Podcast Episodes
Season 1
Episode 31 – Heart of a Champion: Playing Defense Against Hereditary Amyloidosis (hATTR)
In this powerful episode, former Kansas City Chiefs great Art Still shares his personal journey with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis (hATTR), a genetic mutation affecting 1 in 25 African Americans that can also lead to cardiomyopathy. Art discusses how...
Episode 30 – The PanCan Effect: The Real Impact of Patient Advocacy in Pancreatic Cancer
We delve into the world of pancreatic cancer with Pamela Acosta Marquardt, founder of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), and Julie Fleshman, its president and CEO, to discover the inspiring story behind PanCAN's creation and the...
Episode 29 – Zachary Unfiltered: How Precision Medicine is Fueling The Cancer Rights Revolution
WARNING: may cause extreme disdain to health insurance companies and PBMs In this raw and revealing episode, Rome sits down with Matthew Zachary, cancer survivor, advocate, and host of the Out of Patients Podcast. Matthew's journey to...
Bonus Episode! – HLTH Beyond The Hype
At the HLTH USA 2025 conference in Las Vegas, there was just so much to learn and share that we captured hours of content. So we had to create a bonus episode with the best parts of these conversations with patient advocates, thought leaders and...
Episode 28 – HLTH Beyond the Hype: How AI Is Meeting Unstoppable Consumer Demand for Precision Medicine
In this episode filmed on location in Las Vegas, Rome and his guests dive deep into the groundbreaking advancements in AI-driven precision medicine showcased at the HLTH USA Innovation conference. This is not just another conference – it's the...
Episode 27 – Can PCPs Handle Genetics? Tech’s vital role in breaking down barriers to genetic testing
This episode dives into how innovative technologies are enabling point-of-care clinical decision support, ensuring patients gain seamless access to potentially life-saving genetic information throughout their healthcare journey. Rome and Feyi...
Episode 26 – Decoding Genomes & Emotions: The Vital Role of Genetic Counselors and the Fight for Medicare Reimbursement
Genetic counselors are essential healthcare professionals, expertly decoding complex genetic information and guiding patients through life-altering medical decisions. They translate the language of our genomes into understandable insights, helping...
Episode 25 – The Price of Hope: Ensuring Access to Quality Breast Cancer Care Without Financial Ruin
In this eye-opening episode, we delve into the often-overlooked crisis of financial toxicity in the world of breast cancer. Molly MacDonald, the inspiring founder and CEO of The Pink Fund, an organization providing critical cancer financial support...
Episode 24 – It’s Your Life! A Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fight for Precision Medicine in Europe
In this powerful episode, Rome speaks with Jemma Sutton, a two-time breast cancer survivor and CHEK2 germline mutation carrier, about her inspiring journey advocating for a precision medicine approach to her cancer care in Europe. Jemma shares how...
Episode 23 – UNSHAKEN: How Boldness Conquered Prostate Cancer and Become a Beacon for Many
Eric Williams, a husband, father, and pharmaceutical sales leader, shares his powerful and deeply personal journey with prostate cancer. He details the critical red flags, including an elevated PSA level, and emphasizes the life-saving...
Episode 22 – What Scientists Taught Me About Precision Medicine
In this special lookback episode, host Rome Madison reflects on the profound insights from ten leading genetic and genomic experts. Dive into a curated compilation of the most impactful moments that are shaping the future...
Bonus Episode – What Patients Taught Me About Precision Medicine Part 2
BONUS: Gene Editing, Genomics, and the New Era of Precision MedicineThe celebration continues in this special bonus episode! We're diving back into our most impactful conversations to bring you even more essential insights on how genetics is...
Episode 21 – What Patients Taught Me About Precision Medicine
Thank you for listening to a special milestone 20th episode of the Genetics for Healthcare Podcast! In this lookback celebration, we revisit pivotal moments and key insights from our conversations with patients who have benefited from innovations...
Episode 20 – Generational Gene Drama: When DNA Becomes the Family Snitch
Talking about genetic risks with family can feel like dropping a bombshell at Thanksgiving dinner: awkward, messy, and long overdue. In this episode, Dr. Brian Shirts, founder of Connect My Variant, reveals how to navigate these high-stakes...
Episode 19 – Turning Sick Care to Healthcare: How Smartwatches and Genomics Can Fix Our Broken System
Imagine a world where your smartwatch can detect illness before symptoms appear, where your DNA guides personalized health strategies, and where medicine shifts from treating sickness to preventing it altogether. In this groundbreaking episode...
Episode 18 – Forge Ahead With Purpose! How Genetics Can Beat Colon Cancer Before It Starts
In this episode US Navy veteran and cancer prevention advocate Dan "Dry Dock" Shockley shares his personal journey with attenuated FAP (AFAP)—a genetic condition that dramatically increases his risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Joined by Rachel...
Episode 17 – Once Upon a Prostate: Storytelling That Heals
In this powerful episode of Genetics for Healthcare, host Rome Madison sits down with filmmaker and health advocate Landi Maduro to discuss her eye-opening documentary, The Silent Killer: Prostate Cancer in the African-American Community....
