In October 2024, Stacy Wentworth, MD, joined our Wake County team, where she cares for patients with a broad range of cancers. But Dr. Wentworth is also a talented writer and the creator of the podcast Less Radical – where, over six episodes, Dr. Wentworth explores operating rooms, Congressional hearings and laboratories to tell the story of Dr. Bernie Fisher, a surgeon-scientist who revolutionized breast cancer treatment.
Just this week, Less Radical was nominated for two Webby Awards – awards for excellence on the internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The team of judges, including people like Questlove, Katie Couric and Chief Scientist for Microsoft, chose Less Radical out of over 13,000 submissions for two different categories: Best Indie Podcast – Limited Run and Best Podcast – Documentary.
"Just to be one of the five nominees is a huge deal and winning would be an enormous honor for our small but mighty team," said Dr. Wentworth. "This is also an awesome opportunity to showcase a fascinating story of science when our work is under attack."
Vote for Less Radical for Best Podcast – Documentary
Vote for Less Radical for Best Indie Podcast – Limited Run
Voting ends Thursday, April 17 at midnight PST. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 22.
What made you decide to start a podcast on this topic?
Breast cancer survivors are a growing and vocal community. Thanks in large part to early detection efforts, greater than 80 percent of breast cancers are now curable. Treatment over the past fifty years has also become less radical and more personalized. Yet, a quarter century after President Nixon declared a "War on Cancer," many patients still ask me: why aren't we closer to finding a cure for cancer? I struggled to explain this to patients and hope this podcast can answer that question.
What’s a key takeaway listeners will get from this podcast?
Dr. Fisher is present in the room of every woman diagnosed with breast cancer. Yet no statue stands in his honor, and few know his name. I'm not an artist, so I didn't build a statue, but I hope by sharing the story of this remarkable man, more people will know about his life and have reason to hope for all the amazing science that is yet to come.
How does telling this history inform your clinical role?
I've been telling the story of Dr. Bernie Fisher's trials to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients for 20 years. His research forms the strong foundation by which my recommendations for their care rests. I find that placing their diagnosis in this long history provides a measure of comfort that all these decisions are based on science, not arbitrary feelings.
Less Radical was also named a "best podcast of the week" by The Guardian, and Dr. Wentworth was interviewed live on NPR on Wednesday, October 30. Please take a moment to add Less Radical to your podcast library to learn more about the history behind breast cancer treatment.