Backstage @ Upstage

HOST:Hildy Grossman CO-HOST:Jordan Rich

GUESTS: Kyle Concannon, MD, Samantha Murrell, Bianca Bye and Leah Phillips

The face of lung cancer is changing. No longer viewed simply as a “smoker’s disease” that only impacts older adults, there is a rising and concerning trend of younger adults and non-smokers being diagnosed with advanced disease.

Our guests today have so much light to shine on this issue. In this power...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUESTS: Lecia Sequist, MD and Allison Chang, MD, Ph.D.

We are building on our previous "All in the Family" episode, with Jaclyn Lo Piccolo,
MD, Ph.D., Pasi Janne, MD, Ph.D., of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Jill
Feldman from EGFR Resisters. To look deeper into how a family history of lung
cancer might increase the risk for other members, we invited ...

HOST: Hildy Grossman CO-HOST, Jordan Rich
Guests: Sachi Badola and Lauren Coye

Think you’re too young for lung cancer? Think again! This week, we’re joined by
two incredible young women who are highlighting the realities and breaking the
stigma. Our first guest, Lauren Coye, shares her grueling journey to finally being
diagnosed with lung cancer.  After being told she had recurring upper r...

HOST:  Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Sumati Ram-Mohan, Vice President of Upstage Lung Cancer

Why did singer and cabaret performer Hildy Grossman launch Upstage Lung Cancer 18
years ago? In this episode, Hildy describes how a fluke accident resulted in early detection of
her lung cancer and put her on a life-changing path. When faced with an early diagnosis, Hildy
didn...

HOST: Hildy Grossman CO-HOST, Jordan Rich

Guests: Justin Gainor, MD, Director of Targeted Immunotherapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital and David Barbie, MD, Director of the Barbie Lab at Dana Farber Cancer Institute Targeting Innate Immunity in Cancer

Lung cancer has long been one of the most complex and difficult cancers to treat. But what if we could outsmart it—not just with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, but ...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUESTS: Jessica Lin, MD., Sarah Craig, Frank Marotta

Hearing the diagnosis of Stage 4 can be devastating, but today, it is no longer the final word. More people are living with Stage 4 lung cancer than ever before, thanks to a revolution in innovative treatments, immunotherapy and precision medicine.
Join us for a profoundly moving and informative episode. Sarah Craig, 31 years old...

How a silent killer invades our homes and our genes

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUESTS: Jackie Nixon, Citizens for Radon Reduction; Jane Malone, National Policy Director Indoor Environments Association; Khadijah Mitchell, Ph.D., Temple University, School of Public Health
Your DNA is not a fixed blueprint. Dr. Khadijah Mitchell elucidates epigenetics, showing that our environment and behaviors can “flip ...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Chi Fu Jeffrey Yang. MD, Thoracic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School
For any cancer patient facing surgery, there are always questions and worries. Hildy interviews an outstanding thoracic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, Chi Fu Jeffrey yang, MD. They discuss the current trends in lung cancer surgery, particula...

From Lung Cancer Patient to Full Time Advocate

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Dusty Donaldson, Lung Cancer Patient Advocate, LiveLung Founder
At fifty-one, Dusty’s life was a whirlwind. A mother of three, she was also juggling a full-time career and graduate school when a lung cancer diagnosis stopped everything in its tracks. Her treatment included the surgical removal of two lobes of her lung and ...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Jacy Dawn Valeras, Award-winning Television Host, Producer, Podcaster and Music Business Executive

Hildy welcomes Jacy Dawn Valeras—television host, producer, music business executive, and podcaster with over 25 years of experience in the industry. Jacy shares her life-long dream of becoming a country music singer. With her father’s encouragement, family’s supp...

Voicing New Reasons for Optimism

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Maida Mangiameli, Dusty Donaldson, Misty Shields, MD, Ph.D., and Ann Steagall

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive form of lung cancer with a 5-year survival rate of just 7%, a disheartening statistic. Despite this, survivors, researchers, and the medical community are actively working to create a more hopeful future. In this powe...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUESTS: Jaclyn LoPiccolo, MD, Ph.D., Pasi Janne, MD, Ph.D., Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Jill Feldman, EGFR Resisters

Hildy opens with a powerful anecdote about an early Upstage Lung Cancer Board member whose mother, grandmother, and aunt all had lung cancer. She endured months of allergy and antibiotic treatments for a persistent cough, only for a CT scan a year later to reveal St...

A Biomarker Dialogue Between Patient and Scientist

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Marc Muskavitch, PhD, ALK+ & Zachary Rogers, PhD, Research Fellow, Koch Institute at MIT

This episode features a powerful conversation between two scientists, one now navigating life as a Stage 4 ALK+ lung cancer patient. Most lung cancer patients only learn the significance of biomarkers like ALK+, soon after their diagnosi...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Zachary Rogers, Ph.D. Postdoc at MIT | American Cancer Society Fellow

Lung cancer treatment is undergoing a revolution. In the last 15 years, we’ve transitioned from broad chemotherapy to precision medicine, targeting the specific genetic drivers of each patient’s cancer. This shift, along with the rise of immunotherapy, offers unprecedented hope. Today, we speak wit...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: James Hiter, Streak for A Cure

James and Hildy had a similar experience in having their lung cancer found by accident. James, a “streaker” who runs daily, epitomized health. So, a lung cancer diagnosis—discovered accidentally during a bout of the flu—came as a devastating shock. A routine X-ray revealed a tumor of the size of a tennis ball. This unexpecte...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Zofia Piotrowska, MD, MHS, Massachusetts General Hospital

This podcast delves deeper into the evolving understanding of the HER2 biomarker in lung cancer, twenty years after its discovery. We’re joined by Dr. Zofia Piotrowska, renowned oncologist and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital, to build on our previous discussion, “HER2 Isn’t Just About Her!&r...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: TERRI CONNERAN, Founder of KRAS Kickers
Imagine facing five recurrences of cancer in seven years. Terri Conneran did, and she turned her adversity into a powerful force for change. Terri embodies the strength of the will to defy the odds of a cancer diagnosis and emerges as a beacon of hope for lung cancer patients. Despite multiple recurrences and navigating a challenging d...

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUESTS: Carl Gay, MD, MD Anderson, Misty Shields, MD, Ph.D., Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Hildy shares her experience of losing a friend who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal system. Knowing that neuroendocrine cells are present in the lungs prompted Hildy to wonder if lung cancer drugs would possibly be viable in treating her fri...