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Steven Duffy, MD, Appointed to National Cancer Research Board of Directors Steven Duffy, MD , has joined the Board of Directors of The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (The Alliance). He is a medical oncologist/hematologist at Hematology-Oncology Associates (HOA) of CNY who is board certified in internal medicine, oncology, and hematology. He specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer and blood disorders in adults and serves as HOA's Director of Research.FigureSteven Duffy, MD: Steven Duffy, MDThe Alliance, of which HOA is a member, seeks to reduce the impact of cancer by uniting a broad community of scientists and clinicians who are committed to the prevention and treatment of cancer. Sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), The Alliance includes nearly 10,000 cancer specialists at hospitals, medical centers, and community clinics across the United States and Canada. This partnership allows HOA to offer patients research opportunities utilizing state-of-the-art cancer treatments with access to many of the same clinical trials typically available at large cancer treatment centers. “Dr. Duffy's appointment to The Alliance board underscores HOA's steadfast commitment to offer clinical research to provide our patients with the highest level of cancer care,” stated Maryann Roefaro, CEO of the HOA. “Some of the newest, most innovative cancer treatments are available only through clinical trials, and we encourage patients to speak with their care team about research options that might benefit them.” Hematology/Oncology Expert Joins Roswell Park in Vice Chair Role Peter Maslak, MD, a physician-scientist, has been named Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs and Technical Director of the Clinical Flow Cytometry Laboratory at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center by Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, Deputy Director of the facility.Peter Maslak, MD: Peter Maslak, MDA pioneer of cell-based treatments for leukemia, Maslak has been instrumental in conducting and analyzing multiple immune-based clinical trials, particularly those involving new approaches to the disease. He brings more than 2 decades of experience in clinical flow cytometry, immunophenotyping, and immune monitoring. Maslak joins Roswell Park from another National Cancer Institute-designated center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. There, he was Chief of the Immunology Laboratory Service in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Attending Physician on the Leukemia Service in the Department of Medicine. “We're extraordinarily pleased to have Dr. Maslak join our team at Roswell Park,” said Brentjens, who worked closely with him at Memorial Sloan Kettering. “His contributions will serve as a critical piece in the preclinical and clinical development of cell-based therapies at Roswell Park. We are proud to be at the forefront of research and clinical practice with these types of therapies, which are the next generation of treatments for cancer patients.” Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Mentoring Program The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) has partnered with the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute's Cobb Scholars Program to develop a mentoring program for African American medical school students. Twelve students, several of whom are from Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCU), have been paired with 12 myeloma experts who are dedicated to health equity—together they are conducting 12 projects in health disparities in myeloma. These will be presented as posters at the Annual Meeting of the National Medical Association in New Orleans in July 2023. Spearheading the mentoring program is Joseph Mikhael, MD, IMF Chief Medical Officer who leads the IMF's M-Power Project—an initiative that partners with communities across the country with the core vision of improving the short- and long-term outcomes of African American patients with multiple myeloma. On how the Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Mentoring Program came about, Mikhael narrated: “The Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma is a brand new program launched by the IMF in collaboration with the National Medical Association and the W. Montague Cobb Institute (their research arm). The program will pair medical students of minority backgrounds with myeloma experts to conduct research on health disparities for 6 months, then bring them all together to share their work and form a community of physicians dedicated to health equity in myeloma. “The objectives of the program include educating individuals from minority communities about multiple myeloma and engaging them at the earliest level of their training to gain a deeper understanding of the disease, so that they can be sensitive to its diagnosis, as well as disparities in myeloma and patient care,” Mikhael stated. “They can take this knowledge with them, whether they choose to become a myeloma expert or to pursue a different discipline. “We believe that increasing workforce diversity among those involved in the care of myeloma patients is part of the solution when it comes to long-term health equity in multiple myeloma. Right now, only less than 6 percent of physicians in the U.S. are of African American descent. Studies have noted that African American myeloma patients typically have better experiences when treated by someone from their own background. “Our goal is to increase that number by providing learning opportunities to those who are willing to pursue a career dedicated to multiple myeloma. It is a known fact that this type of blood cancer is twice as common among African Americans; furthermore, mortality is twice as high than in White Americans with myeloma,” Mikhael further added. Working alongside Mikhael is IMF Patient, President and CEO Yelak Biru, who had this to say about the program: “While some organizations offer funding and research opportunities to minority researchers, we recognize that this alone is not enough. That's why we are partnering with the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute's Cobb Scholars Program and the National Medical Association in creating the Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Mentoring Program. We are confident that this program will make a significant impact on the future of myeloma care, and we look forward to seeing the valuable contributions of our mentees to the field and to patients in years to come.” Each medical student is already working one-on-one and closely with a mentor, gaining skills in research while seeking to provide solutions to the vast health disparity in myeloma. From over 50 applicants for the program, 12 individuals were chosen by the Selection Committee. The student-mentor pairs are as follows: Dominique Sanders (University of Illinois)—Monique Hartley-Brown, MD, MMSc (Harvard Medical School) Julia Kirkland (Kansas City University)—Racquel Innis-Shelton, MD (Alabama Oncology) Theodora C. Abah (Morehouse School of Medicine)—Ajay K. Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP (Winship Cancer Institute) Yaw Adu (Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine)—Sikander Ailwadhi, MD (Mayo Clinic) Amani Tafadzwa (Kansas City University)—Brandon J. Blue, MD (Moffitt Cancer Center) Omojola Oluwadamilola (Northwestern University)—Ben Derman, MD (University of Chicago) Justin Thomas (Rush Medical College)—Craig Emmitt Cole, MD (Karmanos Cancer Institute) Semaje Testamark (Emory University)—Manisha Bhutani, MD (Atrium Health Levine Cancer Center) Chandler Gillard (Howard University)—Sandrine Niyongere, MD (University of Maryland) Nader Shayegh (Howard University)—Tondre Buck, MD (Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute) Jan Powell (Rush Medical College)—Jeffrey Zonder, MD (Karmanos Cancer Center) Irene Ammie Cooper (Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine)—Saad Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

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