Strong. Healthy. Empowered.
In this episode of the SHE MD podcast, Kristen Dahlgren and Dr. Kiran Dhillon join us to discuss groundbreaking vaccines being developed to prevent and treat breast cancer. Did you know that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime? The first vaccines being developed are targeting the most aggressive forms of the disease, offering hope to those who need it now. Kristen and Dr. Dhillon share their involvement with the Cancer Vaccine Coalition and highlight the progress in targeting aggressive cancers such as ductal, lobular, and inflammatory breast cancers. They explain the challenges of funding these life-saving vaccines, the importance of early detection, and the role of personalized medicine. Tune in to learn about current clinical trials, how vaccines stop cancer recurrence, and how listeners can support this vital research.
Visit the Cancer Vaccine Coalition website.
Dr. Kiran Dhillon is the Executive Director of the UW Medicine Cancer Vaccine Institute. She received her PhD in Genetics from the University of Washington and then did her postdoctoral training at Fred Hutch where she studied why breast and ovarian cancer patients stop responding to chemotherapy. At the Cancer Vaccine Institute, she directs the overall strategic program goals, philanthropic relations, and overall administration to accelerate the development of therapeutic and preventative cancer vaccines for some of the most common and deadly cancers. Dr. Dhillon’s dedication to ending cancer is not just a professional pursuit but a personal one as she is a survivor of breast cancer herself.
Kristen Dahlgren is an award winning journalist turned Breast Cancer advocate and founder of the nonprofit Cancer Vaccine Coalition. For the first 30 years of her career, Kristen traveled the world, documenting some of the biggest news stories of our time. She reported for NBC Nightly News and NBC's Today show, was nominated for an Emmy award for leading the network's coverage of the Parkland School shooting, served as a backup anchor for Lester Holt, and won an Edward R. Murrow award for her feature reporting. In 2019, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and immediately decided to share her story to help other women to recognize the different ways their own cancers could present. Through her reporting, Kristen also learned about the research that was happening on Breast Cancer vaccines. After a conversation with UW Cancer Vaccine Institute's Dr. Nora Disis, Kristen realized that vaccines for breast cancer were no longer a "Pie in the sky" idea but something that was close and achievable. She couldn't stand by and watch anyone else suffer. CVC is partnered with the nation’s top vaccine and cancer researchers with a goal of getting a safe, effective breast cancer vaccine to market in 5 to 10 years. CVC has one mission: to move science forward faster. To do so, CVC works to fund trials, streamline the process, remove barriers to success and ensure ALL breast cancer patients are represented in trials.
Key Takeaways:
In This Episode:
Quotes:
“It was an easy pregnancy until it wasn't. I'm excited to be here with you today just because now that I have my child, I feel like people don't talk about all the things that go wrong after you give birth that are so hard. So, I'm excited to be here to talk to you about that and make people feel less alone.” Sofia Grainge
“With all my previous relationships, I found myself changing to be the right person for that person. And with Elliot, I knew he was the one because I could be 100% myself, and he loved it. He magnifies me as a person rather than trying to change me as a person. And same with him. We're such big personalities, both of us, and we both are each other's cheerleaders. There's nothing about each other we want to change. We're completely, and authentically ourselves.” Sofia Grainge
Resources:
Cancer Vaccine Coalition DONATE - Website
Cancer Vaccine Institute Trials- Website
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