Real-world Tactics to Address Health Inequities in Multiple Myeloma Care

Dr. Mikhael is a Professor in the Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center. He is also the Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF).

Dr. Mikhael is a consultant hematologist and Director of Myeloma Research at the HonorHealth Research Institute where he conducts phase 1 clinical trials. He also serves as a Councilor on the Executive of the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Mikhael is the Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council for TGen.

Dr. Mikhael was recently a hematologist at Mayo Clinic Arizona where he served as a Professor at the Mayo College of Medicine, Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and Deputy Director – Education of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. He has been recognized with numerous awards in education including being in the Mayo Clinic Resident and Fellow Association Hall of Fame as Educator of the Year. He was also recently named in the Top 100 Doctors in the United States.

Dr. Mikhael did his initial medical school training in Ottawa, Canada, followed by his Hematology Residency at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He then did a Multiple Myeloma Fellowship there along with a Masters’ Degree in Education from the University of Toronto. He was on staff at PMH until being recruited to Mayo Clinic in 2008.

He specializes clinically in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. Dr. Mikhael is currently the principal investigator of many clinical trials, primarily in multiple myeloma. His other clinical research interests also include pharmaco-economics, communication skills and media relations. He has published over 150 peer reviewed articles in these fields. He lectures internationally on a regular basis. He is an active member of the International Myeloma Working Group and led the first ever ASCO Guidelines for Multiple Myeloma.

Dr. Mikhael leads the diversity efforts of the IMF, known as the M-Power program, seeking to empower patients and communities change the course of myeloma in at risk populations. He is also leading the IMF African American initiative whose goal is to improve the outcomes and care delivered to African Americans with myeloma; a disease with double the incidence in African Americans than Caucasians. Dr. Mikhael also spends about 20% of his time in the third world seeking ways to enhance research, collaboration and access to myeloma therapies in underprivileged countries.

Saad Zafar Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, 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. In 2010, Dr. Usmani joined the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas, 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 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (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 (IMF), Alliance Myeloma Committee (Chair), American Society of Hematology (ASH), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society for Transplantation & Cellular Therapy (ASTCT), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Myeloma Steering Committee (MYSC). Dr. Usmani has served as the Vice-Chair of the SWOG Myeloma Committee, Chair for the ASH Scientific Committee on Plasma Cell Neoplasia, and Chair for 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, Controversies in Multiple Myeloma (COMy) Award for Excellence in Myeloma Research, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) Scholar in Clinical Research Award, and International Myeloma Society Bart Barlogie Young Investigator Award for clinical and translational research. Dr. Usmani has authored/co-authored more than 210 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and 250 abstracts at national and international meetings. Active in clinical and translational research, Dr. Usmani’s research interests focus on plasma cell disorders, in particular, high-risk multiple myeloma.