Inspiring the Next Generation

Cultivating the next generation of oncology leaders begins long before college or medical school. Inspiring, encouraging, and investing in future healthcare professionals starts with teaching children and adolescents that they can do anything they dream of. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Jennifer D. Son, MD, FACS, Director of the Breast Center at MedStar Montgomery, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Georgetown University Medical Center, and the author of Tiny Scrubs, Big Dreams. Dr. Son discusses what inspired her to write her recent children's book, the formative experiences that led to her career in oncology, and what she hopes young readers and their families will gain from reading her book. "Growing up, I didn't see a lot of...women physicians, let alone minority women physicians, and female surgeons or Latina surgeons. I think it's very important for...children growing up to...be inspired [by] and see all the possibilities that they can be." – Jennifer D Son, MD, FACS Guest: Jennifer D Son, MD, FACS Director, Breast Center MedStar Montgomery Assistant Professor, Surgery Georgetown University Medical Center Resources: Tiny Scrubs, Big Dreams: Inspiring a Diverse Generation of Healthcare Leaders Building a Scalable Model to Train the Next Generation of Oncology Leaders Workforce Diversity: African Americans in Healthcare Social Drivers of Health: The Role of Representation in the Healthcare Workforce      

    Sanford Health is the largest rural health system in the US, providing care to patients across South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin, and the upper peninsula of Michigan. It requires a creative and dynamic approach to reach patients across such a large geographic area, and decentralized clinical trials (DCT) have been one of their most important tools. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with clinical research professionals about Sanford Health's successful DCT program and how each of their roles helps to expand access to clinical trials for patients across the region.  Guests: Lora Black, RN, MPH, CCRP  Vice President of Research  Sanford Health  Sioux Falls, SD  Sophia Connelly  Clinical Research Trial Navigator  Sanford Health  Sioux Falls, SD  Kassandra Remmel, BES, CCRP  Clinical Research Manager  Sanford Health  Sioux Falls, SD  Eleanor (Ellie) Gibbons, CCRP  Clinical Research Operations Manager  Sanford Health  Sioux Falls, SD  "The thing to remember is that these are oncology patients, so they're already dealing with a lot. They're already sick. They may need a caregiver to drive them. They may have to arrange childcare. So the fact that we can make anything a little bit easier for them really matters to them." —Ellie Gibbons, CCRP "Starting small and going with a clinical trial that you are really comfortable with would be my recommendation." —Kassandra Remmel, BES, CCRP  "I've had conversations with [clinical trial] sponsors about patients getting their scans done closer to home and they've been willing and open to discussing that." —Sophia Connelly  This podcast was created in partnership with the Digital Trials & Research Alliance, with support from Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead Sciences, and Merck.  HonorHealth Research Institute's First Steps to Approaching Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCTs)  University of Chicago's Path to Operationalizing Decentralized Phase 1 Trials Across a Regional Network  Meeting Patients Where They Are: Sanford Health's Decentralized Clinical Trial Program  Decentralized Clinical Trials in Community Oncology: Advancing Access Requires More Than Technology 

With cancer diagnoses rising in the US and oncology workforce shortages growing, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a way to boost operational efficiency and give clinicians more time at the bedside. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ shares highlights from the Presidential Address at the 43rd National Oncology Conference, delivered by newly appointed ACCC President Douglas Flora, MD, LSSBB, FACCC, and Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Cancer Center. Dr. Flora outlines his vision for equipping cancer care professionals with resources to use AI in ways that restore humanity to healthcare and meet patients' growing needs.  "These tools are coming at us faster than we expected, faster than we're ready for…I can promise you that it's going to happen to us, with us, or through us. And so, my theme is going to be around using digital tools to bring humanity back to our medical care." - ACCC President Douglas Flora, MD, LSSBB, FACCC  "We must find a solution to scale this enterprise to automate the mundane and replace it with the humane." - ACCC President Douglas Flora, MD, LSSBB, FACCC  Guest:  ACCC President Douglas Flora, MD, LSSBB, FACCC, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Cancer Center   Resources:   PRESIDENT'S THEME 2026-2027  The AI That's Already Here: Promise, Risk, and the Governance Gap  AI in Oncology: Tools for Today, Breaking and Remaking for Tomorrow  A Leadership Playbook for Responsible AI Adoption  Making AI Practical in Oncology: Lessons from Highlands Oncology  Becoming a Smart Consumer of AI as an Oncology Leader  Artificial Intelligence: The Legalities of AI in Health Care and the Day-to-Day Use of AI in the Clinical Setting  Harnessing AI to Empower the Community Oncology Workforce  The Next Frontier: How AI Will Shape Oncology Care 

