HOST: Hildy Grossman CO-HOST: Jordan Rich

GUESTS: John Lamb, Taylor Kirkwood, and Hildy Grossman

What does it take to build a musical—and turn personal tragedy into a mission? Join hosts Hildy Grossman & Jordan Rich with guests John Lamb and Taylor Kirkwood. Together, they pull back the curtain on the 20-year journey of Ziegfeld! What started as a Broadway tribute grew into a story of ambition, glamour, and grit. When Hildy faced an unexpected lung cancer diagnosis, the show took on a new purpose. Original composer Seth Rubin completed the score before tragically losing his life to lung cancer. After new script edits, composer Taylor Kirkwood joined the team to write two final songs. Now, Upstage Lung Cancer presents an exclusive workshop/concert on August 9, 2026. ULC is the only organization using performing arts to fund early-detection research. With over $4.5 million raised to date, art and community are actively saving lives. Audience feedback will help shape Ziegfeld! while every ticket supports the cause. Tune in for an intimate conversation on passion, heartbreaking loss, and creative victory. Discover how a shared love for the theater transformed into a lifesaving movement. Listen now and learn how you can be part of this unforgettable win-win evening!

HOST: Hildy Grossman CO-HOST: Jordan Rich

GUESTS: Kyle Concannon, MD, Samantha Murrell, Bianca Bye and Leah Phillips

The face of lung cancer is changing. No longer viewed simply as a “smoker’s disease” that only impacts older adults, there is a rising and concerning trend of younger adults and non-smokers being diagnosed with advanced disease.

Our guests today have so much light to shine on this issue. In this powerhouse episode, we hear from Samantha Murrell, diagnosed with Stage 4 with a HER2 biomarker at age 37. She notes that her way of coping with her diagnosis was to learn everything possible about her disease. She tells how hope comes with new, cutting-edge drugs targeting HER2 because they allow her to live a full and active life.

Our guest, Leah Phillips, a mother of three young children, also was shocked by her diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer at 43. She tells how she joined Bianca Bye, who faced the advanced diagnosis and tragic loss of both parents, within months of each other, to lung cancer. Leah and Bianca joined forces to create the Young Lung Cancer Initiative. Oncologist, Dr. Kyle Concannon notes how these three resilient women are finding meaning in advocacy as they work to transform suffering into meaning by helping others. This is an unforgettable, action-driven look at hope, survival, and taking control.

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUESTS: Lecia Sequist, MD and Allison Chang, MD, Ph.D.

We are building on our previous "All in the Family" episode, with Jaclyn Lo Piccolo,
MD, Ph.D., Pasi Janne, MD, Ph.D., of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Jill
Feldman from EGFR Resisters. To look deeper into how a family history of lung
cancer might increase the risk for other members, we invited Drs. Lecia Sequist
and Allison Chang from Mass General Hospital to discuss their latest research on
risk factors and the role of family history in lung cancer. We examine the current
array of diagnostic tools—from CT scans to germline genetic testing—and the
mystery of why some family members are more vulnerable to environmental
pollutants than others. Tune in to see how Drs. Sequist and Chang are using AI-
driven CT analysis to identify risk in those with a family history of lung cancer and
learn if you qualify to participate in their

HOST: Hildy Grossman CO-HOST, Jordan Rich
Guests: Sachi Badola and Lauren Coye

Think you’re too young for lung cancer? Think again! This week, we’re joined by
two incredible young women who are highlighting the realities and breaking the
stigma. Our first guest, Lauren Coye, shares her grueling journey to finally being
diagnosed with lung cancer. After being told she had recurring upper respiratory
infections, starting at age 14, Lauren’s persistence led to the discovery 10 years
later that saved her life. Her story is a testament to the life-saving power of self-
advocacy. Our next guest, Sachi Badola, is a pre-med student at Dartmouth
College in New Hampshire. On top of that, she is taking over the reins to become
the producer of Upstage Lung Cancer’s 10th annual Sing Out! concert on April
4, 2026. Bringing together eight a cappella groups to sing out about lung cancer,
the concert will also be live-streamed and afterwards be available on YouTube
and on our website. Both young women continue to raise awareness of lung
cancer as Board Members of Upstage Lung Cancer. From the doctor’s office to the
center stage, we’re exploring how the next generation can raise their voices to
fund research and demand better care. It’s time to listen.

