Expanding Therapy Options for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma: BCMA-Directed Therapies

Dr Paula Rodríguez Otero is a member of the Myeloma Unit at the Department of Haematology of the University Hospital of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, where she has led the clinical trials and immunotherapy programme since 2011, under the direction of Professor Jesus San Miguel. She studied medicine at the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, completed her residency training in haematology at the University Hospital of Navarra, and joined the Faculty of Medicine at the same institution in 2011. From 2009 until 2011, after completing her PhD, she undertook a clinical fellowship in the Bone Marrow Transplant Division at the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris, France.

Dr Rodríguez Otero’s research interests include the management, treatment and biology of multiple myeloma, and new immunotherapy strategies. She has collaborated in more than 20 oncology/haematology clinical trials and several translational research projects focused on molecular biology and complications of allogeneic transplantation.

Dr Rodríguez Otero has published articles in high-impact haematology journals and has presented at national and international congresses.

Dr. Adrienne A. Phillips graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in human biology and Latin American studies and a medical degree with honors.  She holds a master’s of public health degree from Harvard University.  She then came to New York City where she received both her internal medicine training and her fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center.  She is now an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital- Weill Cornell Medicine.

Dr. Phillips has a particular interest in cancer disparities and outcomes among under-served populations, including Caribbean-Americans.   She has developed a large database of a rare blood cancer called Adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma, a disease disproportionately seen among Caribbean and Latin-American emigrants.  She is the principal investigator of several clinical trials that explore novel therapies for this disease.  Her research has been presented at national and international conferences and she has co-authored numerous publications.  Dr. Phillips is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the National Medical Association. She is on the editorial board of Leukemia and Lymphoma and she is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology.  She has also served as an oncology consultant in Africa and the Caribbean and has a number of international collaborations to address cancer management strategies for developing nations.  In recognition of her achievements, she is the recipient of numerous awards including the American Society of Hematology’s prestigious Harold Amos Medical Faculty Career Development Award and The Network Journal’s “40 Under 40” Achievement Award.

Dr. Melody Smith received her MD with Distinction in Research from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. She also completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University Texas Southwestern. She subsequently moved to Memorial
Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to complete her fellowship in Hematology & Medical Oncology. She joined the faculty at MSK in 2015 as an Instructor of Medicine on the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, and she was promoted to Assistant Member Level 1 in 2017.

During her time as junior faculty at MSK, she obtained a Master of Science from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences in Clinical & Translational Investigation. She performed her post-doctoral research in the lab of Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD and she was co-mentored by Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD.

In September 2021, she joined the faculty at Stanford University as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy in the Department of Medicine to establish her independent lab. As a physician-scientist, her independent research in
the lab focuses on strategies to develop cellular immunotherapy from allogeneic as opposed to autologous sources. She also investigates the regulatory mechanisms for the impact of the intestinal microbiome on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell outcomes.

Dr. Beth Faiman has become an exemplary leader in bringing critical knowledge in myeloma management to clinical providers- locally, nationally, and internationally. She demonstrates enthusiasm for continuous learning by conducting innovative clinical research, and over time, has demonstrated the importance of using and integrating new medical knowledge within nursing practices. Dr. Faiman received her Bachelor of Science degree from Ursuline Academy in 1996, a Master of Science in nursing at Kent State University in Ohio in 2002, and a PhD in clinical research and nursing from Case Western Reserve University in 2014. 

Faiman is currently an adult nurse practitioner in the Department of Hematology/Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. A founding member of the International Myeloma Foundation Nurse Leadership Board, she has edited several books and authored many chapters and research papers, and led the development of International Myeloma management guidelines, including lead Editor of the 3rd Edition of the Multiple Myeloma Textbook for Nurses by ONS publishing company (2021). Faiman influenced cancer care practice by presenting at numerous international and US national conferences, and served as lecture chair at many of them. In 2013, Dr. Faiman served as co-chair of the 1st Nursing Symposium at the International Myeloma Workshop in Kyoto, Japan and includes the 6th nursing symposium in Los Angeles in 2022. Her scholarly publications and presentations are highly cited by peers and colleagues. She is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including 2013 Oncology Nursing Society awards for Medical excellence and Patient Education; as well as the Case Western Reserve University Dean's Legacy Award for Outstanding Doctor of Philosophy studies. In 2019, Faiman was inducted as a Distinguished Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and appointed to the American Board of Internal Medicine Hematology maintenance of certification committee; and in 2022, as a Fellow of Advanced Practice in Oncology (FAPO). Dr. Faiman was previously Editor-in-Chief of The Oncology Nurse NP/PA and section editor for American Society of Hematology Clinical News. She currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology (JADPRO), the official publication of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO). 

Dr. Saad Zafar Usmani received his medical education at Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Sinai-Grace Hospital/Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut. He then joined the Myeloma Institute for Research & Therapy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, AR in 2010 as the Director of Developmental Therapeutics and Assistant Professor of Medicine. He was recruited to the Levine Cancer Institute/Atrium Health in 2013 as the inaugural Division Chief of Plasma Cell Disorders and Director of Clinical Research for Hematologic Malignancies where he built an internationally renowned myeloma program. He now serves as the Chief of Myeloma Service at MSKCC.

Dr. Usmani is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology, and he is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He holds membership and leadership roles on national/international committees, including the International Myeloma Working Group, the ALLIANCE Myeloma Committee (Chair), the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Transplant & Cellular Therapy, and the National Cancer Institute Myeloma Steering Committee. Dr. Usmani has served as the Vice-Chair of the SWOG Myeloma Committee, and has served as chair for the ASH Scientific Committee on Plasma Cell Neoplasia, and the ASCO Scientific Committee on Plasma Cell Disorders. He has received several international awards recognizing his clinical and translational research contributions to the field, including the Celgene Young Investigator Award for Clinical Research, COMY Award for Excellence in Myeloma Research, LLS Scholar in Clinical Research, the International Myeloma Society Bart Barlogie Award for Clinical and Translational Research, and the LLS CDP Achievement Award. Dr. Usmani has authored/co-authored more than 230 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and over 300 abstracts at national and international meetings.  Active in clinical and translational research, Dr. Usmani has research interests focus on plasma cell disorders—in particular, high-risk multiple myeloma. 

Dr. Bruno Paiva, PharmD, PhD, is a research fellow of the Department of Hematology at the Clinica and CIMA Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. He is the Director of the Flow Cytometry Core of Co-Director of the Myeloma Research Laboratory.

Dr Paiva’s main area of expertise is the multidimensional flow cytometry analysis of hematological malignancies. His research focuses on immunogenomics to improve differential diagnosis, risk stratification, and monitoring of patients with monoclonal gammopathies and myeloid malignancies. He is an author or co-author of hundreds of publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has been recognized with numerous awards.