In this episode of Oncology Unscripted, hosts Mark Liu and Deirdre Saulet speak with Doug Flora, MD, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, and President-Elect of ACCC, about the growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer care. Dr. Flora touches on common reasons for resistance to and pushback on AI integration with healthcare, recommendations for how healthcare professionals can gain confidence with AI usage, and his excitement for where AI can take oncology in the decades to come—from innovation, to discovery, to massively cutting down the time it takes to complete administrative tasks.  "I see [AI] getting bigger and bigger [in oncology]. As we move deeply into [AI], the trust [needs to catch] up with the technology." – Doug Flora, MD "I'm doing the work, but I have an AI assistant that's making me more efficient in the process." – Doug Flora, MD "Work smarter, not harder, right? We've been thinking about it forever, and [you've given us] very actionable ways to do it." – Deirdre Saulet, PhD Doug Flora, MD Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services St. Elizabeth Healthcare Edgewood, Kentucky President-Elect ACCC To submit a topic of discussion to the podcast, please email [email protected] and [email protected].   The 2026 Oncology Unscripted series is exclusively sponsored by Advarra. Resources The AI That's Already Here: Promise, Risk, and the Governance Gap AI in Oncology: Tools for Today, Breaking and Remaking for Tomorrow A Leadership Playbook for Responsible AI Adoption Making AI Practical in Oncology: Lessons from Highlands Oncology Becoming a Smart Consumer of AI as an Oncology Leader Artificial Intelligence: The Legalities of AI in Health Care and the Day-to-Day Use of AI in the Clinical Setting Harnessing AI to Empower the Community Oncology Workforce The Next Frontier: How AI Will Shape Oncology Care  

As oncology therapies become increasingly complex and high cost, cancer programs are being pushed to rethink how financial, operational, and clinical decisions come together in practice. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ sits down with Sarah Hudson-DiSalle, Assistant Director of Infusion Reimbursement Services, to explore the real-world financial landscape of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), focusing on how organizations evaluate readiness, navigate uncertainty, and manage financial risk. Through a practical, system-level lens, this conversation highlights where challenges emerge, how institutions are approaching implementation, and what lessons may translate across care settings.  "Helping leadership get comfortable [with] the financial risk kind of starts with that clear communication and education on the drug as a whole. Getting them to see past just the dollar tag of the drug. It's important to provide kind of that balanced view of both clinical value and financial implication, so they can make a really informed decision of how that impacts patient care, their community, and the institution as a whole." - Sarah Hudson-DiSalle, PharmD, RPh, FACCC  "I've learned that it's important having a clear plan from the beginning, making sure that you know who your stakeholders are, aligning those around the plan, and having consistent monitoring for outcomes for implementation of who's your customer. Regardless of the organization's size, that success rate really starts with understanding the clinical, the operational, the financial implications of the new therapies, and then defining your roles, responsibilities, and processes up front, and who needs to know that information." - Sarah Hudson-DiSalle, PharmD, RPh, FACCC  In partnership with HOPA, APSHO, LRF.   This program was made possible with support from AbbVie, Amgen, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Genentech.   Guest:  Sarah Hudson-DiSalle, PharmD, RPh, FACCC  Assistant Director of Infusion Reimbursement Services  The James Cancer Hospital and Wexner Medical Center at the Ohio State University Department of Pharmacy  Resources:    A Blueprint for Successful Integration of Bispecific Antibodies     Delivery Models for Administering T-Cell-Engaging Bispecific Antibodies    Delivering T-Cell-Engaging Bispecific Antibodies: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)    ACCC Office Hours Recording - Bispecific Antibodies: One BiTE at a Time       Bispecific Antibodies Checklist for Community Providers    Using Bispecific Antibodies in Community Practice: Challenges and Opportunities    Expanding Access to Cellular and Bispecific Therapies: Considerations and Recommendations     

