Douglas Flora, Executive Medical Director of Yung Family Cancer Center at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, President-Elect of the Association of Cancer Care Centers, and Editor in Chief of AI in Precision Oncology, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Create What You Wish Existed: The Indigo Imperative
This next thought piece was inspired by a conversation I had over the past week with an exceptional young leader in this space, Apeksha Patel. Give her a follow for inspiration and let’s help her change the world a little. I love her visions for how AI can enhance patient care.
A Excerpt:
The intricate landscape of contemporary cancer care presents a paradox. While we have advanced to unprecedented levels of weaponry against malignancy, genomic sequencing, immunotherapies, and machine learning models offer remarkable potential, we still face significant challenges.
We witness daily instances of patients whose optimal therapies remain inaccessible due to geographical limitations, biomarker discoveries languishing in academic research while patients receive suboptimal care, and health disparities that render molecular precision ineffective for entire populations. These fragmented journeys, data silos, and systemic inequities are not merely operational shortcomings but creative opportunities disguised as obstacles.
Our paradox lies in our tendency to remain passive observers of change rather than active creators. We eagerly await the emergence of disruptive platforms from Silicon Valley, the validation of ideal protocols, and the realization of our aspirations by others. Consequently, we have become curators of possibility rather than architects of reality.
Consider Pinckney’s indigo, its ability to color not only fabric but also an entire economy, creating prosperity that extended far beyond her plantation. Your innovative approach to cancer care has the potential to transform lives, extending survival, enhancing quality of life, mitigating disparities, and accelerating scientific discoveries. However, this transformation requires your active participation and deliberate action.
The ideal time for building is not in the distant future, when conditions are ideal. It is the present moment, with the imperfect tools and incomplete knowledge available. The individual responsible for building it is not the mythical innovator you envision undertaking the task; it is you.
What is your indigo? What will you create?
The patients are eagerly awaiting your intervention. History is observing your actions. Your creative potential is poised for expression.
Begin
Author’s Note: In my latest post, I look into the life of Eliza Pinckney, exploring her insights on manifesting our desires into reality. I encourage you to share this post with your audiences as we collectively combat cancer. This month, every paid subscription will be donated to the 9/11 Firefighter’s Cancer Fund, honoring their extraordinary bravery and sacrifice on this pivotal day in our nation’s history. The LI algorithm is not kind to these Substack posts, so I may need a little help here to get people to read what is my favorite (and most important) posts to date. If it gets lost, I’ll try to repost as a LinkedIn Article later.”
More posts featuring Douglas Flora.