Ep 76: Why Caregiver Sleep Matters in Cancer Treatment with Dr. Eneida Nemecek - The Patient From Hell Podcast
In this insightful episode of The Patient From Hell, host Samira Daswani sits down with Dr. Eneida Nemecek, a leading pediatric oncologist specializing in bone marrow transplants and cellular therapies. Dr. Nemecek breaks down the science behind these treatments, offering a detailed look at what patients and caregivers can expect throughout the process. She highlights the critical role of caregiver well-being—particularly the impact of sleep on stress and resilience—and shares findings from a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study on stress management for caregivers. The episode wraps up with a rapid-fire Q&A, demystifying key terms and concepts in the field.
About Our Guest
Dr. Eneida Nemecek is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Oncology and the Associate Director of Clinical Research at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Puerto Rico, she completed her pediatric residency at Case Western Reserve University and a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. She also holds a Master’s in Epidemiology and Clinical Research from the University of Washington and a Master’s in Healthcare Business Administration from OHSU.
With over two decades of experience in clinical research, Dr. Nemecek has led trials ranging from early-phase studies to large, multicenter initiatives. Her work focuses on bone marrow and cellular therapies, experimental oncology therapeutics, and health services research, particularly addressing disparities in access to care for underrepresented groups. She has served in leadership roles across national cooperative research groups and has held key positions as a director, trustee, and committee chair in multiple professional organizations.
This episode was made possible with support from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and features studies by Mark Laudenslager, PhD.
Key Moments
3 minutes:
“The whole principle of bone marrow transplant is to, if someone's immune system is sick with either cancer or a blood disorder or an immune disorder, we know that if we could replace the immune system of that person with immune system of someone that doesn't have those diseases, kind of like an organ transplant if you think about it, then eventually we can fix the problem on the person's blood or immune system. We make space in the bone marrow by giving chemotherapy. We try not to use radiation, but sometimes we have to. When that space is made, if you think about it like putting a plant, we then put the new cells in the bloodstream and eventually they find their way into the bone marrow, which is where we make all their blood cells and eventually they grow and replace what was there.”
15 minutes:
“Sleep is healthy. If you are the one caregiver of a patient and you get sick because you're stressed and not getting enough rest, then you get affected and your patient gets affected too. It's a very important part of our health. Eat, sleep, get some time for yourself. Those are all things that just need to happen. The way that we're designing medicine today, sometimes we forget that the caregiver is kind of a patient. If we lose that person, we are in serious trouble. I can tell you multiple examples about when that has happened and how difficult it is for the medical team and for the family.”
28 minutes:
“I think it's really important to remind ourselves that the brain, our psychosocial life, is part of our health. I think sleep, exercise, diet studies, anything that can improve the life of people should be studied in a very organized setting, just like you study drugs, if we're going to do this well.”
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