Standard of Care, CAR-T, and Bispecific Antibodies in Multiple Myeloma: A Research Roundtable on Patient Experiences and Treatment Impact

Cynthia is a newborn ICU nurse by trade that has spent the last six years in the medical device industry educating nurses and doctors about devices that are new to their facility. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, traveling the world with her family, and creating Halloween animatronics for her annual front yard display. She has a passion for life-long learning and enjoys sharing what she learns with the people around her.

Craig Emmitt Cole, M.D. is a board-certified Hematologist who received his Bachelor of Science degree in physiology at Michigan State University and the College of Lyman Briggs, in East Lansing, Michigan. Dr. Cole went on to receive his doctoral degree at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Cole subsequently had a post-fellowship laboratory research position at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center of Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. This opportunity then led him to becoming an attending hematologist at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin for 9 years. There he was an instructor for both the medical and nursing schools of the western campus of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He also served as an Affiliate Faculty Member of Graduate Community Health Programs at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Department of Health Professions. While in Wisconsin, his clinical research interest was in multiple myeloma, malignant hematology, clinical apheresis, and patient reported outcomes in hematology. He then returned to the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the Division of Hematology/Oncology with his primary clinical and research interest being in novel therapeutics in multiple myeloma. In 2019, he came back to Michigan State University in College of Human Medicine - Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing as the Director of Clinical Cancer Research. Dr. Cole next expanded his work in myeloma research and clinical care in July of 2024 by joining the Multiple Myeloma and Amyloidosis Multidisciplinary Team at the Karmanos Cancer Institute as Associate Professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit Michigan and Clinical Associate Professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Dr. Cole has participated in over 60 clinical trials in Multiple Myeloma and Malignant Hematology. Currently, he is a member of the International Myeloma Working Group, International Myeloma Society, the American Society of Hematology and European Hematology Association. He has published in high impact international journals and presented at the American Society of Hematology, International Myeloma Workshop, and the American Society for Apheresis meetings. Over the past 20 years, he has lectured around the world to patients, researchers, and clinical providers on multiple myeloma, plasma cell dyscrasias, and disparities in cancer care. Dr. Cole has been fortunate to have won awards for his work in student, resident, and fellow teaching, multiple myeloma research, and patient advocacy. Craig has always had a strong commitment to equity of cancer care, patient empowerment, and community education by working with several local, national and international patient advocacy associations to bring the news of myeloma research to everyone.

I’m a clinical researcher, with over 15 years of experience investigating various aspects of human health, nutrition and physiology. My PhD encompassed the broad topics of nutrition and integrative physiology with particular focus on age related diseases and vascular health. My most recent work focuses on accelerating a cure and treatments for Multiple Myeloma. I’m also working to improve patient experiences and decision-making processes for cancer treatment and care. To complement these critical research efforts, I enjoy hiking and skiing in Utah and surrounding states, along with training my dog and digital photography. 

Christine Brittle, Ph.D., is the founder of Uncommon Insights. A senior researcher with over 20 years' experience, the core of her work is the ability to bridge the content gap between technical experts and the people they are trying to reach. She is passionate about the power of communications to facilitate understanding, raise awareness, build partnerships, and motivate change. Christine holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and a degree in political science (summa cum laude) from Washington University in St. Louis.