Episode 16 – When Love Meets Loss: A Caregiver’s Battle in the Trenches
When Kimberly Alexander’s husband, former NFL linebacker Elijah Alexander, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at just 35 years old, their lives changed forever. What followed was a five-year battle—not just against the disease, but against...
Episode 15 – When Guidelines Aren’t Good Enough: Data That Demands Universal Access to Genetic Testing
For decades, genetic testing was rationed—reserved only for patients who fit narrow, outdated clinical guidelines. But what happens when those guidelines leave countless people at risk? In this episode, clinical geneticist and medical innovator Dr....
Episode 14 – Future-Proof Your Health: How genomics is revolutionizing preventative health
What if your DNA could help you avoid serious illnesses before they even start? In this episode of Genetics for Healthcare, we sit down with Dr. Robert Green, a leading medical geneticist at Harvard Medical School, to explore how...
Episode 13 – A Self-Advocacy Playbook: Activate the immeasurable value of your voice
Ashley Dedmon understands the life-or-death power of speaking up for your health. A BRCA2 previvor, former teen caregiver to both parents with cancer, and passionate health equity advocate, she transforms personal trauma into a powerful lesson on...
Episode 12 – Healing Beyond Medicine: Where DNA Discoveries and Patient Hearts Align
In this deeply personal episode oncologist and author Dr. Chadi Nabhan joins Rome for a conversation that bridges cutting-edge science with timeless human connection. Dr. Nabhan shares the pivotal moment that defined his career—a dying patient's...
Episode 11 – Emily’s Miracle: How CAR-T Therapy Saved the First Pediatric Cancer Patient
In this powerful episode we sit down with Tom Whitehead, co-founder of the Emily Whitehead Foundation along with wife Kari and daughter Emily, to share their incredible story of the first pediatric cancer patient ever treated with CAR-T cell...
Episode 10 – AI in Healthcare: How Genetics and Technology Are Transforming Patient Care
In this episode Rome welcomes Andy Moye PhD, healthcare industry executive and AI expert, to discuss the transformative role of artificial intelligence in genetics and precision medicine. AI isn’t just a buzzword . . . it’s a tool to make...
Episode 9 – From Patient to Advocate: A Marketing Pro’s Personal Mission to Accelerate Patient Access to Genetic Testing
After her mother’s battle with breast cancer, Caroline became vigilant about early detection. But when her own diagnosis came, the real surprise wasn’t just the cancer, it was the genetic revelation that followed. A PMS2 mutation...
Episode 8 – Untested DPYD = Unprotected Patients: How a simple genetic test can prevent toxic chemo deaths and save millions in cancer care
When Karen Merritt’s mother started chemotherapy for cancer, no one told her family about DPYD testing, a simple genetic test that could have predicted her fatal reaction to the common chemo drugs called fluoropyrimidines (like 5-fluorouracil and...
Episode 7 – Pharma – co – gen – omics: Why your DNA holds the key to better medication choices
In this podcast episode, Rome Madison and Kristine Ashcraft, CEO and Founder of YouScript, discuss pharmacogenomics (PGx), the study of how genetics influence individual responses to medications. Kristine explains that genetic variations influence...
Episode 6 – From Lab Smock to TikTok: Using Social Media to Drive Awareness of Genetics and Laboratory Medicine
In this episode Rome interviews Dr. Alan Wu, Chief of Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Professor of Laboratory Medicine at UCSF. He emphasizes the critical role of laboratories in healthcare, noting...
Episode 5 – A Life Saving Catch
In this episode, Kathy Baker, founder of My Faulty Gene, shares her inspiring journey and the mission of her organization, which focuses on educating and assisting individuals about hereditary cancer risks. Kathy’s personal story is a powerful...
Episode 4 – Advancing CGP: Pathology’s Critical Role in Accelerating Precision Medicine
In this podcast, Dr. Carlo Bifulco discusses his personal and professional journey, emphasizing the critical role of pathology in diagnosing and treating diseases, particularly cancer. He reflects on his own experience as a cancer patient and the...
Episode 3 – Life after CRISPR: How Faith & Pharma Restored My Ability To Dream
Victoria Gray, a sickle cell warrior, became the first patient ever treated with CRISPR gene editing to address her condition. The treatment aimed to eliminate the pain and suffering caused by sickle cell disease by editing her genes with CAR-T...
Episode 2 – Hacking Cancer: Building community to unlock Precision Medicine
In this episode Rome talks with Brad Power, process reengineering consultant, co-founder and CEO of the Cancer Patient Lab. Rome and Brad talk about his current treatment journey, recently receiving CAR-T therapy for follicular lymphoma, and ways...
Episode 1 – Overcoming The Delusion of Immortality: A Reporter’s Journey Through Cancer and Genetics
In the first episode of Genetics for Healthcare: A Podcast for Patients, Emmy Award winning journalist Steve Pickett of the CBS affiliate in Dallas-Ft Worth, shares his journey of back-to-back cancer diagnosis that threatened his life and...