Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Drew Weissman, MD, PhD Dr. Drew Weissman, Professor of Medicine at Penn Medicine joins Dr. Turck to discuss his new COVID-19 vaccine technology and how RNA and mRNA are being used to provoke an immune response in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical Breakthroughs from Penn Medicine

Exploring the Benefits & Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine Technology

Host: Paul P. Doghramji, MD, FAAFP Guest: Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCP, FAAN, FANA The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to reconsider how we treat our patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and even the role of immunosuppression in autoimmunity. How do we decide what the best course of action is, and what does limited research available tell us about making the right treatment decision? Those are the exact questions Dr. Paul Doghramji explores with Dr. Amit Bar-Or.

Exploring the Role of Immunosuppression in Autoimmunity for MS Patients Amid COVID-19

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Kathleen E. O&#39;Neill, MD, MTR Guest: Nawar Abdul Latif, MD, MPH, MSCE Patients with uterine factor infertility, or UFI, only had two options if they wanted to achieve parenthood: using a gestational carrier or adoption. Until now. Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to talk about the opportunities of uterine transplants and key information about the UNTIL trial are lead investigators Drs. Kathleen O’Neill and Nawar Latif from Penn Medicine.

Updates in Uterine Factor Infertility: The Promise of Transplants

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCP, FAAN, FANA Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss the latest research furthering our understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis is Dr. Amit Bar-Or, Chief of the Multiple Sclerosis Division and Director for the Center of Neuroinflammation and Neurotherapeutics at Penn Medicine. Could these recent findings finally help us solve some of the unanswered questions of multiple sclerosis?

Expanding Options for the Management of Multiple Sclerosis

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Anjali Owens, MD Without any targeted therapies available for inherited cardiomyopathy, how can we treat our patients coping with its debilitating symptoms? Here to share her diagnostic and management strategies along with key data from a recent study is Dr. Anjali Owens, Medical Director at the Center for Inherited Heart Disease at Penn Medicine.

Gaining a Deeper Understanding of Inherited Cardiomyopathy

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Ari Brooks, MD It’s not uncommon to encounter barriers when screening, diagnosing, and treating breast cancer, which is why clinical trials aim to combat those barriers. Here to share with us the designs and goals of some trials currently underway—and even those that are yet to come—is Dr. Ari Brooks, Director of the Integrated Breast Center and Chief of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital.

Catching Up on Current & Future Breast Cancer Clinical Trials

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Timothy Lucas, MD, PhD With the amount of treatment options available for epilepsy, how can clinicians ensure that they’re matching patients with the most appropriate option? Dr. Timothy Lucas, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses the decision-making process along with the benefits and challenges of using the new laser ablation method to treat drug-resistant epilepsy.

Stopping Seizures: A New Treatment Approach for Epilepsy

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Emily Conant, MD While screening for breast cancer using digital mammography enables us to detect the cancer earlier when it’s more treatable, it also comes with the risk of false-positives, which cause unneeded fears, anxiety, and even costs to the healthcare system. Could digital breast tomosynthesis minimize that risk and improve cancer detection rates? Here to discuss this innovative breast imaging test with Dr. Jennifer Caudle is Dr. Emily Conant, Professor of Radiology and Division Chief of Breast Imaging at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Upgrading Breast Cancer Screening with Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: William Levin, MD To explore the complementary approaches to care that are making an impact in the oncology field, Dr. William Levin joins Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss how integrative therapy can help reduce stress and anxiety in cancer patients and their caregivers.

The Role of Integrative Therapy in Cancer Care

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Sunil Singhal, MD, FACS Even though its full potential is still being explored, TumorGlow™ seems to be lighting the way for better patient outcomes since it’s been shown to improve localization, visualization, and margins during tumor resection surgery. And here to discuss this new illuminating technology that surgeons should be on the lookout for is Dr. Sunil Singhal.

Illuminating Innovations in Tumor Resection Surgery

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Howard C. Herrmann, MD Twelve years after performing the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement, Penn Medicine continues to gain momentum in the transformation of cardiovascular transcatheter therapies. Dr. Howard Herrmann recounts the evolution in alternative technologies to improve patient safety and outcomes and the role these advancements have in shaping how we approach treatment.

Endeavors of the Heart: Leveraging Innovative Technologies for Transcatheter Therapies

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Suhail K. Kanchwala, MD Improving his patients’ post-surgical experience was Dr. Suhail Kanchwala's goal when he sought to develop a new method for autologous breast reconstruction. The result of his search has brought a new technique to the field, along with an array of benefits for patients, including reduction of post-surgical pain and opioid use.

Reinventing Autologous Breast Reconstruction to Reduce Pain & Postsurgical Opioid Use

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Jean Bennett, MD, PhD Guest: Albert Maguire, MD Power couple Drs. Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire discuss how their new therapy for the RPE65 gene, which causes retinal blindness, was recently approved by the FDA to become the first gene therapy treatment for a genetic disease in the United States and the first worldwide treatment for inherited blindness. Not only do they delve into the mechanics of the corrected gene injection, but they also explain what this milestone means for patient eligibility and how their marriage has played a role in the success of their research partnership. Dr. Jean Bennett is the F.M. Kirby Professor of Ophthalmology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Albert Maguire is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Attending Physician in the Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

FDA-Approved Gene Therapy Reverses Blindness in Children & Adults

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Comron Saifi, MD Spinal deformity places strain on the vertebrae and supporting muscles, tendons, ligaments, and tissues supporting the spinal column. The treatment and management of this condition becomes centrally important to maintain patient quality of life through functional mobility and activity levels. Host, Dr. Barry Mennen and Dr. Comron Saifi discuss the leading assessment and treatment options for spinal deformity. Dr. Saifi is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in the Division of Spine Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. 

When Your Patient Has a Spinal Deformity: Clinical Priorities

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Ronald DeMatteo, MD, FACS A Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) is a rare sarcoma that begins in the digestive tract or stomach, with an incident rate in the United States of approximately 4,000 to 6,000 cases per year. Since these tumors behave differently from other gastrointestinal cancers, they require a specialized treatment plan. Host Dr. Shira Johnson chats with Ronald DeMatteo, MD, FACS, Chair of the Department of Surgery and a surgical oncologist at Penn Medicine. They discuss the diagnosis, treatment and current clinical research of GIST. Dr. DeMatteo is a world-renowned surgical expert and researcher for the rare GIST. His research breakthroughs helped develop the new standard of care for GIST.

What to Know About a State-of-the-Art Approach to GIST Treatment

Medical Breakthroughs features the newest medical advancements in the areas of oncology, cardiology, neurosciences, orthopedics, and genetics featuring America’s leading physicians and medical researchers from Penn Medicine. In Partnership with

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Medical Breakthroughs from Penn Medicine

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