Chasing Cancer
Groundbreaking new treatments intercepting cancer at stage one. Cancer mortality rates dropping steadily across the United States. Yet a cure for cancer still seems well beyond our grasp. With evidence that up to 50% of cancers are actually preventable, renewed attention has been paid to how environmental and individual lifestyle factors may be the key to significantly reducing the risk of developing cancer.
On Oct. 17, The Washington Post hosted “Chasing Cancer,” a live event featuring nation’s most influential cancer warriors, trailblazers and advocates.
Report from the Frontline
Three influential cancer trailblazers who are on the front lines of the war against the disease discuss the most pressing issues affecting patients from innovative new treatments to drug policy to advancements in early detection and prevention.
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Acting Director, National Cancer Institute
Douglas R. Lowy, M.D., was officially named the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) acting director in April 2019. He also served as acting director between April 2015 and October 2017. Prior to these appointments, Dr. Lowy has held the NCI deputy director position since July 2010, helping to lead NCI’s key scientific initiatives. Dr. Lowy received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine at Stanford University and dermatology at Yale University. His research interests include the biology of papillomaviruses and the regulation of normal and neoplastic cell growth. The papillomavirus research is carried out in close collaboration with Dr. John Schiller, with whom he has coauthored more than 150 papers over the past 30 years.

Chairperson and Founder, Friends of Cancer Research
Ellen V. Sigal, PhD, is Chairperson and Founder of Friends of Cancer Research (Friends). Friends is an advocacy organization based in Washington, DC that drives collaboration among partners from every healthcare sector to power advances in science, policy, and regulation that speed life-saving treatments to patients. For more than two decades, Friends has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of policies ensuring patients receive the best treatments in the fastest and safest way possible. Dr. Sigal is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Reagan-Udall Foundation, a partnership designed to modernize medical product development, accelerate innovation and enhance product safety in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She serves on the Board of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, where she chairs its Public Private Partnerships Committee.

Director, Oncology Center of Excellence, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Richard Pazdur, M.D. is the director of the FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), which leverages the combined skills of the FDA's regulatory scientists and reviewers with expertise in drugs, biologics and devices to expedite the development of novel cancer products. In his role as director of the OCE, Pazdur is responsible for leading the effort to develop and execute an integrated regulatory approach to enhance the cross-center coordination of oncology product clinical review.

The Washington Post
Prevention is Possible
With evidence that up to 50% of cancers are actually preventable, renewed attention has been paid to how lifestyle factors such as nutrition, physical activity and early screenings may be the key to significantly reducing the risk of developing cancer. Two renowned medical experts discuss how patients can be more autonomous with their health and possibly prevent disease before it occurs.
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Primary Care Physician/YouTube Star and Influencer
Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, commonly known as "Doctor Mike" to a massive audience of over 8 million social media subscribers, is a physician, media personality, writer, and philanthropist with a purpose. Leveraging his media presence, he educates on the importance of health literacy and battles misinformation with an entertaining and common sense approach. Between his wildly popular YouTube channel (300 million views) and recurring appearances on network TV programs like GMA, Live W/ Kelly & Ryan, Rachael Ray, and The Doctors he makes medicine relatable, enjoyable, and practical. As a family medicine specialist, Doctor Mike is uniquely equipped to cover a variety of health topics and discuss the complete patient experience as often he is the first and last point of contact for those with an extensive range of conditions.

Full Member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Research Professor at the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Public Health
Anne McTiernan, MD, PhD is a Full Member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA, and Research Professor at the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Her research focuses on exercise, diet, obesity, and risk for cancer development and prognosis. She was Principal Investigator of the U.S. National Cancer Institute-funded Seattle Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer program that investigated mechanisms linking obesity and sedentary lifestyles with cancer. She has received research funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Susan G. Komen, and other organizations. She is an elected Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine and the Obesity Society.

The Washington Post
Imagining Hope
In 2013, Grammy Award-winning rock band Imagine Dragons co-founded the Tyler Robinson Foundation to honor the legacy of a young fan who died from a rare form of cancer. Hear the Dragons talk about the meaningful work they do with the foundation in helping children and their families deal with the many unseen emotional and financial costs of pediatric cancer.
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Dan Reynolds- Lead Vocalist; Wayne Sermon- Lead Guitarist; Ben McKee-Bassist; Daniel Platzman- Drummer
Formed in 2009, Imagine Dragons first revealed their limitless passion and genre-bending sensibilities with a series of independently released EPs that quickly earned a grassroots following. After hitmaking producer Alex Da Kid signed them to Interscope Records, the band made their major-label debut with Continued Silence, a 2012 EP featuring the double-platinum breakthrough single “It's Time.” The band recently released their fourth album, ORIGINS. The album includes the #1 single "Natural," which spent nine weeks at No. 1 at alternative radio. IMAGINE DRAGONS founded The Tyler Robinson Foundation in 2013 benefitting and advocating for children who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families. The mission of the foundation is to strengthen families financially and emotionally as they cope with the tragedy of a pediatric cancer diagnosis by offsetting out-of-pocket expenses. Tyler Robinson was a superfan and friend of the Dragons who passed away from a rare form of cancer in 2013.

The Washington Post
Content from AstraZeneca
Precision, Prevention & Intervention
Three national advocates share their unique perspectives on oncology precision medicine, emphasizing how we can come together as a community to help ensure that the right patients receive the right treatments at the right time.


Senior Vice President, Public Policy at Personalized Medicine Coalition

President and CEO at LUNGevity Foundation

Vice President, Policy at Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