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUEST: Sumati Ram-Mohan, Vice President of Upstage Lung Cancer

Why did singer and cabaret performer Hildy Grossman launch Upstage Lung Cancer 18
years ago? In this episode, Hildy describes how a fluke accident resulted in early detection of
her lung cancer and put her on a life-changing path. When faced with an early diagnosis, Hildy
didn’t just ask "Why me?"—she asked, "What now?" She realized that while anyone with lungs
can get lung cancer, not everyone has a stage to fight it. Thus, Upstage Lung Cancer was created
as the only lung cancer organization to exclusively produce concerts and the performing arts to
raise awareness, reduce stigma and fund cutting edge medical research.
In a meeting of Art & Science, our guest, Sumati Ram-Mohan, a scientist and dancer, shares her
story of how and why she reached out to Hildy. Now the Vice President of Upstage Lung
Cancer, Sumati discusses how her experience in lung research and her passion for the stage help
move this organization forward. Among other things, this podcast series, now ranked in the top
5 out of 40 lung cancer podcasts, was created to be both engaging, enjoyable and
informative. They discuss almost two decades of outreach and impact, ending with a look ahead
to this year's Fall Concert – an evening of joy aimed at this difficult disease.

We thank our sponsors Lilly, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Revolution Medicines, Boehringer
Ingelheim, and Takeda for their generous support of our podcast series Backstage @ Upstage.

HOST: Hildy Grossman CO-HOST, Jordan Rich

Guests: Justin Gainor, MD, Director of Targeted Immunotherapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital and David Barbie, MD, Director of the Barbie Lab at Dana Farber Cancer Institute Targeting Innate Immunity in Cancer

Lung cancer has long been one of the most complex and difficult cancers to treat. But what if we could outsmart it—not just with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, but by training the immune system itself? This episode explores a revolutionary question: Could a vaccine change the future of lung cancer? To shed light on answers to this question are Dr. Justin Gainor, whose interest is in vaccine development, and Dr. David Barbie, who returns to Backstage @ Upstage to explain how the immune system responds to cancer. Our renowned guests describe the challenges of creating a therapeutic vaccine and why a preventative vaccine is less likely to succeed. They detail how the immune system’s delicate operations need to be understood to successfully develop a vaccine to treat lung cancer. Moreover, you’ll want to hear about the groundbreaking promise of “personalized vaccines” tailored to an individual’s unique genomic markers, and how these cutting-edge vaccines will change the future of oncology forever.

HOST: Hildy Grossman, CO-HOST: Jordan Rich
GUESTS: Jessica Lin, MD., Sarah Craig, Frank Marotta

Hearing the diagnosis of Stage 4 can be devastating, but today, it is no longer the final word. More people are living with Stage 4 lung cancer than ever before, thanks to a revolution in innovative treatments, immunotherapy and precision medicine.
Join us for a profoundly moving and informative episode. Sarah Craig, 31 years old with a cough and Frank Marotta, reporting to his geriatrician concerns about memory loss, share the terrifying moment they heard their diagnosis of advanced lung cancer. They graciously share their personal lung cancer journeys and where they found hope.
Renowned medical oncologist Dr. Jessica Lin answers the difficult questions: How does lung cancer metastasize, and how does a doctor compassionately deliver a life-altering diagnosis? She shares her approach to guiding patients through their darkest moments. Dr. Lin also describes how cutting-edge tools like Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and PD-L1 testing are now standard biomarker evaluations, fundamentally shifting care from generalized chemo to truly personalized targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Learn how this new era of evaluation and treatment is bringing tangible hope to those who need it most.