Meet Jarod DCamp

Hometown: I was born in Des Moines, IA, (go Hawkeyes) grew up in Buffalo, MN, went to Minnesota State University Moorhead and met the love of my life, so I’ve since stayed in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

• Wife - Sara

• Kids - Callum (11), Brittyn (8), Camden (3)

• Dog - Sadie

Professional Background

I am a wannabe Composer/Musician

I went to school to be a composer of contemporary artistic music - meaning I was not specifically aiming to create music that is commercially appealing or viable, but in creation of music that is art - expressing something hopefully heard as new and different.  This didn’t really work out as planned (because I didn’t really have a plan), as most musicians of this nature either need to be fully comfortable with essentially no income, or they need to be prepared for a life in academia, as a teacher in one form or another.  I’ve never really stopped composing completely, but my level of hours have dwindled over the years. Lately I’ve started calling myself the Sham Kempozer as a self-deprecating way of expressing my disappointment in my musical career, which has otherwise admittedly remained a fulfilling hobby.

Strategy, Process, Quality, Data and Analytics Guy

Historically I’ve had a hard time describing to people what I do for a living.  Not because I don’t understand what the hell I’ve done with my career, but because it honestly is not easily described in one word, like doctor, lawyer, nurse, paralegal, salesman, reporter, editor, programmer, developer, analyst, banker, admin, realtor, etc.  I guess if I had to I could say “consultant” but really, no that doesn’t really do it either.

So without trying too hard to tell you what I do, let’s just say I have worked for legal outsourcing companies and I have worked for law firms and corporate legal departments.  In all cases, I have aimed to help the organization improve their processes, save on costs, drive innovation, and create a culture of continuous improvement.

Deep Down, Beyond the Data, I Love Research

A big part of my job as a consultant has been what we often called “discovery”.  This was all about looking at a process, learning the steps, what are the inputs and outputs of that process, and who/what provided those inputs, and who/what receives those outputs?  In addition to that, how do we measure success in the process? How do we measure the delivery of inputs, etc.?

That all might not sound that fun, but the joy I have experienced in truly discovering how a process ticks, what makes it perform well, or what leads to mistakes, was truly life changing, and I knew I found my calling.  At least I felt so at the time.

Ever since Sara was diagnosed in 2016, I’ve been devouring scientific publications and have tended to spend free moments researching the current literature on a vast array of topics.  Common examples have been checking on the latest updates on curcumin’s effectiveness in fighting colorectal cancer with NRAS mutations, or finding that 4 cups of coffee improves the likelihood of positive colorectal cancer outcomes by 40%.  These efforts are what has led us to include the “Studies Show” blog series, and although we haven’t posted much there - I do have a backlog of about 400-500 topics, analysis and posts.

I’ve come to realize a big part of my calling as a data guy, process guy, or consultant, has been that narrative. The narrative is often a key missing piece for most folks when reading about a new drug or the results of a study. So maybe my job for now is to help to that story… With that in mind, stay tuned for my ‘thesis’ on The Natural Born Killers Regimen!

Why is Love Your Buns Important to Me?

LYB is important to me in any ways, but Sara probably said it best in her blog post “Save a Life: Be a Community of Advocates”:

An Intolerable Forecast Of Future Incidence
The significant rise in the last 25 years and the forecasted near-future growth in incidence for colon and rectal cancer in young adults (20-49) is truly startling...worrying...and honestly is downright unacceptable.

As a demographic, young adults are vulnerable to undetected growth of colorectal polyps and tumors.  While overall incidence across our entire population tends to go down year over year, most likely due to screening from procedures like colonoscopies.

Young onset colorectal cancer has been on the rise for far too long, and the lack of a true line of defense for young people.  I personally know too many that have faced this disease in a situation where screening isn’t an option. Most of them had big red flag symptoms, and saw ER or General Practitioners on multiple occasions only to be told their issues were being caused by something else.  Only just now are we really getting good traction in changing the way health care systems handle younger adults with symptoms of colorectal cancer. We’ll continue to get better at this through education, working together, and discovering new, better, and more cost effective ways to screen younger adults.

Beyond all of this, I also just have to say that Sara DCamp is my hero, and even through difficult times I am continually inspired by her to be the best I can be, for her, for my family, and for Love Your Buns.  Let’s keep working together to make the world a better place!

Toilet Paper - Over or Under?