In this episode, host Richard Carpenter talks with Dr. Maegan Capitano and oncology social worker Brynn Parkinson about cancers from two perspectives: the lab bench and the living room. Dr. Capitano explains how a better understanding of temperature, environment, and other factors can have dramatic effects on scientists’ ability to advance cancer research. And Brynn Parkinson shares how a better understanding of cancer has changed her work as am oncology social worker.
Dr. Maegan Capitano is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and an Associate Member of Tumor Mircroenvironment and Metastasis. Her research areas include understanding how the protein DEK influences healthy blood cell development, leukemia, and other bone-marrow disorders, and how low-oxygen environments affect stem cells as we age. She studies how DEK and related signaling pathways may help drive certain cancers, with the goal of finding new ways to target and treat diseases like myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Brynn Parkinson, MSW, LCSW, is a clinical social worker who supports Hoosiers navigating cancer, chronic illness, anxiety, and grief. She serves as an oncology counselor with Cancer Support Community South Central Indiana and also runs In Bloom Counseling, offering in-person, virtual, and outdoor therapy. She’s passionate about meeting people where they are and helping them find steadiness during challenging seasons.
Dr. Richard Carpenter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine–Bloomington. His research focuses on molecular signaling and the cellular mechanisms that drive cancer development and progression. He brings both scientific expertise and an accessible, conversational style to the series, guiding listeners through how research moves from bench to bedside.