Dr. Burris and Dr. Graff Talk COVID-19 and Cancer Care, Telemedicine, and ASCO Initiatives

May 25, 2020

Howard A. "Skip" Burris, III, MD, FASCO, FACP, and Stephanie L. Graff, MD, discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected cancer care, the collaborative efforts made between Sarah Cannon Research Institute and HCA to increase access to investigational COVID-19 treatments, and the steps ASCO has taken to ensure its members’ professional education and well-being during this time.

Welcome to a very special edition of OncLive^® On Air! I’m your host today, Caroline Seymour

OncLive^® On Air is a podcast from OncLive, which provides oncology professionals with the resources and information they need to provide the best patient care. In both digital and print formats, OncLive covers every angle of oncology practice, from new technology to treatment advances to important regulatory decisions.

Today, we had the pleasure of speaking with Howard A. "Skip" Burris, III, MD, FASCO, FACP, and Stephanie L. Graff, MD, both of Sarah Cannon Research Institute, to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on patients with breast cancer, the transition to telemedicine, the protocols their institution has put into place to reduce potential exposure to the virus, and some of the work HCA Midwest Health has been a part of regarding COVID-19 prevention and management.

Additionally, Dr. Burris and Dr. Graff shared some of the resources released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, explained how the society has leveraged its platform to help reestablish cancer care and research, and discussed the ultimate decision to make the 2020 ASCO Annual Meeting virtual.

In our exclusive interview, Dr. Burris, chief medical officer and president of Clinical Operations at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, 2019-2020 ASCO president-elect, and a 2014 OncLive Giant of Cancer Care^® in Drug Development, and Dr. Graff, director of the Breast Program at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute of HCA Midwest Health and associate director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discussed how the pandemic has affected cancer care, the collaborative efforts made between Sarah Cannon and HCA to increase access to investigational COVID-19 treatments, and the steps ASCO has taken to ensure its members’ professional education and well-being during this time.