Bringing Clinical Trials Closer to Patients

Your Best Meeting Ever with Rebecca Hinds, PhD

Season 10, Episode 11: Your Best Meeting Ever with Rebecca Hinds, PhD In this episode, we welcome Rebecca Hinds, PhD, to discuss her new book, Your Best Meeting Ever, and how teams can rethink the role of meetings in today’s evolving workplace. Drawing on her background in organizational behavior and research at Asana and Glean, Rebecca shares how meetings can be treated as products—designed with intention, structure, and purpose. The conversation explores practical strategies for busy, multidisciplinary oncology teams, including how to embrace meeting minimalism, create stronger starts, and ensure every participant is an active stakeholder rather than a passive attendee. Rebecca also introduces the concept of calm technology and discusses how AI can support more effective, focused collaboration across healthcare teams. Learn more about Rebecca and her work at: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/ [https://www.rebeccahinds.com/] This episode offers actionable insights to help oncology professionals streamline communication, improve team engagement, and make meetings more meaningful in delivering patient-centered care.

Clearing the Fog: A Clinical Look at Chemo Brain

Season 10, Episode 10: Clearing the Fog: A Clinical Look at Chemo Brain with Jorg Dietrich, MD, PhD Cognitive changes during cancer treatment, often called “chemo brain,” can significantly impact a patient’s quality of life. In this episode, Jorg Dietrich, MD, PhD, Clinical Director of the Cancer & Neurotoxicity Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, shares his expertise on the neurologic effects of cancer therapies. Dr. Dietrich discusses the biology behind treatment-related cognitive changes, including the impact of chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy on the brain’s cellular environment. He provides insight into how these symptoms present in clinical practice and how they can vary across patients. The conversation also focuses on practical strategies for the multidisciplinary oncology team. From early recognition and patient education to supportive care approaches, this episode highlights how pharmacists, providers, and the broader care team can work together to address cognitive side effects and improve patient outcomes. Dr. Dietrich brings a unique perspective through his leadership in cancer neuroscience and brain repair research, with over 200 publications advancing the understanding of neurotoxicity and recovery in cancer care. This episode offers valuable insight for oncology professionals looking to better support patients experiencing cognitive changes throughout their treatment journey.

Bringing Clinical Trials Closer to Patients

In this episode of The PQI Podcast, John Burke, MD (Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers), shares his perspective on bringing clinical trials into the community oncology setting—where most patients are treated, but research isn’t always built in. He walks through why expanding research beyond academic centers matters, especially when it comes to improving access, increasing diversity in trial participation, and ensuring results better reflect real-world care. Dr. Burke also gets into what it takes to build and sustain a research program in practice, including the time, staffing, and infrastructure required, as well as the day-to-day challenges of patient eligibility, scheduling, and trial logistics. He also touches on common barriers, from time commitment and travel to patient trust. The conversation offers a grounded look at how practices are working through these challenges, along with the role of multidisciplinary care—physicians, APPs, nurses, pharmacists, and research staff—in supporting and sustaining these programs over time.

TheOncDoc on AI: What Actually Matters for Oncology Teams

Artificial intelligence is rapidly shaping the future of oncology, but for many clinicians, the question remains: how can it be applied in a meaningful and practical way? In this episode, we are joined by Sanjay Juneja, MD,  Vice President of AI and Medical Informatics at Tempus AI and a practicing hematologist and medical oncologist, to explore the evolving role of AI in oncology care. Known to many as “TheOncDoc,” Dr. Juneja has built a global platform dedicated to translating complex AI and oncology topics into accessible, actionable insights for healthcare professionals. Together, we discuss how AI is currently being used across oncology practices and where it is already making an impact. Dr. Juneja shares how AI can be thoughtfully integrated into clinical workflows across the multidisciplinary care team without adding burden, along with ways it can enhance patient education and support in an increasingly complex treatment landscape. He also addresses common misconceptions and myths surrounding AI in healthcare, offers perspective on where the field is headed, and provides practical, actionable tips for clinicians looking to get started or build upon their use of AI in everyday practice. This conversation offers a thoughtful and approachable look at how innovation and patient-centered care can come together to shape the future of oncology.

Scaling Hope: The Future of Cell Therapy Access

Season 10, Episode 7: Scaling Hope: The Future of Cell Therapy Access   In this episode of the PQI Podcast, Fabian Gerlinghaus, Co-founder and CEO of Cellares, shares insights into the evolving landscape of cell therapy manufacturing and its impact on patient access. Fabian discusses his background as an aerospace engineer turned biotech innovator and the inspiration behind founding Cellares, a company focused on transforming how cell therapies are developed and manufactured. The conversation walks through how CAR T therapies are created, from cell collection to reinfusion, and highlights the operational and logistical challenges that continue to limit scalability and access today. A central theme is the complexity of current manufacturing processes, many of which remain highly manual, contributing to delays, variability, and cost. Fabian shares how automation and new manufacturing models, including the Cell Shuttle platform, aim to address these barriers by improving consistency, reducing turnaround times, and supporting broader access to these therapies. The discussion also connects these advancements back to the oncology care team, exploring what more efficient manufacturing could mean in practice for pharmacists, nurses, physicians, and ultimately, for patients waiting on therapy. Looking ahead, the episode offers a forward-thinking perspective on how cell therapy may evolve over the next five years, with a focus on scalability, innovation, and the opportunity to reach more patients in need.