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Doctors Making A Difference

Doctors Making A Difference

By: Peter M. Crane MD
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 Not every doctor dreams of climbing the traditional ladder. Some dream of building their own. Doctors Making a Difference, hosted by Dr. Peter Crane, tells the stories we rarely hear, of physicians who dared to ask, “Is this all there is?” and then changed their lives to answer it. These are the moments after burnout, after bureaucracy, after sacrifice. When purpose called louder than protocol. Each week, listeners meet doctors who stepped off the expected path—into roles as entrepreneurs, advocates, creatives, and leaders redefining what it means to heal. They didn’t just survive medicine. They made it theirs.Copyright 2025 Doctors Making A Difference Economics Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Finance Personal Success Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • LMC #51 | Dr. J. Louis Hinshaw on Tumor Ablation, Histotripsy, and the Future of Interventional Oncology

    LMC #51 | Dr. J. Louis Hinshaw on Tumor Ablation, Histotripsy, and the Future of Interventional Oncology
    Oct 2 2025
    In this physician-to-physician conversation, Dr. Hinshaw traces two decades of progress in interventional oncology—from early radiofrequency ablation to modern microwave ablation and the dawn of histotripsy. He explains why indolent, chronic cancers (like many solitary fibrous tumors and neuroendocrine tumors) are especially well-suited to repeatable, organ-sparing treatments that preserve quality of life, and how multi-disciplinary care guides the “right tool for the right lesion” approach. He also previews what’s next: better targeting (e.g., cone-beam CT), safety learnings, and where histotripsy could realistically expand beyond the liver. HighlightsFrom RF to Microwave: Why microwave ablation became a turning point—larger, faster, safer zones; shorter procedures; and better consistency compared with early RF systems. Histotripsy 101: Noninvasive, ultrasound-guided, FDA-cleared (liver) therapy with a strong safety profile to date; active kidney trials and future potential in other ultrasound-accessible organs. Patient Impact: For indolent metastatic diseases, ablation can be repeated over years, controlling disease while preserving recovery time and daily life. Team Sport: When radiation, intra-arterial therapies, surgery, or ablation takes the lead—and why humility and multidisciplinary planning produce the best outcomes. What’s Next: Better targeting (e.g., cone-beam CT), workflow refinements, and continued lab/animal/patient-level research from UW’s ablation program. Top 3 TakeawaysRepeatable, organ-sparing care: Minimally invasive ablation lets clinicians control metastatic disease across years with quick recovery. Histotripsy is promising (and young): Early clinical use shows a favorable safety profile; efficacy and targeting workflows are rapidly evolving. Match the tool to the tumor: Outcomes improve when ablation, radiation, surgery, and intra-arterial options are chosen case-by-case via a collaborative team. How to HelpFor clinicians: Refer appropriate patients to centers with established ablation programs; consider multidisciplinary boards for complex cases. For patients/caregivers: Ask your team whether minimally invasive ablation or clinical trials (e.g., histotripsy) are options for your tumor type and location. For researchers/industry: Collaborate on targeting, safety, and outcomes studies to accelerate adoption and guidelines. Additional ResourcesAbout UW Radiology & Interventional Programs (faculty profiles, publications). About the LMC series — candid physician–patient conversations on science, decisions, and day-to-day realities of advanced disease. About the GuestJ. Louis Hinshaw, MD is Professor of Radiology and Urology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Chief of Abdominal Imaging, and Fellowship Director. His research and clinical leadership span image-guided tumor ablation (microwave, RF, cryo) and advancing minimally invasive oncology care, with numerous peer-reviewed publications and national awards. About the Host:Dr. Peter Crane is a board-certified physician, educator, and storyteller with a heart for service and a calling to spotlight doctors who make a difference—in their communities, in medicine, and in the lives they touch.Through Doctors Making a Difference, he brings you into intimate conversations with physicians who have overcome challenges, redefined success, and found purpose in and beyond the clinic. His goal is simple: to help more doctors stay in medicine by showing them what's possible. About the Show:Doctors Making a Difference is more than a podcast—it’s a movement to highlight the good, the gritty, and the deeply human side of medicine.In every episode, Dr. Peter Crane interviews physicians whose stories defy the script. From burnout recovery to bold career pivots, health challenges to quiet leadership, this show honors the truth that healing begins with connection—and doctors, too, deserve to be whole.Visit: doctorsmakingadifference.com LMC Series Note:Living with Metastatic Cancer (LMC) explores the science, decisions, and day-to-day realities of life with advanced disease—through candid physician–patient conversations. The Doctors Making a Difference Podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult appropriate experts regarding your unique circumstances. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    35 mins
  • DMD #50 | Dr. Chris Hills on Orthopedics, Service, and Building Resilience Beyond Medicine

