Posted on June 8, 2022 How do those living with and at risk of breast cancer “trust” science, when science has a history of being untrustworthy, and especially so in their treatment of the BIPOC community? As discussed in the episode, “Trust in Science: A Panel Conversation,” the labor of building trust is often shifted […]

Stories play a powerful role in our culture and in social change, because they connect our communities, inform and expand our perspectives, and illuminate areas in need of change. In this podcast episode, "Storytelling, A Powerful Agent of Change,” we speak with our very own Executive Director, Dr. Krystal Redman (KR), and Dena Taylor, author of the book “I Don’t Want To Be Pink” and longtime BCAction supporter. KR speaks to the power of storytelling: how storytelling documents our histories, translates our lived experiences into real data, how storytelling can propel the breast cancer movement, and how to ethically engage in sharing personal narratives for political change. Then Dena joins us to not only share her person breast cancer story, but to speak to the healing and political power of doing so. Tune in to this dynamic episode and learn how YOU can share your story - as a person living with or at risk of breast cancer, as a caregiver, or as someone impacted by the disease (which is all of us). Your support, collaboration, and sharing of your personal stories have made possible BCAction’s historic wins and outsized achievements. None of our work would be possible without the participation of activists who are unafraid to share how breast cancer has impacted our lives, and who continue to hold policymakers and corporations accountable through a collective action framework.  

Posted on November 12, 2021 At Breast Cancer Action’s October event Radical Disruption & Compassionate Resistance, we hosted a panel of four expert breast cancer activists who spoke to the power of our 2021 Think Before You Pink® campaign Stop Banking on Breast Cancer. The panel featured BCAction Program Manager Jayla Burton, BCAction Executive Director […]

Individuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Queer have stories of navigating breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment that aren’t represented in the heteronormative pink ribbon narrative. In this episode, host BCAction Program Manager Jayla Burton speaks with Laurie Merges, who tells the… Read More

Most of us are familiar with the serious health inequities that exist among different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups when it comes to illness. Breast cancer is no exception. Join BCAction Program Manager Jayla’s conversation with four podcast guests: Marissa Thomas, co-founder of For the Breast of Us, Darci Green, Executive Director of Latinas Contra Cancer, Caroline Nguyen, Program Assistant at the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, and Dr. Krystal Redman, Executive Director at BCAction. This discussion covers the unique challenges and programmatic priorities specific to the Black, Latinx, and Asian communities of breast cancer activists while exploring the landscape of disparities, the disconnect between health care systems and communities of color, and the limitations of screening and mammography to address these inequities.

In this episode, Breast Cancer Action’s Environmental Health Consultant Heather Sarantis interviews Dr. Barbara Cohn, the lead research principal investigator of the study “Linking Neighborhood and Individual Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to Breast Cancer.” This study is a unique research project made possible by the… Read More

Posted on November 10, 2020 Health risks from fossil fuels touch almost every aspect of our lives. In addition to vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, a wide range of everyday products are made from fossil fuel-based chemicals, including cosmetic products, pesticides, and plastics. In this episode, The Fossil Fuel to Breast Cancer Pipeline, we spoke […]

In recent decades researchers have identified more than 200 chemical exposures that may increase the risk for breast cancer. Despite these scientific advances, the country’s primary cancer agency, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), downplays these connections. This withholding of information not only affects the ability… Read More

Having breast cancer is stressful​but nearly everyone who’s been diagnosed is told to avoid stress. ​What's the connection between emotional strain and cancer? In her role as an associate professor at Temple University, our guest, Dr. Lauren Ellman, studies prenatal and childhood factors that contribute to mental health disorders. Join the conversation with Karuna and Lauren as they discuss the data on chronic stress, including the toll of systemic racism, ​that explain some of the health impacts like ​increased breast cancer risk—even decades later.

What happens when the Medical Industrial Complex meets the FDA? How much influence do pharmaceutical and medical device companies really have ​on the drugs and devices we put in our bodies? In this episode, Karuna talks with award-winning independent medical investigative journalist and author Jeanne Lenzer about the intersection of money and medicine. Tune in to learn about the impact of the multibillion dollar medical industrial complex on our healthcare ​system—and what it means for you and for anyone living with and at risk of breast cancer. And join the conversation about where we’re going ​when the COVID-19 crisis ​passes, and what we can do to transform our healthcare system. Listen in and share your thoughts on Twitter and Facebook.

The COVID-19 pandemic shines a spotlight on the structural problems of our profit-driven healthcare system—but these failings aren't new, as Karuna and global health activist Gregg Gonsalves discuss in the latest episode of our podcast. Dr. Gonsalves, an AIDS activist turned Yale epidemiologist, was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" fellowship in 2018. Join the conversation about health activism and the lessons of HIV/AIDS and breast cancer in the age of COVID-19. And find out what you can do to challenge political inaction, demand deeper investments in public health, and focus resources on overlooked communities.

From COVID-19 to breast cancer, what happens when science gets politicized? Join the conversation with Karuna Jaggar and Michael Halpern of the Union of Concerned Scientists as they explore the intersection of politics and science. You’ll learn about a proposed rule that would undermine the EPA's ability to regulate polluting industries. ​Find out what you can do to make sure that the best science is used to guide government decisions to protect public health and safety. Listen in a​nd share your thoughts on Twitter or Facebook.

Learn about the risks of breast implants, a common medical device implanted in hundreds of thousands of people each year. People choose implants for breast augmentation, gender transition, and reconstruction after mastectomy, and as many as 100,000 women a year get implants related to breast… Read More

Posted on October 17, 2019 Join our conversation with Sharon Lerner, award-winning investigative journalist, who’s written a powerful and groundbreaking series on PFAS. Learn about these toxic chemicals used in every day products, first developed by corporate giant 3M seventy years ago. And find out what Lerner uncovered about how 3M has tried to conceal […]

Posted on October 4, 2019 Karuna and Jayla Burton, Breast Cancer Action’s Program Officer, take you behind the scenes of our 2019 Think Before You Pink® campaign. Why is Breast Cancer Action targeting corporate giant 3M in this year’s campaign? What’s wrong with 3M’s pink ribbon Post-its? What are PFAS, why does 3M produce these […]

Posted on September 27, 2019 Why does Breast Cancer Action call October Breast Cancer Industry Month? Want to know where all the money from pink ribbon purchases goes? Angry at being told to “fight like a girl” so you can “beat” breast cancer? Join Karuna Jaggar and Yamini Ranchod to talk about pink ribbon culture […]

Posted on September 20, 2019 Put on your headphones and get fired up! The pilot for the Breast Cancer Action Podcast is out. Be sure to subscribe today using the links at the bottom of this page; you can also listen on our website. We’ll bring you our one-of-a-kind content and analysis–now in a podcast. Together […]