Social drivers of health such as geographic distance, travel burden, or limited availability at specialized patient centers bar many eligible patients from receiving first-line, potentially curative therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Community cancer centers in particular often struggle to offer CAR T, due to the extensive resources required to safely maintain a CAR T program: emergency department access, intensive care unit resources, and inpatient admission availability. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with 2026 ACCC Innovator Award winner Andrew Dalovisio, MD, Director of the Myeloma, Lymphoma, and Cellular Therapy Program at Mary Bird Perkins, about how his team successfully launched the first fully outpatient CAR T-cell therapy program for select blood cancers in the Baton Rouge region. For other community cancer centers interested in developing a similar program, Dr. Dalovisio stressed the importance of identifying both a physician and administrative champion to navigate the process in a dyad partnership. "Less than one in five patients who meet indications [for CAR T-cell therapy] even get a referral. We can talk about how wonderful all these medicines we have are, but if they're not getting to the patients that need them, [they're] not serving [their] purpose." – Andrew Dalovisio, MD Guest: Andrew Dalovisio, MD   Director, Myeloma, Lymphoma, and Cellular Therapy Program  Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center  Baton Rouge, Louisiana Resources: ACCC 43rd National Oncology Conference 2026 ACCC Innovator Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Designing a Safe, Fully Outpatient CAR T-Cell Program in the Community CAR T-Cell Therapy Insights from the Field Rising to the Occasion: The Impact of Outpatient CAR T-Cell Therapy at the Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin Health Network  

Where a person lives in the United States significantly influences both the quality of the cancer care they receive and their treatment outcomes. With a growing mortality gap between patients living in urban and rural areas and a distinct struggle for patients in rural communities to afford their care, implementing thoughtful, targeted outreach in rural areas has never been more important. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with 2026 ACCC Innovator Award winner Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, MA, FAAN, Professor and Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at Winship Cancer Institute, about her program's Embedded Community Staff model, which provides funding to community partners that hire local individuals who are deeply familiar with their communities, their needs, and their resources. "It's a beautiful partnership. The people in the communities have the knowledge and superb expertise of their own community, and then we can provide the funding and oversight." – Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, MA, FAAN Guest: Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, MA, FAAN Professor and Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Atlanta, Georgia Resources: ACCC 43rd National Oncology Conference 2026 ACCC Innovator Winship Cancer Institute Local Staff, Lasting Impact: A New Model for Rural Cancer Prevention Primary Care Meets Cancer Prevention: Insights From Sanford World Clinic – Ghana From Fatigue to Function: Redefining Rural Cancer Care Through Exercise Oncology Shared Solutions for Rural Oncology: Insights Across the Americas  

