The Cancer History Project

The Cancer History Project

Cancer History Project

Episodes 51
Avg. Duration 48m
Activity Active
Apple Rating 5.0 (1)
Since Feb 2022
Latest Episode Feb 2026

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Monthly
Format
Episodic
Hosting
anchor.fm

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About This Podcast

A podcast of oral histories and interviews with the people who have shaped oncology as we know it. The Cancer History Project is an initiative by The Cancer Letter, oncology's longest-running news publication. The Cancer History Project’s archives are available online at CancerHistoryProject.com.

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Recent Episodes

Funmi Olopade on how life in Nigeria and South Side Chicago inspired her career in cancer genetics

Feb 12, 2026 40m

Olufunmilayo “Funmi” Olopade, director for the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health at the University of Chicago, credits her Nigerian upbringing for her focus on global cancer…

Bernie Lewinsky on radiation oncology giants, fifty years of progress, and the healing power of art

Jan 22, 2026 1h 7m

When Bernie Lewinsky was a young radiotherapy resident, he studied under some of the most storied names in the field. Now, over fifty years later, he marvels at how much radiation oncology has…

Michael Link on advances in pediatric oncology, his term as ASCO President—and concern for the future

Sep 22, 2025 1h 1m

To date, Michael P. Link has the unique honor of being the only pediatric oncologist to have served as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Link, who is the Lydia J. Lee Professor…

Rick and Mary Pazdur were an oncology power couple. Then Mary was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Jul 07, 2025 59m

As an oncology nurse practitioner at NCI’s Clinical Center and wife of FDA’s Richard Pazdur, Mary Pazdur knew cancer drug development inside and out. When she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she…

Melvin J. Silverstein on DCIS, breast cancer surgery, and building the first free-standing breast center

Jun 02, 2025 51m

Melvin J. Silverstein, now Medical Director of Hoag Breast Center and the Gross Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery at USC, sat down with Stacy Wentworth, radiation…

Walter Lawrence Jr. on surgical oncology, social justice, and the National Cancer Act

May 05, 2025 32m

This interview with Walter Lawrence Jr. was conducted in 2020, when Lawrence was 95 years old and director emeritus of VCU Massey Cancer Center. Lawrence died one year later, on Nov. 9, 2021.Lawrence…

S3E10 How Susan Ellenberg went from school teacher to leading biostatistician

Oct 25, 2024 45m

In this episode, Susan Ellenberg, emerita professor of biostatistics, medical ethics, and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, describes her lifelong love of…

S3E9 Latino oncology leaders discuss representation in clinical trials, translational research, and health care

Oct 11, 2024 53m

To mark Hispanic Heritage Month, in this episode, six cancer experts discuss Latino representation in clinical trials, translational research, and healthcare professions. Hispanic and Latino people…

S3E8 Lung cancer couldn’t slow down physician and athlete Lawrence Phillips

Sep 06, 2024 55m

In this episode, Lawrence Phillips, an endocrinologist at Emory Clinic, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine, and medical director of the Clinical Studies Center at the Atlanta VA…

S3E7 Christy Erickson’s cancer diagnosis led to life as a motorcyclist and strongman competitor

Jul 12, 2024 1h 1m

In this episode, stay-at-home mom Christy Erickson discusses how she went from a roundabout lung cancer diagnosis to riding a motorcycle and competing in strongman competitions. Erickson wasn’t…

S3E6 2024 Karnofsky Award winner Lillian Siu talks about her career in phase I studies, ctDNA, and her mentor’s “evil red pencil”

May 10, 2024 35m

In this episode, 2024 David Karnofsky Memorial Award winner Lillian L. Siu reviews her career developing novel therapies in the phase I setting, the evolution of her field, and her mentor’s dreaded…

S3E5 Surviving lung cancer focused Morhaf Al Achkar’s career on addressing health disparities

Apr 19, 2024 43m

Something felt wrong during one of Morhaf Al Achkar’s regular runs on the treadmill in late 2016. He started gasping for breath. “It became really hard to run,” he said. “That sudden development of…

S3E4 How “Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book” has remained the “bible” for women with breast cancer since 1990

Mar 29, 2024 30m

When Stephanie Graff was a breast oncology fellow in 2010, one of her patients brought a marked up copy of “Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book” to an appointment. “One of my patients had brought it in and…

S3E3 Weeks before death from sarcoma, Norm Coleman reflected on his career in radiation oncology, addressing health disparities

Mar 22, 2024 1h 5m

Soon after he was diagnosed with a dedifferentiated liposarcoma, C. Norman Coleman reached out to The Cancer Letter and the Cancer History Project to initiate a series of interviews about his life…

S3E2 NIH ORWH’s Vivian Pinn on being the second Black woman graduate of UVA med school

Mar 01, 2024 42m

In this conversation, Vivian Pinn speaks with Robert Winn, guest editor of The Cancer Letter and the Cancer History Project during Black History Month, about the obstacles she faced as a medical…

S3E1 Roderic Pettigrew on a career as a “physicianeer” and the early days of the MRI: “You don’t make advances without technological innovation.”

Feb 23, 2024 1h 3m

In this conversation, Roderick Pettigrew speaks with Robert Winn, guest editor of The Cancer Letter and the Cancer History Project during Black History Month, about Pettigrew’s contributions to…

S2E14 Former HHS Secretary Louis Sullivan on sinking RJR’s “Uptown,” a menthol brand for Black smokers

Jan 19, 2024 1h 11m

As part of a series as a guest editor of the Cancer History Project to commemorate the 1964 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, Alan Blum speaks with Louis Sullivan, who was Secretary of…

S2E13 Don Shopland: Writing the 1964 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health

Jan 05, 2024 1h 12m

In 1964, the Office of the Surgeon General issued a report on smoking and health that ended a debate that had raged for decades—stating that cigarettes cause lung cancer and other diseases. Sixty…

S2E12 How George Santos and Al Owens’s early Cytoxan studies led to standard-of-care therapy in BMT

Nov 10, 2023 38m

George Santos, founder of Johns Hopkins University Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, pioneered many of the innovations used in bone marrow transplantation that are relevant today—but he didn’t get…

S2E11 Judith L. Pearson on how Mary Lasker made the National Cancer Act happen

Sep 22, 2023 44m

In this episode, Judith L. Pearson, best-selling author and founder of A 2nd Act, speaks with Alexandria Carolan, associate editor with the Cancer History Project. Delving deep into Mary Lasker’s…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Cancer History Project have?

The Cancer History Project has published 51 episodes since February 2022, covering topics in Health & Fitness, Medicine.

Is The Cancer History Project still active?

The Cancer History Project is currently active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 48m.

How do I contact The Cancer History Project for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for The Cancer History Project, including email and social media links.

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