Get Real with the Chairman

Today’s podcast is in anticipation of the Brady United fundraiser on October 17th, hosted by Daveed Diggs and in conversation with Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr and DoorDash CEO Tony Xu. In this episode, Coach Kerr, Christian Heyne, Brady United’s Chief Programs and Policy Officer, and I discuss gun safety via Brady United’s ongoing mission to reduce gun violence. We explore the current state of gun safety in America, highlight the progress made, and discuss future actions that can be taken to address gun violence as a public health crisis. We also dive into generational perspectives as Sandy Hook survivors reach voting age and examine whether the gun debate is shifting towards a more neutral, solution-oriented dialogue. Tune in for an insightful conversation on what it means to be a health citizen and advocate for change. Link: to the event.

W. Kamau Bell is a celebrated comedian, writer, and social justice advocate famous for his sharp wit and brilliant commentary on the intersection of race and society. You may also know him from his Emmy Award-winning CNN series, "United Shades of America," where he explores diverse cultural perspectives across the US. His work tackles complex social and political issues, making him a prominent person in advocacy. In fact, he is a dedicated activist, using his platform to address systemic racism nationwide. Today, we’re going to focus on healthcare more broadly. He has been involved in initiatives like "THE CONVERSATION: Between Us, About Us," a campaign aimed at providing accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines to the Black community. He is unwaveringly committed to making healthcare accessible and equitable for all. Kamau has a unique ability to use his craft and talent to both challenge and inspire audiences. He is leading conversations about race, justice, and equality that will hopefully change the healthcare system and many more broken systems and the United States.

The next guest on Get Real with the Chairman is Ardy Arianpour, CEO and co-founder of SEQSTER. This leading healthcare technology company puts the patient at the center of their health data. Before SEQSTER, Ardy launched numerous clinical and consumer-based genetic tests while serving as CCO of Pathway Genomics. Additionally, he held the position of SVP of Ambry Genetics, which was sold to Konica in 2017 for $1 Billion. He’s been recognized in our industry as a Top 40 Healthcare Transformer by MM&M in 2019, San Diego Business Journal's 2019 40 under 40, COX Top Tech Awards 2021, Med Tech World Rising Star 2022, and the PharmaVOICE 100 Inspiring Leaders in Life Sciences in 2023. Seqster is breaking down health data silos at scale by creating an operating system for patient-centric real-world data accessible anytime, anywhere. They are privately held and headquartered in San Diego. I’m so excited to share his work with our listeners. 

The guests on this episode of Get Real with the Chairman are Brooks Bell and Dr. Austin Chiang. What brought them together was Colorectal Cancer. What brings me to this topic is my own experience with that diagnosis. About a decade ago, I saw a potential sign of colon cancer, which I only realized was a symptom through my work with Katie Couric. Thankfully, it was caught early through a colonoscopy and treated, but often, the signs of colon cancer are missable or far too easy to shoo away. In 2019, Brooks Bell was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer. Today, in remission, she’s worked with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Lead From Behind. You may remember them from a 2022 video where Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney recorded their first colonoscopies, leading to a 36% increase in appointments nationwide. Her next venture is Worldclass Clothing, an apparel brand designed to improve access to colon cancer research and colonoscopies in underinsured communities. Dr. Austin Chiang is a gastroenterologist known for his expertise in digestive health, endoscopy, and social media advocacy. In 2021, he became the first Chief Medical Officer of Medtronic's Endoscopy business, the world’s leading medical device company. His book, Gut: The Owner’s Guide, came out this April 2024. It’s an informative introduction to this mysterious organ we are so reliant on. The rates of colorectal cancer are rising among those in their 20s to 40s and declining in those over 65. Today, we’ll learn how Brooks and Austin are working to change that reality. I’m thrilled they could take time out of their schedules to chat with me on Get Real With The Chairman!

On this week’s episode, our 7th, of Get Real With The Chairman, were honored to speak with Carla Tardif, CEO of Family Reach and Iron Chef Ming Tsai, founder of MingsBings, TV host, restaurateur, and active board member at Family Reach.. Family Reach a non profit that provides financial assistance to families facing cancer by covering costs such as rent, mortgage, utilities, and transportation. They’re committed to building a healthcare system where no family has to choose between health and home. Carla is a two-time breast cancer survivor, and member of the White House Cancer Moonshot. Under her leadership, Family Reach has grown its network from five east coast hospital partnerships to more than 1,000 top-tier partnerships nationwide. She is committed to building a healthcare system where no family facing cancer has to choose between rent, copays, medication or groceries. Iron Chef Ming Tsai has raised over $11 million for the organization to date and is the host of their signature event, Cooking Live. He uses his national platform to promote the healing power of food. In the US, 1 in 3 families can’t afford their basic needs during cancer treatment. Family Reach is here to help. They’re looking for partnerships, too. We’re honored to share their impactful work. Please tune into this meaningful episode and visit their website to learn more.