    DMD #50 | Dr. Chris Hills on Orthopedics, Service, and Building Resilience Beyond Medicine
    Sep 25 2025

    Dr. Chris Hills has taken an unconventional path in medicine. From medical school in Arizona to an Army scholarship and deployments overseas, his career in orthopedics was forged on the battlefield and refined in fellowship at Duke. Now settled in Jackson, Wyoming, he combines spine surgery with a love of the outdoors.

    Chris reflects on lessons from military medicine, the importance of balance in sustaining a career, and why professional detours often lead to the deepest growth. He also shares his family’s story of loss and how the Brody Hills Foundation—a program teaching mental resiliency through dirt biking and outdoor mentorship—was born.

    This conversation blends medicine, service, personal resilience, and the power of thinking outside the box to reach young people where they are.

    Highlights
    • Military track: Why Chris chose an Army scholarship, the reality of “all-expense-paid trips” to the Middle East, and how battlefield medicine shaped his skills.
    • Training + growth: Returning to fellowship at Duke after years as a practicing Army surgeon, and why that experience sharpened his education.
    • Work-life balance: Practicing in Jackson, WY, and making intentional choices to prioritize both family and recreation.
    • Facing loss: How his son’s death by suicide led Chris and his family to channel grief into meaningful outreach.
    • Wide Open: The Brody Hills Foundation: Using dirt bikes, outdoor adventure, and mentorship to give teenagers resilience, connection, and hope.
    Top 3 Takeaways
    1. Service shapes skill. Military medicine offers unparalleled training and perspective—preparing physicians for both clinical and leadership roles.
    2. Balance prevents burnout. Sustaining decades in medicine requires drawing boundaries, honoring family, and enjoying the place you live.
    3. Resilience is teachable. Youth can thrive when given mentors, meaningful outlets, and community—sometimes found in unexpected places, like dirt bikes.
    How to Help

    Learn more about the Brody Hills Foundation and its mission to build resilience in youth through outdoor adventure.

    🌐 Website: brodyhillsfoundation.org
    🔎 Social Media: Search “Wide Open – Brody Hills Foundation”

    Additional Resources
    • Brody Hills Foundation – programs, clinics, and mentorship opportunities.
    • Veteran-to-Veteran partnerships and training for mentors.
    About the Guest

    Chris Hills, MD is an orthopedic spine surgeon based in Jackson, Wyoming. After earning his MD in Arizona, he trained in orthopedics through the U.S. Army and completed fellowship at Duke University. He served nine years active duty, including deployment to Afghanistan. Today, he balances surgical practice with leading the Brody Hills Foundation, dedicated to mental health resilience in youth through motorsports and outdoor activities.

    About the Host:

    Dr. Peter Crane is a board-certified physician, educator, and storyteller with a heart for service and a calling to spotlight doctors who make a difference—in their communities, in medicine, and in the lives they touch.

    Through Doctors Making a Difference, he brings you into intimate conversations with physicians who have overcome challenges, redefined success, and found purpose in and beyond the clinic. His goal is simple: to help more doctors stay in medicine by showing them what's possible.

    About the Show:

    Doctors Making a Difference is more than a podcast—it’s a movement to highlight the good, the gritty, and the deeply human side of medicine.

    In every episode, Dr. Peter Crane interviews physicians whose stories defy the script. From burnout recovery to bold career pivots, health challenges to quiet leadership, this show honors the truth that healing begins with connection—and doctors, too, deserve to be whole.

    Visit: doctorsmakingadifference.com

    LMC Series Note:

    Living with Metastatic Cancer (LMC) explores the science, decisions, and day-to-day realities of life with advanced disease—through candid physician–patient conversations.

    The Doctors Making a Difference Podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult appropriate experts regarding your unique circumstances.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    34 mins
  • LMC #49 | Dr. Gina D’Amato on Solitary Fibrous Tumor: Building a Registry and Racing Toward Targeted Therapies

    LMC #49 | Dr. Gina D’Amato on Solitary Fibrous Tumor: Building a Registry and Racing Toward Targeted Therapies
    Sep 18 2025
    SFT is rare—~17,000 sarcomas/year vs. ~300,000 breast cancers—and SFT is only a small slice of that number. Dr. D’Amato traces her path into sarcoma, the unmet need that drew her from lymphoma research, and the mentorship network that helped her build programs at Moffitt, Emory, and now Sylvester.We talk about modeling SFT in the lab (cell lines and engineered mouse models), why NAB2-STAT6 matters, promising signals (e.g., HDAC inhibition) being vetted before a first-in-disease trial, and the new Solitary Fibrous Tumor Patient Registry—a global effort to connect patient stories, molecular profiles, and outcomes so care teams can match treatments to tumor biology.Bottom line: more data → smarter trials → targeted options. Patients and clinicians can help—by enrolling in the registry, sharing pathology reports, and amplifying the work.HighlightsOrigin story: Family experiences with cancer → oncology → pivot to sarcoma to meet a critical gap.Why SFT is hard: 100+ sarcoma subtypes; each one rare within rare. Evidence takes time.What’s new: Building SFT cell lines, NAB2-STAT6 mouse models; early drug-screen “hits” under validation; HDAC inhibitors on the shortlist for a clinical trial.Registry mission: Capture diagnosis journeys, exposures, germline testing, pathology, and treatment response to map variant → site → therapy sensitivity and guide care.Real talk on research: Slow-growing tumors = slow cell-line culture; IRB, protocols, and flyers take time; philanthropy + institutional support bridge to federal grants.Top 3 TakeawaysPrecision beats guesswork. Understanding SFT at molecular and epigenetic levels enables targeted therapy—beyond “try this, then that.”Data is the accelerator. A well-run registry connects the dots between variants (NAB2-STAT6 subtypes), sites of origin, and treatment response.Everyone can help. Patients, families, and clinicians can enroll, refer, and share records to speed breakthroughs.How to Help (Registry + Research Fund)Join or Refer to the SFT Patient Registry (University of Miami – Sylvester)Who can join: Adults (18+) diagnosed with solitary fibrous tumor or hemangiopericytoma, fluent in English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole, willing/able to consent.What it involves: Short surveys about diagnosis/treatment, optional donation of blood/tissue, and sharing pathology reports.Contact: Peggy Gonzalez – 305-243-8091, pgonzalez@miami.edu.Show Notes (2)This registry helps researchers understand causes, biology, and treatment response in SFT—accelerating trials and future targeted options.Support the Horowitz Sarcoma Research Fundhttps://development.miami.edu/page.aspx?pid=383&id=ec01162f-1d17-4c44-89d6-addb185e07b5Funds support SFT research at Sylvester, including lab models, drug screening, and clinical translation.Additional ResourcesSFT Patient Registry – Sylvester (contact): 305-243-8091 | pgonzalez@miami.edu.20241120_D'Amato_Solitary Tumor…Horowitz Sarcoma Research Fund (donate): see link above.Key terms: NAB2-STAT6 fusion, HDAC inhibitors, epigenetics, sarcoma subtypes.About the GuestDr. Gina D’Amato is the Medical Director of the Comprehensive Treatment Unit, Assistant Director of Clinical Research, Sarcoma Medical Oncologist, and Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami.She earned her undergraduate degree in biology and her M.D. from the University of Miami, followed by internal medicine residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital. During her fellowship at Moffitt Cancer Center, she pivoted into sarcoma under the mentorship of global experts such as Dr. Jonathan Trent.Dr. D’Amato has since built sarcoma programs at Moffitt, Emory, and Sylvester, where she is Clinical Lead for Sarcoma Medical Oncology. She is extensively involved in Phase I–III clinical trials sponsored by NCI and industry partners, co-directs oncology curriculum at the Miller School, and serves as Medical Director for Sylvester patient education programs. She also administers the Horowitz Solitary Fibrous Tumor Initiative Fund.She has authored or co-authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications on sarcoma and connective tissue oncology, reviewed for leading journals (Cancer Medicine, Clinical Cancer Research), and received multiple NIH research grants, including a prestigious NIH Career Development Award (2002–2005).Dr. D’Amato is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine.About the Host:Dr. Peter Crane is a board-certified physician, educator, and storyteller with a heart for service and a calling to spotlight doctors who make a difference—in their communities, in medicine, and in the lives they touch.Through Doctors Making a Difference, he brings you into intimate conversations with physicians who have overcome challenges, redefined success, and found purpose in and beyond the clinic. His goal is simple: to...
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    40 mins
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