Shows
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentPERSEVERANCE, CREATIVITY, AND TEAMWORK “WHERE IT’S HAPPENING”With a background in colorectal surgery and health informatics, as well as a passion for promoting prevention within the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. Elliot Aroniadis accomplished something unprecedented. At the Twin Cities Pride Event in 2023, his group, Save The Bottoms, provided on-site self-screening for anal pre-cancer and cancer. A few days later, his presentation about the success of this event at Grand Rounds impressed his professional community. This led to a collaboration with the Masonic Cancer Center, the University of Minnesota, and The Randy Shaver Research and Community Fund. A team builder and innovator with experience i...
2025-07-0741 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentBOTTOM LINE: Preventing colorectal and anal cancers - A frank discussion with two influential pioneers who are making a differenceBottom Line A candid and delightful discussion with two pioneers who are shaping the awareness of anal and colorectal cancer in the LGBTQ+ community. What do an entrepreneur and a stand-up comic have in common? A desire to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community about anal and colorectal cancers. David founded Cheeky Charity following his own health scare with colorectal cancer in 2021. Daniel has been HIV positive for fourteen years and was engaged in advocacy when he was diagnosed with anal cancer. The two began collaborating only a year ago, providing special sensitivity t...
2025-05-2440 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentRadical Feminism, Bravery and Vision: The Creation of Two Giants in the Field of Anal Dysplasia and ScreeningToday, gender care is fluid, but in 2012, in the early days of ANCHOR, it took the NY Times and a brave Boston gynecologist to shift the direction of focus of anal cancer prevention. On the other coast, a self-described radical feminist was told that “the anus is just like the cervix,” and a historical career began. In this podcast, Drs. Beth Stier and Naomi Jay discuss how they collaborated to build consensus from a large group with diverse expertise to create the first Consensus Guidelines for Anal Cancer Screening (2024). This project is changing the course of a...
2025-01-2733 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentAnal Cancer Foundation - Passion, Determination & Love: A Conversation with Justine & Camille AlmadaAnal Cancer Foundation - Passion, Determination & Love: A Conversation with Justine & Camille Almada For Justine, Camille, and Tristian Almada anal cancer is personal. After losing their dear mother, Paulette, to Stage IV HPV-related anal cancer in 2010, the siblings set out to change the course of this disease. In her honor, they created what they wished had been available to them, The Anal Cancer Foundation. For over a decade, their work has improved awareness as they advocate for policies that help eradicate the disease and educate about the importance of early detection and HPV vaccination uptake. In this i...
2024-09-0235 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentImproving Barriers to Intimacy - A ToolboxIMPROVING BARRIERS TO INTIMACY – A TOOLBOX Irena Nurkic is a specialist in continence and pelvic health physiotherapist at the Royal Perth Hospital in Western Australia. With over fifteen years of in-depth clinical expertise in management of pelvic health conditions in women, men and transgender persons, she lectures and serves as a clinical tutor at Curtin University. In this interview Irena generously shares her passion for learning and translating science into patient care. She applies her expertise to improve and manage often ignored biological changes of post-pelvic radiation. Her approach is person-centered, supporting the patient in id...
2024-05-0533 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentDr. Andrew Wong -- Leading Hong Kong's Anal Pre-Cancer ProgramsIn this podcast Dr. Wong discusses how a talk he heard about HRA, high resolution anoscopy, piqued his interest in something he knew nothing about. He reasoned because he was caring for HIV patients that he should know more. He found his way to places where HRA was done and where he could be trained. His interest and dedication took him from his home in Hong Kong to Australia, to New York and San Francisco, where he learned from the experts. In a compelling interview, Dr. Wong shares the challenges and successes of his impressive professional journey. He discusses...
2024-04-0829 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentExploring New Territory - A Conversation with Dr. Mary BirdsallDr. Mary Birdsall didn’t see herself getting anal cancer, and neither did her physician colleagues. As a GYN specializing in IVF she found herself, not the expert, but the “man on the street.” In this interview, she speaks frankly and passionately about her own struggle to have her symptoms taken seriously and her commitment to agitate for primary and secondary prevention. She shares of how deeply troubling the diagnosis was and how isolated she felt. “You’re not the person who’s supposed to get this,” was her GI doctor’s response. She explores the disservice this lack of awareness doe...
2024-03-2432 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentDr. Joel Palefsky: The Father of Anal Dysplasia Screening, Treatment, and Research Dr. Joel Palefsky discusses his long career and trailblazing research. He discusses the cervical model which informed his research. He talks of the success of his groundbreaking ANCHOR study, a large clinical trial that found, as with the cervix, treating anal precancerous growths greatly reduces the chance of developing cancer. As his work evolved, Palefsky’s vision expanded. He saw a need to create a way for scientists and clinicians in this young field to interact and collaborate.
2023-12-0435 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentDiscussions with Marcia Cross and Lillian Kreppel – Activists, Fighters, and Anal Cancer Survivors THE ANUS HAS A PERCEPTION PROBLEM The founders of the HPV Cancers Alliance, Lillian Kreppel and actress, Marcia Cross speak frankly about how their own experience with anal cancer became the impetus to get the word out about HPV – related cancers. One had symptoms that were dismissed, the other no symptoms. It’s the difference between life and death that women ask their GYNs for a simple DARE exam. Marcia and Lillian are outspoken in this interview about their commitment to changing attitudes about an important and stigmatized body part. “It’s not my area,” is not an answer t...
2023-11-0831 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentThe Farrah Fawcett Foundation: Friendship, Sisterhood, and Legacy... a Conversation with Alana Stewart BE PRESENT FOR THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE Alana Stewart stayed at Farrah Fawcett’s side supporting and advocating, through treatments and ultimately her friend’s heartbreaking death. This interview with the president of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, reflects the kindness and love present in the pages of her best-selling book, My Journey With Farrah. A Story of Life, Love and Friendship. With warmth and frankness, Alana shares her experience as a friend and caregiver. She discusses the creation of the 2009 Emmy award-winning documentary, Farrah’s Story. With humility, she recreates how she accepted the role of filmm...
2023-10-0835 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentKick your butt into shape with Dr. Stephen Goldstone!New York City general surgeon, Stephen Goldstone, was working in the realm of ano-rectal surgery, when he began noticing “strange histology.” At the same time, the University of California San Francisco, UCSF, was doing early research on anal cancer and pre-cancer. What he calls “a match made in heaven” combined research and treatment and heralded historic change in how anal cancer would be talked about and treated around the world. The second president of IANS discusses his personal and professional journey and his book The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex: A Medical Handbook for Men. In a tone t...
2023-09-2128 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentGETTING TO KNOW THE PRESIDENT... of the International Anal Neoplasia Society (IANS) - DR. LUIS BARROSOAnal cancer and pre-cancer detection and treatment is a new and highly specialized field. Dr. Luis Barroso, president of IANS, discusses the organization as a resource for patients and providers. He shares the medical society’s vision that includes publishing guidelines and expanding the infrastructure for Anal Cancer and Dysplasia around the world.
2023-08-2729 min
Going Viral - No one should die from embarrassmentAN INTRODUCTION TO GOING VIRALAn Introduction to Going Viral How did we get here? Today, you will you will get to know our podcasters for “Going Viral: No one should die from embarrassment”, Dr. Eric Ganz and Mary-Jo Murphy, and how this podcast came to be. Dr. Ganz is a board-certified ObGyn and Anal Dysplasia expert and Mary-Jo Murphy is a Registered Nurse, Patient Advocate, and anal cancer survivor. You’ll hear their personal stories and their motivations for working in the field of anal dysplasia and anal cancer.
2023-06-0125 min