Akiko Iwasaki: Finding Light in Darkness Podcast

We had the privilege of interviewing over Thanksgiving week on The Butterfly Pavilion Podcast with Akiko Iwasaki from Yale University. I have been following Akiko for a few years now and she is also one of my long Covid Heroes. 

Iwasaki is a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at the Yale University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of immune defense against viruses. Forbes 50 over 50 Innovation 2024, TIME 100 Most Influential People 2024,Keio Medical Science Prize in 2025.

I have been afflicted by long Covid since infection in January of 2020 and X became a good source of research around the topic. She has a huge following there and I'm fortunate to have her follow me and have the occasional engagement with her on that platform.

We covered a variety of topics including some of my history around long Covid and stage IV cancer. The outline of topics covered and ending like we often do with movie quotes--she was a good sport engaging with us there. 

1) Introductions 

2) At the holiday dinner table, how would you convince someone that long Covid is real that believes it's a hoax, or has never heard of it? 

3) Impact on the research community given cutbacks this year. 

4) Given long Covid is a heterogeneous disease with upwards of 200 symptoms, how do you summarize or categorize patients? 

5) Why do some people get Long Covid while other(s) don't from a Covid-19 infection? 

6) ME/CFS vs long Covid? Overlap, or different conditions requiring different research?

7) Correlation between long Covid and Cancer?

8) Vaccine injury vs long Covid? 

9) Promising trials/treatments. 

Close

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The Butterfly Pavilion Podcast is a father and daughter podcast about his stage IV cancer journey and trying to find light in darkness along the journey. Ty also has long Covid.