 On top of coping with the anxiety of a cancer diagnosis and the physical effects of treatment, patients with cancer face the dual challenge of accessing and affording care. Many patients delay seeking care due to the perceived high cost, and others experience burdensome medical debt as a result of their care. In many cancer programs, financial navigators focus on obtaining financial clearance and assistance for eligible patients. However, this approach can fail to address patient distress stemming from the cost of care, insurance-related delays, and redundant work for cancer program staff. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with 2026 ACCC Innovator Award winner Cathleen Hernandez-Vita, BSN, RN, ONN-CG, Associate Director of MDAnderson Navigation Services at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, about how her team worked to address these challenges. The program developed a novel Pre-Intake Navigation (PIN) program to identify and resolve early financial and insurance barriers, enabling patients to access timely, high-quality cancer care with less anxiety and fewer delays. Hernandez-Vita shares how PIN shifts financial navigation from a late-stage, reactive task to an early, standardized, patient-centered process embedded in the call center workflow. "As organizations embrace new technologies and out-of-the-box solutions, it's important not to lose sight of the human, caring touch. Successful innovation is often about finding the right balance between efficiency and empathy." – Cathleen Hernandez-Vita, BSN, RN, ONN-CG   Guest: Cathleen Hernandez-Vita, BSN, RN, ONN-CG  Associate Director, askMDAnderson Navigation Services The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, Texas Resources: ACCC 43rd National Oncology Conference 2026 ACCC Innovator MD Anderson Cancer Center Transforming Access to Care Through Pre-Intake Navigation ACCC Financial Advocacy Network Financial Advocacy Network Resources Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Cancer Care Through Financial Navigation

Decentralized clinical Trials (DCTs) bring some or all elements of a clinical trial closer to patients. Consent, screening, treatment administration, and more can be administered through digital technologies and local health care providers, expanding accessibility for patients who face barriers to participation in traditional single site trials. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Erin Pierce, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, Associate Clinical Investigator and Nurse Practitioner at HonorHealth Research Institute, and Kristen Kipping-Johnsson, MPH, Director of Network Research Operations at the University of Chicago, about how each of their cancer programs are approaching DCT implementation. Their discussion explores how decentralized components, such as community-based treatment delivery, centralized research infrastructure, and hybrid trial designs, can increase participation opportunities for patients in both community and academic settings. Guests: Erin Pierce, MSN, APRN, FNP-C Associate Clinical Investigator Nurse Practitioner HonorHealth Research Institute Scottsdale, AZ   Kristen Kipping-Johnson, MPH Director of Network Research Operations University of Chicago Chicago, IL "APPs are really poised to step into that role [of investigator] and help, not take the place of physicians, but work alongside our physician colleagues and enable us to expand the abilities of research." —Erin Pierce, MSN, APRN, FNP-C "Quality of life, being able to keep patients treated closer to home, allow them to stay with the physician that diagnosed them...Those are the things that are really important to me when it comes to decentralization." —Kristen Kipping-Johnson, MPH Resources HonorHealth Research Institute's First Steps to Approaching Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCTs) University of Chicago's Path to Operationalizing Decentralized Phase 1 Trials Across a Regional Network ACCC's Community Oncology Research Institute White Paper: Bringing Cancer Research to the Community:  Strategic Approaches to Representative Oncology Clinical Trial Design This podcast was created in partnership with the Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance, with support from Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead Sciences, and Merck.

In this episode of Oncology Unscripted, hosts Mark Liu and Deirdre Saulet speak with Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist and Associate Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, about her decades-long passion for community outreach and engagement to bring curative cancer treatment to underserved populations. Dr. Winkfield discusses the heavy financial burden of cancer and the need for policymakers and institutions to truly care for and prioritize the health of the American people. She also emphasizes the importance of "asset mapping" for healthcare administrators to take stock of the resources at their disposal and going out into the community to speak directly with people about what needs are not being met. "Policy is important for thinking about how we move the needle forward in cancer care. But it's not just policy on the national level or at the state level; it's actually institutional policy as well. And that's where access to care becomes personal for providers...What are the things that we can do as oncologists or...healthcare administrators to really ensure that we're taking good care of the communities we say we're there for?" – Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD Guest: Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD Radiation Oncologist Associate Director Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Nashville, Tennessee To submit a topic of discussion to the podcast, please email [email protected] and [email protected].   The 2026 Oncology Unscripted series is exclusively sponsored by Advarra. Resources A Call to Reimagine Community Engagement and Equity in Cancer Shared Solutions for Rural Oncology: Insights Across the Americas Spirituality and Cultural Humility: Core Components of Comprehensive Palliative Care 2026 ACCC Innovator Award Winner: Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center