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Researchers dissect Biden's renewed effort to cut the cancer death rate in half

River to River, hosted by Ben Kieffer

Sixty years after President John F. Kennedy delivered his iconic moonshot speech, President Joe Biden made a call to "cure cancers once and for all."

Last week President Biden gave a speech at the Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, outlining the progress of his self-described moonshot: ending cancer.

Six years since River to River host Ben Kieffer moderated a panel that included researchers from the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Research Center and then-Vice President Biden, we focus on the cancer moonshot today.

Experts weigh in on the White House's goalto cut the cancer death rate by at least 50% in the next 25 years and the challenges to overcome in diagnosing and treating all Americans impacted by the disease. Listeners also share their experiences of cancer diagnosis and survival.

Guests:

  • Michael Henry, deputy director, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Mary Charlton, director and principal investigator, Iowa Cancer Registry
  • Dr. David Dickens, hematologist-oncologist, Stead Family Children's Hospital
  • Margaret McCaffery, board director, American Cancer Society
Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River
Samantha McIntosh is a talk show producer at Iowa Public Radio. Prior to IPR, Samantha worked as a reporter for radio stations in southeast and west central Iowa under M&H Broadcasting, and before that she was a weekend music host for GO 96.3 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.