INTERVIEWS

In this interview, Dr. John Shin, Kingdon-Saylor Family Endowed Chair in Spine Neurosurgery, Director, Spine Oncology & Spinal Deformity Surgery, & Director, Mass General Spine Neurosurgery Network talks about his cervical deformity course, which addresses the indications for combined anterior and posterior approaches for deformity, and was presented at the 2022 AANS conference. 

Natalie Karabel, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was six years old shares her experience living with diabetic retinopathy, the most common diabetes-related eye disease, and her work with the American Diabetes Association on raising awareness about diabetes, blindness, and the importance of eye health.

Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults aged 18-64 years. Dr. Jessica Randolph MD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Virginia Commonwealth University discusses the risks of diabetes and diabetes-related eye disease such as diabetic retinopathy, prevention, and the importance of access to care.

Dr. David Gershenson, MD, professor of gynecologic oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX discusses ovarian cancer and a rare form called low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC). When a woman is diagnosed with LGSOC, it is often the first case their doctor has seen. This form of ovarian cancer – which affects younger women who may be young moms or never got a chance to have children – is often labeled as a “tricky opponent” by clinicians because it grows slowly and is often chem-resistant; less than half of all women survive 9 years after diagnosis. For more information and symptom checker visit www.cureourovariancancer.org

Tracy Todd, PhD, CEO of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) discusses the recently launched new Decade in Review special issue of the “Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.” This once-in-a-decade review is the journal’s fourth special issue following previous releases in 1995, 2003, and 2012. It assesses the efficacy and effectiveness of couple and family therapy by reviewing rigorous studies published over the ten-year period from 2010-2019. New to this issue is an important addition not covered in previous special issues – assessing progress and identifying areas where advances in research are needed to decrease mental health disparities among racially and ethnically diverse populations. The Journal of Marital and Family Therapy’s goal is to ensure the continued development of the science, theory, and practice of marriage and family therapy. 

Arnold Saperstein, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer at Cecelia Health in New York, discusses type 1 diabetes and the challenges children and adolescents have managing their condition.   Families, caretakers, and the patients themselves need continual education, monitoring, and access to consistent healthcare for optimal health outcomes.   Cecelia Health and UBMD Pediatrics are working together on a clinical study to increase access to healthcare for rural and underserved populations while also evaluating the financial viability of providing remote care management for children living with Type 1 diabetes.  

Alan Frost, Founder of FlavaNaturals, discusses cocoa flavanol benefits on cardiovascular health, including results from Harvard’s groundbreaking 21,400 person, 5-year controlled study of daily cocoa flavanol consumption (500mg). The study found cocoa extract supplementation reduced CVD death by 27%. FlavaNaturals performance chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder and beverages match and even exceed the cocoa flavanol levels used in Harvard’s study. 

Alan Sandler, MD, President and Head of Global Development, Oncology at Zai Lab shares insights  about Zai Lab’s growing and diversified oncology portfolio, its unique experiences from research to commercialization in both the US and China, and how the company has successfully advanced medicines through an open innovation business model that bridges expertise across both the US and China.   

Dr. Kenneth Gruber, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Endevica Bio, a company focused on a new standard of care for cancer cachexia patients, discusses cachexia, also known as wasting syndrome, why it’s so prevalent in cancer, and the challenges of treating it. He talks about the current research and what might be on the horizon. 

Dr. Nancy Holekamp, Director of Retina Services at the Pepose Vision Institute in St. Louis, MO discusses geographic atrophy (GA), the advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and a leading cause of blindness for which there is currently no treatment. She shares highlights from a recent global Geographic Atrophy Insights Survey (GAINS) of 203 adults with GA that found the condition causes a profound emotional burden and loss of independence.