Our guest for our sixth episode is the formidable Kathy Giusti, Co-Founder and CEO of The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, also known as The MMRF. In this conversation, we’re discussing her debut book, “Fatal to Fearless: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System.”  Kathy has been in remission from Multiple Myeloma, a devastating blood cancer affecting the plasma cells in bone marrow, for nearly three decades. In 1998, she co-founded The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, a nonprofit accelerating the development of innovative treatments for this cancer. The MMRF single-handedly changed the paradigm for those diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. As of today, they’ve raised half a billion dollars for the disease.  Fatal to Fearless is a tour de force guide to approaching a cancer diagnosis with tools, takeaways, and anecdotes.Please purchase her book for yourself and for anyone you know who has been impacted by cancer, which statistically speaking is one in every two people…that’s all of us! And don’t forget to rate it, too! It’s an honor to have her as our next guest on Get Real with the Chairman.  Purchase her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Fearless-Beating-Cancer-Medical/dp/0063282178

In this episode, you'll meet Dr. Laura Esserman and Dr. Steve Birrell, who are collaborating to change the breast cancer treatment paradigm. This topic is more relevant than ever, given recent developments in the world of celebrities and influencers, such as Olivia Munn, who announced she had a double mastectomy for Luminal B breast cancer. Dr. Esserman is a force of nature in breast cancer. Since 1993, she’s worked at UCSF as a surgeon and oncology specialist, and co-lead of their Breast Oncology Program. She’s gained an audience by publishing over 400 peer-reviewed articles and appearing in mainstream news, such as the New York Times, where she published a provocative editorial this summer on whether Ductal Carcinoma in SITU should still be called cancer. In 2016, she was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential. She was also a member of President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Esserman is the Principal Investigator of the I-SPY TRIAL group with the incomparable Dr. Steve Birrell, Founder of HAVAH Therapeutics, based in Adelaide, Australia. Havah is developing a potentially revolutionary testosterone-based approach to the treatment of breast cancer. Dr. Birrell’s three-decade career in cancer spans many roles. He’s a specialist, surgeon, medical innovator, and one of the most published molecular oncologists. The two of them are collaborating on an I-SPY trial reevaluating the treatment of DCIS. Tune in as we’ll talk about the context and rationale for this trial and the science as we learn about them and how their passions outside of their research fuel their commitment to innovation. 

Mary Stutts is the CEO of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association, also known as HBA. HBA is a global nonprofit dedicated to advancing women's impact and involvement in the healthcare industries at large. Mary has had an extensive and diverse career in healthcare. She’s worked in leadership positions at Genentech, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sumitovant, UnitedHealth Group, Kaiser Permanente, Stanford Health Care, and Comcast NBC-Universal. Before joining HBA, she served as Chief Global Health Equity and Inclusion Officer for our company, Real Chemistry. Mary is a perfect match for her role as CEO of HBA. HBA provides a platform for women in healthcare to elevate their careers through developing diverse professional networks. They are laser-focused on community growth with myriad opportunities for women to connect and support each other in their careers. They also have a robust professional development arm with programs, events, and resources for women in health, including mentorship, leadership development, advocacy, and skill-building workshops. 

Dr. Karen Knudsen currently serves as the CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. She’s also an internationally recognized oncology leader, guided by the goal of improving the lives of cancer patients and their families. She served as tenured faculty at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine prior to recruitment to Thomas Jefferson University in 2007. Before her role as the CEO at ACS, she was the Executive Vice President of Oncology Services for Jefferson Health and Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, one of the elite National Cancer Institute’s NCI-Designated Cancer Centers in the US. Dr. Knudsen is well-known for her discoveries in prostate cancer, advancing our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this common diagnosis and paving the way for targeted therapies. She’s also known for her advocacy work, emphasizing cancer prevention, early detection, research funding, and new treatments. In addition to being CEO of the American Cancer Society, she serves on the board of advisors for the National Cancer Institute and on twelve external advisory boards for NCI-Designated Cancer Centers.

Dr. Reed Tuckson's career includes pivotal roles as the Commissioner of Public Health for the District of Columbia during the HIV/AIDS crisis and as the Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs for UnitedHealth Group. His advocacy has been instrumental in addressing disparities and advocating for equitable healthcare access. He serves as a committee member of the Coalition for Trust in Health and Science, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to fostering trust in healthcare and scientific endeavors. He is also the Managing Director of Tuckson Health Connections, where he is pioneering data-driven solutions to shift healthcare delivery, enhance patient outcomes, and streamline systems. His dedication to public health serves as a guiding light in striving toward a healthier future for all. As a graduate of Howard University, he is on the board of visitors for the College of Arts and Sciences to pave new pathways for future liberal arts students. In this episode, he and Jim address critical issues such as championing individuals with sickle cell disease and advocating for improved healthcare in Black communities. Reed is concerned with increasing American trust in healthcare and decreasing tribalism, which keeps Americans apart, not together. When he's not changing healthcare, Reed is also a sage, so be prepared to learn about the writers and poets he reads daily, Rumi included. 

Sung Poblete serves as the CEO of FARE, an acronym for Food Allergy Research and Education. FARE is a non-profit dedicated to funding research, advancing treatment options, and raising awareness about the serious public health impact of food allergies. In this episode, you'll learn why food allergies affect over 30 million Americans and why they haven't received the attention they deserve as a tier-one health issue. Our aim is to support FARE in changing this reality. Despite being the largest food allergy-focused organization in the United States, FARE is relatively young at just 11 years old and relies on support from donors, sponsors, and allies to expand its efforts.   In this episode, Sung and Jim discuss the genetic origins of allergies and how they manifest, as well as the continued reliance on EpiPens as the primary treatment for anaphylaxis despite the rising prevalence of life-threatening food allergies, affecting approximately 1 in 13 children. The cost of EpiPens, around $1400 per year, poses a significant financial burden for the 44 million Americans who require them. Poblete emphasizes the need to make giving to FARE's cause appealing and stresses the importance of funding for discovery and translational research to provide treatment options while scientists work towards a cure. As a Real Health Citizen, her insights are invaluable, and we're honored to have her on Get Real with the Chairman.