Posted on June 8, 2022 How do those living with and at risk of breast cancer “trust” science, when science has a history of being untrustworthy, and especially so in their treatment of the BIPOC community? As discussed in the episode, “Trust in Science: A Panel Conversation,” the labor of building trust is often shifted to the individual. For example, a common solution to the lack of data and research on the BIPOC community, is, as BCAction Board Member Tamatha Thomas Haase describes, imploring BIPOC folx to “join more clinical trials!” But there is a lack of collaboration between science and ..read more

Posted on May 5, 2022 Stories play a powerful role in our culture and in social change, because they connect our communities, inform and expand our perspectives, and illuminate areas in need of change. In this podcast episode, “Storytelling: A Powerful Agent of Change,” we speak with our very own Executive Director, Dr. Krystal Redman (KR), and Dena Taylor, author of the book “I Don’t Want To Be Pink” and longtime BCAction supporter. KR speaks to the power of storytelling: how storytelling documents our histories, translates our lived experiences into real data, how storytelling can propel the ..read more

Posted on November 12, 2021 At Breast Cancer Action’s October event Radical Disruption & Compassionate Resistance, we hosted a panel of four expert breast cancer activists who spoke to the power of our 2021 Think Before You Pink® campaign, Stop Banking on Breast Cancer. The panel featured BCAction Program Manager Jayla Burton, BCAction Executive Director Krystal Redman, nationally-known biologist, author, and former cancer patient Dr. Sandra Steingraber, and our very own board member and American Indian Cancer Foundation Health Equity Manager CoCo Villaluz. Together, the panelists elucidat ..read more

Posted on June 28, 2021 Individuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Queer have stories of navigating breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment that aren’t represented in the heteronormative pink ribbon narrative. In this episode, host BCAction Program Manager Jayla Burton speaks with Laurie Merges, who tells the story of navigating her breast cancer diagnosis. Additionally, Jayla speaks with Scout, Executive Director of the National LGBT Cancer Network, about the realities of the healthcare system for people with queer and trans identities. Scout also provid ..read more

Posted on June 7, 2021 Most of us are familiar with the serious health inequities that exist among different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups when it comes to illness. Breast cancer is no exception. Join BCAction Program Manager Jayla’s conversation with four podcast guests: Marissa Thomas, co-founder of For the Breast of Us, Darci Green, Executive Director of Latinas Contra Cancer, Caroline Nguyen, Program Assistant at the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, and Dr. Krystal Redman, Executive Director at BCAction. This discussion covers the unique challenges and programmatic priori ..read more

Posted on January 21, 2021 In this episode, Breast Cancer Action’s Environmental Health Consultant Heather Sarantis interviews Dr. Barbara Cohn, the lead research principal investigator of the study “Linking Neighborhood and Individual Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to Breast Cancer.” This study is a unique research project made possible by the partnership of Breast Cancer Action and Child Health and Development Studies, and it features a massive, multi-generational data set that started in 1959 with 15,000 women, and has spanned three generations. The breadth of this data allows this AC ..read more

Posted on November 10, 2020 Health risks from fossil fuels touch almost every aspect of our lives. In addition to vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, a wide range of everyday products are made from fossil fuel-based chemicals, including cosmetic products, pesticides, and plastics. In this episode, The Fossil Fuel to Breast Cancer Pipeline, we spoke with Dr. Carol Kwiatkowski about the booming plastics industry and what it means for our health. Dr. Kwiatkowski previously served as the Executive Director of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange, TEDX and now serves as the Science and Policy Se ..read more

Posted on October 21, 2020 In recent decades researchers have identified more than 200 chemical exposures that may increase the risk for breast cancer. Despite these scientific advances, the country’s primary cancer agency, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), downplays these connections. This withholding of information not only affects the ability for individuals and healthcare providers to identify health protective measures, it also hamstrings important national efforts to create systemic changes that can support breast cancer prevention. Join Heather Sarantis in conversation with Dr. Julia ..read more

Posted on June 4, 2020 Having breast cancer is stressful​ but nearly everyone who’s been diagnosed is told to avoid stress. ​What’s the connection between emotional strain and cancer? In her role as an associate professor at Temple University, our guest, Dr. Lauren Ellman, studies prenatal and childhood factors that contribute to mental health disorders. Join the conversation with Karuna and Lauren as they discuss the data on chronic stress, including the toll of systemic racism, ​that explain some of the health impacts like ​increased breast cancer risk—even decades later. Find episodes below ..read more

Posted on May 16, 2020 What happens when the Medical Industrial Complex meets the FDA? How much influence do pharmaceutical and medical device companies really have ​on the drugs and devices we put in our bodies? In this episode, Karuna talks with award-winning independent medical investigative journalist and author Jeanne Lenzer about the intersection of money and medicine. Tune in to learn about the impact of the multibillion dollar medical industrial complex on our healthcare ​system—and what it means for you and for anyone living with and at risk of breast cancer. And join the conversation ..read more