Radiation Vibe

Around two million people in the United states will be diagnosed
this year with cancer.


Taken together, each one of these individual life-changing
diagnoses forms a part of an overall cancer care industrial
complex which adds to up to an annual $75 billion sector of the
national economy. And, like every other business heading into the
second quarter of the 21st Century, cancer treatment is changing
and advancing with the implementation of technology that includes
AI. 


In Baton Rouge, very few people are more familiar with the
current state of cancer care than Sotirios Stathakis, Chief of
Physics at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, and a radiation
oncology physicist with more than two decades of experience in
this highly technical field.


Sotirios came to Mary Bird in 2023, and in his role there
oversees the cancer center’s physics and dosimetry teams. He also
is involved in implementing new AI technology at Mary Bird to
help improve internal processes, with the goal of improving both
outcomes and the patient experience.


Sotirios is a native of Greece who was educated in Canada and
Scotland before returning to Greece to obtain his PhD in medical
physics. Prior to his current perch in Baton Rouge, he served in
a similar role at the University of Texas Health San Antonio Mays
Cancer Center, an NCI-designated cancer center .  


While cancer care is one of the fastest growing segments of our
healthcare economy, another rapidly expanding field is pet care,
which is growing by 7% a year. In cold hard cash, over the past
12 months Americans spent even more on pet care than cancer care:
a whopping $80 Billion.


According to numerous studies, we love our pets to the point
where we'll sacrifice all sorts of other discretionary expenses
to lavish our furry friends with whatever they need to be their
best selves.


Locally, Lauren Swartley is a hands-on expert on the subject of
pet care. Lauren is the founder and owner of Lend A Paw, a
premium dog walking and pet sitting company that is bonded and
Insured through Pet Sitter Associates, and Pet CPR & First
Aid Certified through the American Red Cross. 


Lend A Paw is also the first and only Fear Free certified pet
sitting company in Louisiana.


Lend a Paw provides in-home one-on-one care for pets, with
specially curated visits and software, so you're able to view
your pets in real time.  Lauren founded the business in
2018, after she adopted a heartworm positive Staffordshire
terrier named Hayes and fell in love with him and the cause.


Despite advances in medical science and the onward drumbeat of
AI, for reasons we probably don't totally understand, lavishing
love on our pets reportedly improves our opwn health. In this
win-win world Sitorios and Lauren have more in common than you
might think at first glance.


Out to Lunch was recorded live over lunch at Mansurs On the
Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Ian Ledo and
Miranda Albarez. at itsbatonrouge.la.


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