This podcast was recorded prior to The London Breast Meeting with the Rob Pupelis and Elizabeth Van Thillo of T-Stat along with Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA. The meeting took place in early September at the Royal College of Physicians. Shortly after the recording this summer, Dr. C posted on his LinkedIn account. He stated, “Great way to kick off a Saturday! Looking forward to part two at the London Breast Meeting!” This blog summary of Episode 39 of the DiepCJourney podcast is the London Breast Meeting Recap and what took place those fantastic days during the conference. We will call it part three!
Rob Shares His Thoughts on Discovery at the London Breast Meeting
I invited my guests to share a realistic analysis of what they expected to get from the conference. Beyond the travel, there is a great amount of thought and preparation that goes into attending conferences optimizing what you take home from these international meetings.
Rob, the CEO of T-Stat technology, shares with us that attending these conferences is about discovery. It takes a great deal of work to develop and prove the efficacy of medical devices. T-Stat is a proven medical device and Rob was thrilled to return to London to tell the story of the flap monitoring system.
Attending international conferences allowed the T-Stat team to determine what was done differently, the same, or if innovation is done another way. What he learned is that there are no other monitoring devices like T-Stat throughout the world. Rob and Dr. C. presented a strong case at the London Breast Meeting showcasing how T-Stat system helps Dr. C and his group catch free-flap problems in plenty of time to save them. Mission accomplished “progressing those relationships”, Rob!
Dr. C Reveals His Goals for the London Breast Meeting
Dr. C begins by asking me if I have some news to share about London. I will admit, at the time of the recorded podcast I knew I was an invited speaker. However, I was still preparing my talk and just wasn’t quite comfortable revealing the news in the podcast. The mental gymnastics I was going through to prepare my talk in front of world class gamechangers in breast surgery was a monumental process for me. Thanks for trying to get me to announce it, Dr. C.! You always know how to make me smile and have been that trusted and nurturing mentor to me from day one of opening DiepCFoundation.
Bridging the Gap between the healthcare team and the patient was the topic of Dr. C’s talk. Recapping that experience personally, standing on the same stage with him at the London Breast Meeting still takes my breath away. His message was clear and concise. It only reinforced the passion I find in the work of the Foundation. I enjoy placing myself purposely between the patient and the physician. It confirmed in all the best ways that collaborative work between the patient and physician in shared decision-making in healthcare holds great value.
I want to share a heartwarming moment as we were walking the streets of London after his presentation. I gave him an educator’s critique and grade on his presentation. When I told him he earned an A+ for the clarity, style, information presented, and his physical presence on stage, he looked at me and said, “Yea, but you’re biased.”. I looked at him and smiled and said, “You’re grade stands with me!”
Liz Inquires What Dr. C Will Bring Back to His Practice from the London Breast Meeting
She begins by asking Dr. C what he is most anxious to hear about and take back to his practice at PRMA after the London Breast Meeting. She outlines the impressive topics like breast cancer, lymphedema, and microsurgery presented at the conference.
Dr. C shares that there are “so many ways around a mountain”. He tells us that as physicians they are taught a certain way and become comfortable with that. Dr. C. adds each surgeon develops their own approaches and can get stuck in those ruts. Conferences like the London Breast Meeting allow him to interact with his colleagues to grow and do better. He points out the element of respect grows deeper over the years by meeting and interacting with his international colleagues.
Dr. C gets enthusiastic when he uncovers new initiatives in sensation, restoration of feeling, and surgical innovations in robotic surgery with tasks forces formed by his colleagues Dr. Jesse Selber and Dr. Andrea Moreia. He speaks of innovations in lymphedema surgery expressing genuine excitement and it being a thrilling time to be a microsurgeon. Dr. C becomes philosophical and says, “It is his time to instill some excitement in the next generation, time to pass the baton.” He shares that he is thrilled to return to London since it is his hometown. Dr. C enjoys going back to see family living there.
My Fondest Memories from the London Breast Meeting
I share how egos melt away into true friendship. I observed it firsthand while at the London Breast Meeting. We had moments outside the conference sessions at dinners and breaks connecting on a personal level that will remain as some of my fondest memories from the London Breast Meeting.
No matter what country we were from these are things that bonded us as individuals. We discussed healthcare systems and similar challenges we face, meeting the needs of patients. Sharing stories of flap failures and how surgeons deal with them personally and with their patients was touching. We shared personal life stories, learning about each other’s families and life outside of our professions. Topics included upcoming weddings, children, college, what we love about our own country and what we find most challenging. These topics and many more were woven into conversations. It was an enriching opportunity for this ESL teacher. I loved the rich cultural exchange. We had one commonality, service to breast cancer patients.
Pearls You Won’t Want to Miss from the Podcast Episode
At the seventeen-minute time stamp you must listen to our funny conversation about Dr. C’s London accent and the story he shares. He had us all laughing! Bloody hell, Dr. C!!
At the twenty-two-minute time stamp Liz gives a touching account from an industry perspective. She shares how we are all touched by breast cancer. It is their goal at T-Stat to help those patients improve their surgical outcomes with the T-Stat medical device they have developed. Rob adds they cannot progress technology, healthcare, or educating patients unless we all listen to each other.
At the thirty-eight-minute time stamp we dive into how we all appreciate and use Dr. C’s Breast Advocate app. Don’t miss it and find out more on the website! You can download this FREE shared decision-making app for breast cancer patients there.
Don’t miss our fun wrap up at the end where we cut up a bit about our favorite British slang!
Why the London Breast Meeting So Sweet for This Patient Advocate
We have an in-depth discussion. In is regarding an emotional topic that occurred this year in the world of DIEP flap breast reconstruction. I invite you to listen to how critical the topic of the sunsetting of insurance coverage for DIEP flap was to all of us.
What Rob, Liz, Dr. C and I did not know at the time of the recording was that the voice of patient advocates was heard. CMS reversed its decision to sunset the codes. Insurance coverage for patients and reimbursement to surgeons for DIEP flap procedures remained. We only learned about this phenomenal win days prior to leaving for the London Breast Meeting. My throat tightened with joy the moment Dr. C shared it in his presentation at the London Breast Meeting. Talk about an “A-ha” moment. Our phones were all lighting up the day we heard and made the trip to London even sweeter!
Enjoy the entirety of the podcast here: