses his long career and trailblazing research. He discusses the cervical model which informed his research. He talks of the success of his groundbreaking ANCHOR study, a large clinical trial that found, as with the cervix, treating anal precancerous growths greatly reduces the chance of developing cancer. As his work evolved, Palefsky’s vision expanded. He saw a need to create a way for scientists and clinicians in this young field to interact and collaborate. The Anal Cancer Foundation and the Farrah Fawcett Foundation graciously stepped up to help...
info_outlineDr. Joel Palefsky discusses his long career and trailblazing research. He discusses the cervical model which informed his research. He talks of the success of his groundbreaking ANCHOR study, a large clinical trial that found, as with the cervix, treating anal precancerous growths greatly reduces the chance of developing cancer.
As his work evolved, Palefsky’s vision expanded. He saw a need to create a way for scientists and clinicians in this young field to interact and collaborate. The Anal Cancer Foundation and the Farrah Fawcett Foundation graciously stepped up to help financially, and IANS was born.
Dr. Palefsky sees ANCHOR as only the beginning of creating innovations in patient care. He expresses hopefulness that in the future the 500,000 specimens collected during the study will help define HPV types and identify which will regress and which remain persistent.
His work was not done for prestige, but his groundbreaking study has brought him that.
Dr. Palefsly ends with a reflection on his life’s work, hopes and dreams.