Voices of Cancer Research: Behind the Scenes of Cancer Research Week
Release Date: 11/09/2023
The Power of Patient Voices in Cancer Research
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of Bench to Bedside, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, talks with Marilyn Mahan and Karl Frees, members of Patient and Investigator Voices Organizing Together (PIVOT) – KU Cancer Center’s patient research advocacy group – and co-chairs of the PIVOT Educational Task Force. They discuss PIVOT, an initiative bringing patients, survivors, caregivers, and researchers together to enhance cancer research. Marilyn and Karl share how PIVOT integrates patient perspectives into research, the ways advocates collaborate with...
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There’s No Place Like Home
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, speaks with Dr. Ronald Chen, chair of Radiation Oncology and associate director for Community Outreach and Engagement at KU Cancer Center. Dr. Chen shares his personal and professional journey from growing up in Topeka to Harvard and a career on the East Coast and back to Kansas, focusing on his motivation to return home and how his work impacts rural communities. He discusses his efforts in cancer care, telehealth and clinical trials, emphasizing the...
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The Science of Survivorship
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, is joined by Dr. Anthony Sung and Dr. Jennifer Klemp, leaders in cancer survivorship research. They discuss their personal motivations, the importance of comprehensive survivorship care starting from diagnosis, and the innovative programs and research efforts at the KU Center for Survivorship and Patient-Oriented Research. The conversation highlights the challenges faced by cancer survivors, the need for individualized care, and the role of community support...
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This is Personal with Dr. Gary Doolittle
Bench to Bedside
In the season six premiere of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, sits down with his friend and colleague Dr. Gary Doolittle, medical director of the Masonic Cancer Alliance (MCA) and melanoma expert. Dr. Doolittle shares his personal and professional experiences in oncology, including his own cancer diagnosis and how it has influenced his approach to patient care. They discuss the unique challenges rural communities face in accessing cancer treatment and the role initiatives like the Masonic Cancer Alliance and...
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Advancing Progress Against Brain Cancer with Cell Therapy
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of Bench to Bedside, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, sits down with Dr. David Akhavan, a physician-scientist pioneering cell therapy research for brain cancer. Dr. Akhavan discusses the revolutionary potential of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in treating cancers like glioblastoma, the complexities involved and the innovative approaches his team is employing, such as smarter engineered T-cells and nanoparticles. Highlighting the collaboration within KU Cancer Center, Dr. Akhavan also shares personal...
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Voices of Suvivorship: The Wall of Hope at KU Cancer Center
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of Bench to Bedside, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, is joined by two special guests: Paul Seyferth, a stage IV lung and prostate cancer survivor and creator of the Wall of Hope Project at KU Cancer Center, and Rebecca Keunen, clinical case manager lead at the cancer center and a cancer survivor herself. They discuss Paul's emotional journey through his diagnosis and the creation of the Wall of Hope installation, which features cancer patients' photos, videos and stories to inspire hope. Rebecca shares her involvement in...
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Cracking the Code: Research Sheds New Light on Ovarian Cancer Biomarker
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of Bench to Bedside, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, sits down with Dr. Rebecca Whelan, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Kansas and member of KU Cancer Center’s Cancer Biology research program. The discussion focuses on the limitations of the CA125 blood test for ovarian cancer detection and Dr. Whelan’s groundbreaking research, which reveals new insights into the structure of the CA125 protein. Dr. Whelan explains how new DNA sequencing technologies and artificial intelligence, specifically the...
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Alcohol and Increased Cancer Risk
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, discusses the critical topic of alcohol consumption and its link to cancer risk with Dr. Lauren Nye, medical oncologist at the cancer center and associate professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. They delve into the recent advisory from the US Surgeon General highlighting the increased cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption, explore how alcohol can promote cancer development through various mechanisms, and offer...
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Exploring Career Opportunities in Cancer Research and Care
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, is joined by Dr. Lisa Harlan-Williams, associate director for education at the cancer center, to discuss the variety of careers involved in the field of cancer care and research, beyond doctors and nurses. Dr. Harlan-Williams shares her own career path and talks about various initiatives at KU Cancer Center to attract and train for the oncology workforce. They highlight the importance of early exposure to different career opportunities and the educational...
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Service and Science: Dr. Marc Hoffmann’s Path from the Peace Corps to Oncology Leadership
Bench to Bedside
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, hosts Dr. Marc Hoffmann, associate professor specializing in Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center and medical director of the lymphoma program at KU Cancer Center, where he also serves as medical director for quality improvement initiatives. Beyond his clinical expertise, Dr. Hoffmann has contributed significantly to research in lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and he actively...
info_outlineOn this special episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, join us behind-the-scenes at The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s annual research week, a multi-day event bringing together members of our research programs and the cancer center community. More than 270 people participated in this year’s Cancer Research Week activities, which included scientific presentations by our research faculty and students, as well as members of our patient research advocacy group, PIVOT. The week concluded with KU Cancer Center’s annual research symposium, a day-long event that brings together our members and highlights the latest in cancer research and treatment. We asked attendees to share why research week is important to them and how events like the research symposium expand their views and support research collaborations, as well as some of their favorite highlights from the week. We hope you enjoy this look “behind the curtain” as you listen to some of the voices behind the research at KU Cancer Center.
Do you have questions about cancer? Call our Bench to Bedside Hotline at (913) 588-3880 or email us at benchtobedside@kumc.edu, and your comment or question may be shared on an upcoming episode! If you appreciated this episode, please share, rate, subscribe and leave a review. To ensure you get our latest updates, For the latest updates, follow us on the social media channel of your choice by searching for KU Cancer Center.
Links from this Episode:
- Learn more about KU Cancer Center’s research week
- Learn about our PIVOT, our patient research advocacy group
- Explore KU Cancer Center’s research programs
- Read about KU Cancer Center’s shared resources and core facilities
- Learn about Dr. Simon Lee and cancer workforce equity