MMRC research efforts are selected and overseen by a dynamic team of experts in the field of multiple myeloma, including representation from world-renowned MMRC Member Institutions as well as key leadership from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. This multidisciplinary team, with expertise in the fields of multiple myeloma research, clinical care, and executive leadership, provides both strategic direction and scientific oversight to the Consortium.

		Kenneth C. Anderson, MD Chief, Division of Hematologic Neoplasia Director, Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Dr. Anderson graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School. He trained in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital and completed hematology, medical oncology, and tumor immunology training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Anderson is the Kraft Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and serves as Chief of the Division of Hematologic Neoplasia, Director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, and Vice Chair of the Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He received the Waldenstrom's Award in 2003 for his translational research directed to the development of novel therapeutics targeting the myeloma cell in its microenvironment. He serves as Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's Multiple Myeloma Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee, on the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Scientific Advisors of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and is a Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Research Scientist.
		Jesus Berdeja Director of Collection Services, Sarah Cannon Blood and Marrow Transplant Program Director, Leukemia and Myeloma Research at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute Dr. Berdeja is the Director of Collection Services at the Sarah Cannon Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and the Director of Leukemia and Myeloma Research at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute. Prior to joining SCBMT in 2008, he was an Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology at Loma Linda University and was Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Riverside Community Regional Medical Center. He has extensive clinical research experience and has published in the fields of lymphoma, myeloma and stem cell transplant. His clinical interests include Multiple Myeloma, Lymphoma, Leukemia and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplant, and the Massachusetts Medical Society. He is fluent in Spanish. In his spare time, Dr. Berdeja enjoys travel and dining out. He is an avid sports fan, in particular when it comes to his beloved Stanford Cardinal and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he is quickly developing an appreciation for local teams.
		Rafael Fonseca Professor of Medicine Rafael Fonseca, M.D., is a consultant in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is Deputy Director in Arizona of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. He holds the academic rank of Professor of Medicine and is also the recipient of a named professorship, Getz Family Professor of Cancer. Dr. Fonseca earned his M.D. degree at Universidad Anahuac, Mexico. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Miami and a fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, MN. He is a Clinical Investigator of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund. During his training and career, Dr. Fonseca has received numerous awards and honors including the Young Investigator Award in Hematology (Celgene — Achievement Awards for Clinical Research in Hematology), Damon-Runyon Walter Winchell Clinical Investigator Award and the International Waldenström Macroglobulinemia Research Award. Dr. Fonseca holds memberships and serves in positions for organizations such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, American Association for Cancer Research and the International Myeloma Society. He is an active member of several oncology clinical trial cooperative groups including the Eastern Oncology Cooperative Group and North Central Cancer Treatment Group. He also holds positions on several Mayo Clinic committees. He is a founding member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, and Chairs its Genomics Core and Tissue Banking Core. He has an adjunct academic appointment at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN). His research has been funded by the National Cancer Institute (R01, P01, SPORE), among other organizations (LLS, MMRF, Damon). Furthermore, Dr. Fonseca serves as reviewer and in editorial activities for medical publications including the Blood, Lancet, Nature Medicine, Cancer Cell, Leukemia and the New England Journal of Medicine among others. He is a frequent reviewer of grants and sits as a reviewer in the SPORE grant review panel. He has given many national and international presentations as a visiting professor. He has authored numerous articles (over 150), book chapters, editorials, abstracts and letters. Dr. Fonseca’s practice has focused on the diagnosis and treatment of plasma cell disorders and leading the multiple myeloma team in its effort to develop a better understanding of the disease and its impact on patients. In his laboratory, Dr. Fonseca has led his team of researchers in concentrating on the genetic and cytogenetic nature of the clonal cells of the plasma cell disorders.
		Kathy Giusti Founder and Chief Executive Officer Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) Kathy Giusti is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). Together, the two organizations have developed innovative models that serve to rapidly break down barriers slowing multiple myeloma research and accelerate the development of next-generation treatments. Chief among these are an integrated clinical network of academic centers that collaboratively conduct early-stage clinical trials, as well as a state-of-the-art tissue bank that has advanced the science of biobanking and genomic studies and provides a foundation for the organizations’ pursuit of personalized medicine. Prior to founding the MMRF, Giusti was a pharmaceutical executive at G.D. Searle & Co., and previously held positions at Merck & Co. and the Gillette Company. Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, was most recently named to the 2011 TIME 100 List of the world’s most influential people—a recognition she received for the progress she has made in accelerating the way research and drug development are conducted and, ultimately, dramatically improving the outlook for patients with multiple myeloma and other cancers. Giusti has also received a number of other awards for her leadership, including the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Centennial Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award, and the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association's Woman of the Year Award. Giusti’s efforts have been featured on the Today Show, CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, CNN Money, Fox News, and NBC Nightly News. She has also been recognized by several notable media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Harvard Business Review, and The Economist. Giusti currently serves on the Executive Management Committee to Stand Up to Cancer and the Harvard Business School Advisory Board. She has previously served on several other boards, including the President’s National Cancer Advisory Board, the Board of Directors for IMS Health, and the Institute of Medicine's National Cancer Policy Board. Giusti received her MBA in general management from Harvard Business School and graduated from the University of Vermont magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences.
		Shaji Kumar
		Andrzej Jakubowiak, MD, PhD University of Michigan Andrzej Jakubowiak received both his medical and doctoral degrees from the Medical Academy in Pozan, Poland. Prior to joining the faculty of the University of Michigan in 2000, Dr. Jakubowiak completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His clinical interests are in the treatment of multiple myeloma and other hematological malignancies including Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and acute/chronic leukemia. Dr. Jakubowiak’s research focuses on treatment protocols for multiple myeloma and lymphoma.
		Sagar Lonial, MD Associate Professor of Medicine Emory University Dr. Lonial completed his Hematology-Oncology training at Emory University, and prior to that completed his internal medicine residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Lonial is an Assistant Professor at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, and is also Director of Translational Research, B-cell malignancy program. Dr. Lonial has worked in the field of immunotherapy and cancer since his arrival at Emory, and in the previous years has spent time developing the B-cell malignancy program with respect to novel targeted agents in laboratory models as well as early clinical trials. Dr. Lonial’s laboratory work has focused on evaluating the impact of purified dendritic cell subsets on the nature of immune responses against antigen. Most recently Dr. Lonial has focused on combinations of novel agents as therapy for myeloma and lymphoma.
		Donna Reece, BA, FRCPC, MD
		Paul Richardson, MD
		Ravi Vij, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine Washington University Ravi Vij, MD, is Assistant Professor Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. He received his medical degree from Maulana Azad Medical College at the University of Delhi in India. He completed residency training in internal medicine at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. He completed fellowships in medical oncology and hematology and bone marrow transplantation/malignant hematology/stem cell biology at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Vij’s research interests include multiple myeloma and leukemia. He is a reviewer for several journals, including Blood, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Experimental Hematology.