Lung physiologist Patricia Silveyra and advocate Dana Cattani join Richard Carpenter to connect the dots between environment, biology, and lived experience. Together they navigate diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship, and discuss the support systems patients need as they face both medical and environmental challenges over time.
Patricia Silveyra, PhD, is a lung physiologist and professor and chair the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Indiana University School of Public Health. Her research examines how environmental exposures such as air pollution, allergens, smoking, and e-cigarettes affect respiratory health, with a focus on sex differences in lung inflammation and immunity. She is the Anthony D. Pantaleoni Eminent Scholar, a member of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, and a fellow of the American Thoracic Society.
Dana Cattani is a cancer survivor and advocate who works to strengthen support services for patients and caregivers at the individual, community, and national levels. She mentors survivors, leads local support efforts through Cancer Support Community South Central Indiana, and speaks at national conferences about communication, mental health, and patient-centered care. Before this work, she spent more than 30 years teaching and coaching across K–12 and higher education in California, North Carolina, and Indiana.
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.
