How Curiosity and Empathy Build a Life of Meaningful Accomplishments and Deep Connections: With Erin Schenk, MD, PhD; and D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD

How This Is Building Me, hosted by world-renowned oncologist D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, is a podcast focused on the highs and lows, ups and downs of all those involved with cancer, cancer medicine, and cancer science across the full spectrum of life’s experiences.

In this episode, guest host Erin Schenk, MD, PhD, at the University of Colorado Anschutz in Aurora, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology, sat down with D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, to highlight Dr Camidge's storied career and life. Driven by a relentless curiosity that often manifested in him "interrogating" those around him, Camidge chose a career in medicine because of the immediate effect he saw it could have on people's lives.

His path included a formative gap year working at McDonald's and serving as a caregiver for a man with cerebral palsy. After studying at Oxford, he faced a significant professional and personal low when pursuing his PhD at Cambridge. Struggling with a difficult project, he persevered by pivoting his research and finding resilience through peers, eventually returning to practicing clinical medicine and finding his calling in oncology due to its unique overlap of molecular biology and opportunities for deep patient connection.

Seeking further opportunities, Dr Camidge moved to the United States to lead the lung cancer program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He became a pivotal figure in the development of targeted therapies, specifically crizotinib for ALK-positive lung cancer. Beyond drug development, he championed the use of molecular profiling and established a global remote second opinion program.

In 2022, Dr Camidge’s perspective shifted profoundly following his own lung cancer diagnosis. This experience forced him to evolve from a "questioning machine" into someone more amenable to accepting love and support. He now integrates this dual perspective into his work, emphasizing that oncology must go beyond science to address the human experience of treating real people.