Myeloma survivor, patient advocate, wife, mom of 6. Believer that patients can help accelerate a cure by weighing in and participating in clinical research. Founder of the HealthTree Foundation.

Luciano J. Costa, M.D., Ph.D., serves as the Associate Director for Clinical Research at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. Dr. Costa obtained his M.D. and subsequently Ph.D. from Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. He then trained in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Colorado in Aurora and in blood and marrow transplantation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Prior to joining UAB, Dr. Costa was an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina where he co-chaired the Protocol Review Committee at Hollings Cancer Center. He was recruited to the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2014 as a Senior Clinical Investigator and currently directs the Multiple Myeloma and the Immune Effector Cellular Therapy programs. His primary research focus is the development of new therapies for plasma cell malignancies. Dr. Costa leads several multi-institutional and international projects exploring new cellular and immunotherapies and minimal residual disease in myeloma. He is regarded as an international leader in the field with more than 200 peer-reviewed abstracts and publications in high-impact journals such as Blood, Leukemia, the Journal of Clinical Oncology and The New England Journal of Medicine.