How This Is Building Me, hosted by world-renowned oncologist D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, is a podcast focused on the highs and lows, ups and downs of all those involved with cancer, cancer medicine, and cancer science across the full spectrum of life's experiences.

In this episode, Dr Camidge sat down with Laura A. Petrillo, MD, a palliative care physician-investigator in the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Drs Camidge and Petrillo discussed Dr Petrillo's evolution from a creative, science-curious student into a leader in palliative care research at the intersection of supportive care and cancer survivorship. Raised in New Jersey in a family of scientists, Petrillo initially considered medical illustration and science journalism before a research coordinator role at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) drew her toward clinical research. She completed medical school, residency, and fellowship training at UCSF, where formative encounters with patients revealed that early, sensitive communication could fundamentally reshape a patient's experience.

Petrillo credited the crystallization of her career path to a landmark early palliative care trial, which prompted her move to Boston to further her training. She reflected candidly on navigating academic culture, advocating that pauses in career productivity due to caregiving should be acknowledged, rather than hidden.

Petrillo explained how modern therapies, including targeted agents, checkpoint inhibitors, and CAR T-cell therapy, have transformed the patient experience, introducing prolonged survival, profound uncertainty, and new challenges, such as tapering opioids after disease control. She highlighted the POISE study (NCT04900935), which blends palliative care with survivorship, emphasizing the importance of lifestyle medicine and future preparation.

Petrillo also shared nuanced views on medical aid in dying, framing it against inequities in end-of-life care access. She concluded by reflecting on her reliance on running and research, as well as spotlighting her mission to expand patient access to high-quality supportive care.

How This Is Building Me, hosted by world-renowned oncologist D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, is a podcast focused on the highs and lows, ups and downs of all those involved with cancer, cancer medicine, and cancer science across the full spectrum of life’s experiences.

In this episode, Dr Camidge sat down with Funda Meric-Bernstam, MD, the department chair and Endowed Nellie B. Connally Chair in Breast Cancer, in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, medical director of the Khalifa Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy, and a professor of breast surgical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; as well as a regular member of Cancer Biology at the University of Texas Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Drs Camidge and Meric-Bernstam discussed Dr Meric-Bernstam's evolution from a science-focused student into a leader in precision oncology and early-phase drug development. Dr Meric-Bernstam was raised in a hybrid fashion between the US and Turkey, attending a science-focused boarding school before beginning medical school in Turkey and ultimately restarting her medical education at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Drawn to both the immediacy of surgery and the questions of basic science, she pursued a surgical residency with built-in research time, spending 2 years at the National Institute of Health studying translational regulation, an experience she credited with making her fearless in tackling the unfamiliar.

In this discussion, Dr Meric-Bernstam offered a candid look at building a career without a clear roadmap. She emphasized that clinician-investigators must work hard, arguing that a meaningful clinical presence sharpens translational research by revealing patients' true unmet needs. Her work spanning cell signaling, mTOR biology, window-of-opportunity trials, and genomic testing led her to direct MD Anderson's personalized cancer therapy efforts and grow its phase 1 program.

Beyond administration, Meric-Bernstam reflected on lessons from the lab, including a year of lost data that taught her to scrutinize primary results at every step, and her conviction in patient-derived models and co-clinical trials. Ultimately, Dr Meric-Bernstam described a transformational moment in oncology, where AI, comprehensive profiling, and newly druggable targets will reshape combination therapy. She concluded by reaffirming her mission to improve cancer outcomes, calling it the best job in the world.

How This Is Building Me, hosted by world-renowned oncologist D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, is a podcast focused on the highs and lows, ups and downs of all those involved with cancer, cancer medicine, and cancer science across the full spectrum of life’s experiences.

In this episode, Dr Camidge sat down with Mary (Nora) L. Disis, MD, a professor in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; as well as a professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, an adjunct professor of pathology in obstetrics and gynecology, holder of the Helen B. Slonaker Endowed Professorship for Cancer Research, director of the Cancer Vaccine Institute, and associate dean for Translational Health Science at the School of Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Drs Camidge and Disis discussed Dr Disis’s evolution from a science-focused student to a global leader in cancer immunology. Raised in a family that prioritized education, Disis found her passion for chemistry as a young adult before pursuing an MD and a master’s degree. Although deeply drawn to practicing medicine in rural communities, she ultimately chose to focus on the field of tumor immunology.

In the discussion, Disis offered a candid look at the strategic discipline required to succeed as a clinician-scientist. She emphasized the importance of protecting research time and refusing to let clinical duties overshadow her lab work. Her pioneering research involved identifying HER2 as a tumor antigen and developing vaccines that demonstrated significant long-term survival through intermolecular epitope spreading.

Beyond the lab, Disis highlighted how her editorial roles allow her to observe scientific trends and maintain a broad understanding of the clinical landscape. Ultimately, Disis emphasized that the path to cancer prevention and vaccine licensing requires finance, focus, fortitude, and fearlessness. Having witnessed immunotherapy become a standard of care, she remains dedicated to climbing the mountain of vaccine development. By sifting through scientific “buzz” and maintaining deep focus, Disis believes the next frontier of cancer research lies in immunizing individuals to prevent cancer from ever developing.