"Isn't That Interesting?!": Breast Cancer Survivor Stories + Remarkable Research

Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, is an internationally recognized breast surgeon, breast oncology specialist, and pioneer in personalized breast cancer care. She is a Professor of Surgery and Radiology at UCSF and Director of the UCSF Breast Care Center.

Dr. Esserman is a passionate advocate for rethinking how we screen for and treat breast cancer, with a particular focus on reducing over-diagnosis and over-treatment. She has led the ground...

This week, we flipped the script!

For this special episode, our longtime friend and tremendous supporter Lora Songster steps into the interviewer’s chair to sit down with ME and hear the story behind the story of Martha Kaley and earlier.org.

Tune in to hear about my breast cancer diagnosis, the remarkable way my Chocolate Lab, Sherlock, alerted me to a lump in my breast, and the experience that ultimately inspired me to found ...

Karen S. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., is a medical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic. Her research focuses on improving outcomes for people with breast cancer, with a particular emphasis on breast cancer immunotherapy.

Dr. Anderson actively conducts clinical trials exploring new approaches to breast cancer treatment, including therapies designed to reduce the risk of recurrence after surgery, as well as targeted therapies and immunotherapies ...

Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation. -Audre Lorde poet, educator, mother of two, and breast cancer survivor

Amy VanHook is a two-time breast cancer survivor, mother of two daughters, and a high school educator with an MS in Curriculum and Instruction.

Drawing from her own experiences with breast cancer she hopes to share a deeply personal perspective on the importance of self-care, self-advocacy, and gi...

Dr. Norberto Zwirner is a leading researcher in immunology and cancer immunology, with a particular focus on tumor immunity, immunotherapy, and the role of natural killer (NK) cells in fighting cancer. He serves as a Senior Researcher with Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and leads the Laboratory of Innate Immunity Pathophysiology at IBYME.

For his earlier.org-funded research, Dr. Zwirne...

Julie Buie is the Director of Holy Trinity Day School, where she has served for the past 16 years. A native of Pinehurst, North Carolina, Julie earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master's degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She began her career teaching high school social studies before stepping away from the classroom to raise her...

Dr. Paolo Maccarini is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University School of Medicine.

His research focuses on developing innovative technologies to improve breast cancer treatment, including wearable microwave hyperthermia devices designed to treat chest wall recurrences of breast cancer.

Dr. Maccarini has ...

Dr. Miller is the retired Deputy Chief of the Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group in the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute. Today, he continues to help guide our research as a valued member of the earlier.org Medical Advisory Board.

In 1999, while serving as a Professor of Cancer Biology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Dr. Miller received one of earlier.org's earliest seed gran...

Thyroid hormone receptors (TRß and TR?) are critical for regulation of growth, development, and metabolism throughout life. TRß is also a tumor suppressor.

Research in the Carr Laboratory is focused on understanding how TRß regulates normal processes in development and counters the progression of tumors. The team is studying how TRß regulates gene expression (genome) and interacts with other nuclear proteins (epigenome) to inhibit ...

Shelby J. was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, and she remains deeply grateful that it was found early and that she took action. Her journey has given her a renewed appreciation for every moment, and she never takes a single day for granted. The experience changed her, strengthened her, and continues to teach her valuable lessons about resilience, gratitude, and the power of hope.

Today, Shelby J. uses her voice and her platfor...

Dr. Lee is board-certified in General Surgery and joined the Moffitt Cancer Center’s Comprehensive Breast Program in Tampa, Florida as an Assistant Professor in 2008. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2014. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of University Surgeons. 

In addition to her clinical interests in young breast cancer patients, she is active in clinical research,...

Amy Bullock’s mother and Leslie’s dear friend, Susan, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 40. At the time, Amy was a high school student, just beginning to understand what it meant to watch someone you love face a life-altering diagnosis.

In this episode, Amy opens up about her mother's breast cancer journey and the profound experience of losing her during her senior year of high school. Her story is both dee...

Dr. Manny Bacolod is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College - New York City (Cornell University). His research includes employing predictive approaches (primarily through integrated analyses of public genomic datasets) that can be applied to various topics in cancer.

These topics include a) prediction of molecular markers for early cancer detection b) predictive models for immune ...

This week we’re joined by Kelsey Harris. She shares her personal experiences with cancer, including the impact of her sister’s breast cancer journey and how those experiences shaped her perspective. 

Sometimes, it is fascinating how the world works. Kelsey's mother was a sorority sister of our Founder, Martha Kaley, during their time at UNC-Chapel Hill and Martha often recounts the heartbreak of watching her dear fr...

Dr. Orit Uziel is a Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine at the Cancer Biology Research Center at Tel Aviv University (Tel Aviv, Israel).  Her lab studies the role of exosomes in cell to cell communication and the potential use of exosomal cargo as biomarkers for diagnostics and follow-up of patients with cancer. In 2014, Dr. Uziel received a $40,000 grant from earlier.org entitled “Circulating hTERT mRNA inserum exosome...

Eryka Edwards is a Breast Cancer advocate, long-standing ambassador of earlier.org (since 2013), and a participant in ongoing breast cancer research initiatives with UNC Health.

What began as a personal health experience evolved into a lifelong mission of advocacy, awareness, and education. Through her voice and presence, Eryka empowers others to move beyond fear, honor their intuition, and take proactive steps in their health journ...

Dr. Vinay Gudena is a medical oncologist at Cone Health Cancer Center, specializing in breast cancer care and leading the system’s cancer research program. He serves as principal investigator for numerous clinical trials, helping bring advanced therapies to patients across the region. His dedication to research earned him national recognition through the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Leadership Development Acad...

Dr. Emanuela Grassilli is an Associate Professor of General Pathology at Universita Deglistudi Link Campus University in Rome, Italy. As an experimental oncologist her research interests focus on three main subjects:

• The study of the role of p65BTK in solid tumors and its targeting for therapeutic purposes.
• The study of the molecular mechanisms triggered by metronomic chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancers.
• The identifi...