Marvels in Medicine: Dr. Karlan on Breaking Down Gender Barriers in Gynecologic Oncology

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

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.

But today, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Beth Y. Karlan, MD, vice chair of Women’s Health Research and director of Cancer Population Genetics at University of California, Los Angeles’ David Geffen School of Medicine.

Dr. Karlan has dedicated her career to improving care for women with cancer by fast-tracking translation scientific discoveries to the bedside, shaping current standards of care, and training the next generation of physicians and scientists.

With an interest in robust tumor biorepositories for translational studies and early detection, her efforts led to the discovery of HE4. HE4 testing is now an FDA approved method to help assess women with a pelvic mass and to help monitor for recurrence in those with ovarian cancer.

Additional achievements by Dr. Karlan include serving as the co-principal investigator for the BRCA Founder Outreach Study (BFOR), which is conducting population-based BRCA genetic testing on 4000 eligible adults of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

Moreover, in 2012, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Karlan to the National Cancer Advisory Board. She has also served as past president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and currently serves as editor-in-chief for Gynecologic Oncology and Gynecologic Oncology Reports.

From hearing these accolades, it is no surprise that Dr. Karlan was recognized as the 2019 OncLive^® Giant of Cancer Care in Gynecologic Cancers.

In our exclusive interview, Dr. Karlan shared the rewarding moments and challenges she has encountered in the cancer space as a female oncologist, pivotal research she has been spearheaded that has lasting impacts on the field, and other developments in gynecologic cancers that are poised to change the landscape forever.