12 - Cancer Survivorship and Integrative Medicine
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Release Date: 08/23/2020
Survivorship Special Topic: Self Care with Dara Kurtz, Breast Cancer Survivor & Author of Crush Cancer
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Our survivorship topic speaker today is Dara Kurtz. Dara is a breast cancer survivor, author of Crush Cancer, and survivorship mentor. As of March 2025, she is also Cancer Services’ Survivor Engagement Coordinator! Listen to our interview with Dara to hear: - The most significant mental or emotional shift she experienced after finishing treatment - How she began to rebuild identity after cancer - What tools or habits have helped her the most in navigating life post-cancer - The role that community played in her healing
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May Survivorship Topic: Oncology Dental Health
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Our May Survivorship Special Topic is Oncology Dental Health with expert Dr. Shaiba Sandhu, Oral Medicine and Orofacial Pain Specialist for High Point University. She cares for patients at Novant Cancer Institute. Dr. Sandhu addresses several questions including: What is an “oral medicine oncology specialist”? What’s the role of oral health for oncology care? Is there a need for a break from cancer medications before dental work? What kinds of issues are people typically seeing an oncology dental health specialist for? Do people have to be referred to see you? What do you like about the...
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March Survivorship Expert Interview: Integrative Oncology
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Our expert speaker this month is Dr Rachel Baldwin, integrative medicine physician for Novant Health Cancer Institute in Winston-Salem, NC. Dr Baldwin answers Julie’s questions including: What’s the role of integrative medicine for oncology care? What kinds of issues are people typically seeing you for? people have to be referred to see you? Do you think a change in diet or lifestyle will shrink the cancer and keep it from growing back without chemotherapy? What advice do you have for managing cancer related side effects?
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Body Image and Nutrition for your Nervous System
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
January 2024 Survivorship Special Topic: Body Image and Nutrition for your Nervous System Today’s episode is the first survivorship special topic for 2024! Our expert speaker today is Debra Benfield, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Certified Yoga Teacher. Debra is the founder of Body in Mind Nutrition, a body positive nutrition therapy practice here in Winston Salem. You can find Debra on IG and her website has more podcast interviews and resources. . We decided to do this topic because first of all, it’s January! We’re all thinking of...
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GYN Cancer Survivorship with Endometrial Cancer Survivor Kris Ryan
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Today’s episode is the last in our 3 part series sponsored by Athena’s Run for GYN Cancer. The mission of Athena's Run is to celebrate, honor and lift up the women affected by gynecologic cancers. They increase public awareness about gynecologic cancers and raise funds to support education, advocacy, care and research. Their vision is to end gynecologic cancers through prevention, early detection and effective treatment. In this episode, we talk with GYN cancer survivor, Kris Ryan, about life during and after cancer. Episode 1 focuses on prevent, and early detection....
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Gynecologic Cancer Treatment and Side Effect Management
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Today’s episode is the 2nd in a 3 part series sponsored by Athena’s Run for GYN Cancer. Our expert guest is Robin Atkinson, oncology certified nurse and Gynecologic Cancer Nurse Navigator for the Novant Cancer Institute. The mission of Athena's Run is to celebrate, honor and lift up the women affected by gynecologic cancers. They increase public awareness about gynecologic cancers and raise funds to support education, advocacy, care and research. Their vision is to end gynecologic cancers through prevention, early detection and effective treatment. This 3 part...
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Survivorship Topic: The Effects of High Blood Pressure on Cancer Survivorship
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Check out our last survivorship expert interview for 2023 with expert Dr. Ken E. Bodek, a cardio-oncologist with Novant Health Cardiology. We decided to do this topic because high blood pressure affects 50% of the US adult population, and cancer survivors are affected at a higher rate and the effects can be more harmful. This will be helpful information for everyone!
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Reducing Risk for GYN Cancer
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Today’s episode is the first in a 3 part series sponsored by Athena’s Run for GYN Cancer. The mission of Athena's Run is to celebrate, honor and lift up the women affected by gynecologic cancers. They increase public awareness about gynecologic cancers and raise funds to support education, advocacy, care and research. Their vision is to end gynecologic cancers through prevention, early detection and effective treatment. This 3 part series will cover just that! Episode 1 focuses on prevent, and early detection. Episode 2 focuses on treatment and managing side effects....
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Survivorship Topic: What to Know when You’re Facing Cancer
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Getting a cancer diagnosis for the first time can be scary and overwhelming, and you may feel like you don't know where to start. And for those who are close to the end of active treatment, or done with active treatment, that’s a scary time too when you’re not seeing your cancer care team every week! This month's interview aims to help listeners know where to go, who to talk to, what to ask, and what resources to keep in your toolbox. Cancer Services has dozens of resources for patients to provide support and assistance throughout this journey, and there's even more organizations and...
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Celebrating Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day!
Triad Cancer Connection Podcast
Today’s interview is with Melanie Sisk, a local metastatic breast cancer thriver who is also a volunteer with Cancer Services and is the group leader for our local Metastatic Breast Cancer group in the Triad area of North Carolina. To contact Melanie about the group, email
info_outlineThis is the recording from the the second day of Survivors Week 2020. Felicia Dobson, a Patient Advocate at Cancer Services hosts the session on behalf of Cancer Services, Novant Health Derrick L Davis Cancer Center, and Wake Forest Baptist Health Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Find information on the week, including videos from the sessions here: www.cancerservicesonline.org/survivorsweek
This session is on Survivorship and Integrative Medicine and we have a very talented panel. Each panelist spends about 10 minutes to talk to you about their area of expertise and how to maximize wellness, decrease stress and be your best self. After the presentations, the panelists answer questions.
The first panelist is Dr. Judith Hopkins. Dr. Hopkins is a Medical Oncologist with the Novant Health Cancer Institute and works out of the Kernersville location. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond and graduated from the University of Virginia Medical School. She has been practicing medicine in Winston since 1980. Her clinical interests include Breast Cancer Prevention, genetics, treatment and survivorship, as well as GI Malignancies and CLL. Her hobbies include reading historical fiction, skiing and hiking. She also enjoys spending time with her family on their 110-acre farm in South Carolina.
Our second panelist is Dr. Russ Greenfield. Dr. Russ is the Medical Director of Novant’s new Integrative Medicine department. Integrative Medicine is where the best of conventional medicine and complementary therapies are used together to maximize a person’s healing capacity. He is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine, and in 1999 was one of the first four physicians to graduate from the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Andrew Weil. (pronounced “While”)
Our third panelist, Kim DeRhodes, works very closely with Dr. Russ in the Integrative Medicine Department of Novant Health. Kim is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received her BS in Pharmacy. She has over 35 years experience as a pharmacist. She frequently gives lectures on integrative and natural medicine and has taught classes at Queens College, UNCC, and Carolinas College of Healthcare Sciences. She is a contributor to Dr. Andrew Weil’s latest book, Mind Over Meds. She sees patients by appointment for medication therapy management and counsels them on the proper use of vitamins, herbs, and other natural medicines.