England and Ikea have a lot in common...

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On the show today I speak with Mel Mann, the longest living person who participated in the clinical trial for Gleevec. When Mel Mann was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia at age 37 in 1995, he was told he had three years to live. But he’s here some 26 years later and still going strong. Mel served as a major in the U.S. Army.  He kickstarted blood marrow drives all across the country. He started running marathons to raise money for cancer research. He went back to school to become a high school English teacher. And now Mel serves as a cancer advocate and patient activist. He's here to talk about his epic journey.

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Trudeau, the calming magic of stroking sheep, and Super Bowl lunacy.

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On the show today, I speak with Alan Russell, Vice President of Research at Amgen. He’s got a long list of esteemed creds: He previously served as the Highmark Distinguished Career Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Disruptive Health Technology Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the Founding Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He received the U.S. Army’s Greatest Invention Award, three Carnegie Awards for Excellence, and Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Dr. Russell #32 on the “Top 100 People Who Will Change America” list. Despite being a baller of the highest order, Alan Russell talks about the importance of humility, starting his career on the factory floor, and how to master serendipity. He’s not great at doing a southern accent but he has practically mastered everything else. Enjoy the show!

For more information, visit https://OffScrip.com and follow @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripHealth on Twitter. 

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Got orange sauce?

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Today I talk to patient advocate, digital health influencer, and podcasting maven Grace Vinton. She hosts HITeaWithGrace on the HIT Like a Girl podcast, which celebrates women leaders in healthcare and health IT. She’s the smartest person in the room at any given time and she’s here to let us in on how the sausage gets made in the medical tech world. 

Follow Grace @HITeaWithGrace on Twitter. 

For more information, visit https://OffScrip.com and follow @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripHealth on Twitter. 

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I talk to David and Robin Dubin, founders of the cancer advocacy organization AliveAndKickn, about Biden's new Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to reduce cancer deaths by half over the next 25 years.

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Be well, John Spartan...

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Gil Bashe, the Nostradamus of healthcare (says Matthew), predicted the rise of digital health in 2000 with his book Branding Health Services: Defining Yourself in the Marketplace. In addition to being an ordained rabbi and former combat medic, Gil is a patient advocate, a champion of health innovation, and a promoter of human compassion. He currently serves as the Chair of Global Health at Finn Partners, a marketing agency, where he advocates for brands that improve the lives and health of their communities. Gil talks about the need to put more care into healthcare, the importance of being present, and books that are at his bedside.

For more information, visit https://OffScrip.com and follow @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripHealth on Twitter. 

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You’d have to CBD it to believe it…

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Today I talk to Michael Buller, the Senior Director of Content and Creative Services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He’s a ten-year cancer survivor, a SUNY alum, writer, editor, and media producer. And Michael oversees Dana Farber’s amazing new podcast Unraveled about the mysteries of the science of cancer. He talks about the show and the importance of speaking human to patients.

For more information, visit https://OffScrip.com and follow @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripHealth on Twitter. 

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Find out why you shouldn't kiss your chinchillas.

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Today I talk to author and addiction physician Carl Erik Fisher. Carl is an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, where he works in the Division of Law, Ethics, and Psychiatry. He also maintains a private psychiatry practice focusing on complementary and integrative approaches to treating addiction. He is the author of a new book – The Urge: Our History of Addiction, which is out now on Penguin Press. He is the host of the amazing podcast “Flourishing After Addiction.” And last but not least, Carl Erik Fisher is a recovering high school marching band geek. 

Find out more about Carl’s book and podcast at carlerikfisher.com. For more information on us, visit https://OffScrip.com and follow @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripHealth on Twitter. 

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In this episode of Vax On, Matthew Zachary and Elura Nanos discuss the Supreme Court’s COVID-19 precautions during Tuesday’s oral arguments. They also discuss a nationwide COVID-19 testing shortage and NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ questionable remarks about the city’s workforce.

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Today I talk to Kasey Altman, an intrepid 25-year-old living with late-stage cancer. Before her diagnosis, Kasey landed her dream job working as an Account Executive for Google. She crisscrossed the country. She was an athlete with an active fitstagram. Then in October 2020, at age 24, Kasey was diagnosed with a rare cancer - stage IV pediatric soft tissue sarcoma, fusion positive alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Since then, Kasey started her own podcast, Reroute, about life’s unexpected detours. She launched a hackathon to help develop a cure for her type of cancer. And she’s now roadtripping across the U.S. enrolling in different clinical trials. She’s wise beyond her years and has an infectious laugh and lust for life. 

Follow Kasey on Instagram @kasey.altman. For more information on us, visit https://OffScrip.com and follow @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripHealth on Twitter. 

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Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes from 2021 featuring Glen DeVries, Co-CEO at Medidata, the most used platform for clinical trials worldwide. Tragically, Glen died in a plane crash in November. We remember him for his great work, including his book, "The Patient Equation: The Precision Medicine Revolution in the Age of COVID-19." Glen was unique in the annals of woke brainiacs who lived in the hyper multi-syllable world of science, data, and related semantic geekery AND YET he was hyperaware that average Jane's and Joe's like you and me prefer to actually understand the words emanating from the mouths of "science people" that may or may not be critical in helping us make life-altering medical decisions. Enjoy our conversation about Moore's Law and how it applies to the intersection of biology and technology, how we might need to reframe the concept of an impending robot apocalypse, and whether HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey could be our future gatekeeper to a clinical trial.

More on Metadata at medidata.com. More on us at OffScrip.com and @MZOutofPatients, @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripMedia on Twitter. 

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Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes from 2021 featuring Michele Rhee, young adult cancer survivor of thyroid cancer, whose ordeal left her having over a dozen major surgeries, including open-heart surgery for a related underlying rare disease. Michele received both her MBA and MPH in three years and, because she’s such an underachiever, went on to pursue a storied career representing the voice of the patient at every company she’s worked for including The National Brain Tumor Society, Takeda Oncology, Bluebird Bio, and now as the VP of Patient Affairs at X4 Pharma. She’s also traversed all seven continents in a quest to find herself, make sense of the madness, and live her life on her terms. 

For more information on us, visit https://OffScrip.com and follow @MZOutofPatients, @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripMedia on Twitter. 

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As 2021 draws to a close, we reflect on important moments in patient advocacy, listenership growth, and new additions to our OffScrip family. Thank you for listening! We'll see you in 2022 with lots of new and exciting content. Excelsior!

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Today I talk to writer, influencer, and breast cancer survivor extraordinaire, Megan-Claire Chase. When Megan-Claire got her cancer diagnosis in 2015, her life took a big left turn. Her health and her future were suddenly thrown off course. But Megan-Claire also learned new things about herself. She discovered her knack for writing when she began documenting her cancer journey. Her blog, Life on the Cancer Train, became a runaway success, and Warrior Megsie, Megan-Claire’s online persona, was born! She has since written for Cancer Health magazine, co-authored an academic paper, and has been featured in The New York Times and People magazine. What’s next, a one-woman show? 

Follow her on Twitter @warriormegsie. And for information on us, visit https://OffScrip.com and follow @MatthewZachary, @VaxOnPod, and @OffScripHealth on Twitter.

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In this episode of Vax On, Matthew Zachary and Elura Nanos get ready for another holiday season with Covid in everyone’s vision. They talk about school woes, cruise ship outbreaks, and toxic influencers. They also discuss the latest Sermo poll!

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