Less Radical
by Stacy Wentworth, M.D.
Latest episode
Episode 5: Bureaucrats, Administrators, and Politicians
Episode 5: Bureaucrats, Administrators, and Politicians
About this podcast
Less Radical is the story of Dr. Bernie Fisher, the surgeon-scientist who not only revolutionized breast cancer treatment, but also fundamentally changed the way we understand all cancers. He was an unlikely hero-- a Jewish kid from Pittsburgh who had to make it past antisemitic quotas to get into med school. And the thanks he received for his discoveries? A performative, misguided Congressional hearing that destroyed his reputation and haunted him until his death.
Over six episodes, radiation oncologist Dr. Stacy Wentworth will take you into operating rooms, through the halls of Congress, and into the labs where breakthrough cancer treatments were not only developed, but discovered.
If you or someone you know has had breast cancer, Bernie is a part of your story-- and you’re a part of his.
cancerculture.substack.com
Episodes
- Episode 5: Bureaucrats, Administrators, and Politicians · 54 minWhen a colleague’s misconduct is discovered, Fisher is forced to resign from the NSABP and becomes the subject of a Congressional investigation. As the walls close in, Fisher…
- Episode 4: Immovable Objects and Unstoppable Forces · 38 minWe return to Washington, D.C. In the fall of 1974, the results of Bernie’s clinical trials promise to change the treatment of breast cancer forever... if only it were that easy…
- Episode 3: Microbe Hunters and Magic Bullets · 30 minIn 1958, Bernie Fisher participated in the first randomized clinical trial in patients with breast cancer. The trial was a disaster, leading most surgeons to abandon the idea of…
- Episode 2: The Knife is the Cure · 26 minAt the end of the 19th century, a New York surgeon determined that the only way to cure breast cancer was with radical surgery. For the next hundred years, millions of breast…
- The Cost of Courage · 27 minOur story begins exactly fifty years ago. On a fall weekend in late September 1974, a former dancer from Michigan and a young surgeon from Pittsburgh met just outside Washington…
- What exactly IS the NIH? And is it worth saving? · 48 minWhat IS the NIH? And is it worth saving? A conversation with a 20-year-NIH veteran and a new researcher with an uncertain future. Elizabeth Ginexi's Substack Michael Green's…
- Can One Person Change the World of Cancer? · 34 minIn a recent conversation with Dan Pfeiffer, historian Heather Cox Richardson discussed the American deification of self-reliance, represented by the loner cowboy from the 1950’s…
- When Surviving Cancer Isn't Enough · 56 minThe largest cancer meeting in North America just wrapped up. Held annually in the spring. the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting is where many big advances and…
- Vote for us in the Webby Awards! · 1 minI’m thrilled to tell you that Less Radical has received TWO nominations in the 29th annual Webby Awards: We’re up for Best Indie Podcast - Limited Run and Best Podcast…
- BONUS: What Could Be Better Than a Mammogram? · 35 minMammograms were introduced fifty years ago. Recommendations for women to have annual screening mammograms began thirty years ago. The hope was that by finding breast cancer…
- Episode 5: Bureaucrats, Administrators, and Politicians · 54 minWhen a colleague’s misconduct is discovered, Fisher is forced to resign from the NSABP and becomes the subject of a Congressional investigation. As the walls close in, Fisher…
- Episode 4: Immovable Objects and Unstoppable Forces · 38 minWe return to Washington, D.C. In the fall of 1974, the results of Bernie’s clinical trials promise to change the treatment of breast cancer forever... if only it were that easy…
- Episode 3: Microbe Hunters and Magic Bullets · 30 minIn 1958, Bernie Fisher participated in the first randomized clinical trial in patients with breast cancer. The trial was a disaster, leading most surgeons to abandon the idea of…
- BONUS: The Other Side of the Knife · 34 minFor most of history, the voices of women with breast cancer have been silent, including the daughter of an American president. Fifty years ago, they began to speak. While Bernie…
- Episode 2: The Knife is the Cure · 26 minAt the end of the 19th century, a New York surgeon determined that the only way to cure breast cancer was with radical surgery. For the next hundred years, millions of breast…
- Episode 1: Who is Bernie Fisher? · 27 minOur story begins exactly fifty years ago. On a fall weekend in late September 1974, a former dancer from Michigan and a young surgeon from Pittsburgh met just outside Washington…
- Introducing: Less Radical (coming September 25th) · 2 minIntroducing Less Radical, the true story of Dr. Bernie Fisher, the surgeon-scientist who revolutionized the way we treat breast cancer. After generations of surgeons subjecting…
