INTERVIEWS

Dr. Huy Dang, DPM, discusses the condition of uncontrolled gout, his personal experience living with it, how it’s impacted his day-to-day life, and how it has influenced the way he treats his patients.  Uncontrolled gout can span to the blood, joint fluids, and extracellular spaces.  He explains that pain throughout the body is often connected to complications of the heart, liver, or kidneys, and a systemic burden of the disease.  However, with proper treatment patients can manage the impact of the painful, chronic condition.

Dave Fuehrer, two-time cancer survivor and CEO of GRYT Health, and returning guest Wayne Eskridge, President and CEO of the Fatty Liver Foundation discuss a new, virtual, global platform called the COVID Advocacy Exchange that is offering people around the world free access to important, health information about Covid-19, especially for those with underlying conditions.  There are 62 global patient advocacy groups involved in this effort. 

Dr. Robert Shin, Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and the Director of the Georgetown Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center discusses multiple sclerosis (MS), relapsing forms of MS (RMS), symptoms, and the new FDA approved Kesimpta® (ofatumumab), the first and only self-administered injection for the treatment of RMS. He is joined by Kerry, a patient with RMS. Kerry is not currently taking Kesimpta®.

Hawken Miller, 23, diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) at age five discusses his personal journey and how he had turned to video games as an option to stay competitive and connected as his friends advanced in sports while his disease progressed. Knowing the critical role of gaming for people living with DMD, CureDuchenne and PTC Therapeutics are hosting an inaugural virtual gaming tournament on October 10 to connect gamers and people living with DMD across the country.

Dr. Robert Vigersky, Chief Medical Officer at Medtronic Diabetes, discusses the evolution of the insulin pump, virtually training type 1 diabetics how to use an insulin pump, the recent FDA approval of the Minimed™ 770G Insulin Pump System with smartphone connectivity, and Medtronic’s recent acquisition of Companion Medical’s Smart Insulin Pen.

Returning guest, Dr. Michael Korn, Chief Medical Officer at Caris® Life Sciences discusses new data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020 from a study that supports that the treatment of certain ovarian cancer patients with KRAS-mutated epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOC) may benefit from targeted therapies designed to inhibit KRAS gene response.  He also talks about additional presentations that reveal the potential impact of precision medicine using Caris’ industry-leading technology. 

Dr. Daniel Monti, MD, Founding Director and CEO of the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health shares some simple tips for staying healthy while working from home and avoid conditions such as shattered teeth from slumping on the couch or anxiety due to over caffeinating.  He is also the author of the book “Tapestry of Health: Weaving Wellness into Your Life Through the New Science of Integrative Medicine”

Author, Jill Rosensweig, discusses her new children’s book “Bailey Bloom and the Battle of the Bug”, (July 2020) which just received the 2020 Gold Mom’s Choice Award. Parents can use this book as a resource to facilitate discussions with their children about Covid-19, both in terms of what it is and how it is affecting them. A portion of the proceeds from every sale will go to Save the Children, a non-profit organization, which is supporting schools and community programs to feed hungry bellies and minds during the pandemic. Save the Children is also delivering medical supplies and hosting training around the globe to help health care workers protect themselves.

Spiro Rombotis, President and CEO of Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, a developer of novel therapies that target various phases of cell cycle control for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases, discusses 3 programs currently in the pipeline for the treatment of various cancers; a transcriptional regulation program, a mitosis regulation program, and a DNA damage response program.

Brad Chapman, Head of Internal Operations and West Ecosystems for U.S. Neurology at UCB, Inc., and Professor Swapna Reddy, Clinical Assistant Professor at Arizona State University’sSchool for the Science of Health Care Delivery, College of HealthSolutions discuss a recent research project looking into how social determinants of Health (SDH) affect the epilepsy community.  The project is dedicated to analyzing and evaluating the potential correlation between SDH and epilepsy treatment gaps and health outcomes at a community level and how patients can be better supported in managing their disease.  To date, there has been a remarkable absence in research and information on how factors other than the quality of healthcare received can influence outcomes for epilepsy patients.