Jennifer Fink

Kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in both men and women–and the most common type of kidney cancer is called renal cell carcinoma. If caught and treated early, the prognosis is good. But until recently, doctors had few good options to offer patients whose cancer spread despite treatment.

All that is changing. In recent years, a new class of immunotherapy drugs, “checkpoint inhibitors,” was approved to treat certain types of skin and lung cancer. Since then, those drugs have sh...

Chronic kidney disease is the gradual loss of kidney function. Because the kidneys filter the blood and play an important role in the regulation of blood pressure and other bodily functions, kidney disease can cause a wide variety of complications. If you or someone you love has kidney disease, watch for warning signs that could indicate kidney disease complications, such as anemia, osteoporosis, or heart disease. Appropriate medical attention can prevent more serious problems and help people...

In the early 20th century, research findings about the nature of microbes upended the traditional understanding of science and medicine. The acceptance of germ theory revolutionized medical care, and ultimately led to improved public health and longer life spans. A similar microbe-driven revolution may be afoot in oncology, as researchers uncover and untangle the relationships between the microbiome and cancer.
Between 2005 and 2015, the...

When Senator John McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma in July 2017, few Americans had heard of the condition. But glioblastoma (also called glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM), affects tens of thousands of people. Each year, approximately 14,000 Americans are diagnosed with this particularly aggressive form of brain cancer. Most, like McCain at his diagnosis, are active, otherwise healthy people.
Here are six facts to help you understand glioblastoma:
1. Glioblastoma is the most common form o...

According to the National Cancer Institute, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Fortunately, colorectal cancer is also relatively easy to detect and treat. Medical studies suggest that using a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer can reduce cancer deaths by 60 to 70 percent. In some cases, doctors can even intervene and remove worrisome growths before they have a chance to turn into cancer.
Widespread screening...

It’s a diagnosis any woman dreads, but fortunately there’s good news: Fewer women are dying of breast cancer. In fact, between 1989 and 2015, the breast cancer death rate declined by 40%, according to a report by the American Cancer Society. Experts estimate approximately 322,000 women who would otherwise have died during that time period survived, in large part due to advances in breast cancer detection and treatment.

Thanks to breast cancer research, American women diagnosed with breast can...

I've been covering oncology for years. This 2017 article looked at early immunotherapy-related advances in the treatment of NSCLC.

One in every five women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States today has ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a very early, noninvasive form of cancer sometimes called Stage 0 breast cancer. The abnormal cells are confined to the milk ducts of the breast and may or may not progress to invasive breast cancer over time. (About 40 to 50% of DCIS cases progress to invasive cancer without treatment, according to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.)
Yet many women with DCIS undergo breast surgery...

Advanced squamous cell carcinoma threatened the patient’s eye. Although most cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma can be effectively treated via simple excision, this patient’s cancer was large, disfiguring, and potentially life-altering, as surgical treatment would likely require enucleation.
“The standard of care for patients with locally advanced, resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinomas is surgery and radiation. But given the proximity of the pathology to critica...

A deep dive into what scientists know -- & don't know -- about menopause, based on interviews w 5 physiologists.

The life sciences and pharmaceutical sector is constantly evolving and for companies to innovate and stay ahead of the curve, they need to be ready to capitalize on opportunities. Yet, success in life sciences hinges on safely seizing these chances amid inherent risks.
Join experts from NTT DATA as they discuss the complex challenges and solutions to maintaining safety and security in cybersecurity, quality assurance & regulatory compliance.
Check out the podcast episode below.
Ep. 2 Catalyst...

By the end of February 2021, just over one year since the novel coronavirus emerged and disrupted our lives, approximately 136 million people worldwide had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.1 Interestingly, the disruption itself fueled the innovation that allowed such rapid development and deployment of the vaccine. Government issued stay-at-home orders, combined with a desire to protect researchers and the public from infectious disease, made it highly challenging to conduct cli...

I was the writer and host for this 3-episode podcast series. The project involved ideation, creating questions, interviewing multiple stakeholders, incorporating ideas & feedback, managing the flow of conversation, and delivering the desired all to action.

Worked w an agency to create this whitepaper for OpenHealth. Project included multiple interviews w stakeholders.