Valarie embarked on her myeloma journey back in 2015, and ever since she's been on a mission. As a resilient myeloma thriver, her passion lies in not just navigating her own path but also in illuminating the journey for others. With a steadfast commitment to understanding the intricacies of the disease, she champions education, shedding light on health inequities that often lurk in the shadows. Driven by a profound belief in fairness, Valarie tirelessly advocates for equitable access to top-tier healthcare, clinical trials, and tailored treatments. Her journey as a beacon of knowledge and support began when she assumed the role of a support group leader. Today, she continues to extend her hand as a myeloma coach, mentor angel, and the guiding force behind the Black Myeloma Health Community. Valarie's voice echoes far and wide as she fearlessly confronts the disparities faced by myeloma patients. Through collaborative efforts with healthcare providers, she strives to forge pathways to solutions, ensuring that every individual receives the care they deserve. Join Valarie on her journey of empowerment and advocacy as she lights the way toward a brighter, more equitable future in myeloma care.

Amy Pierre received a bachelor’s degree in biology at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts and a master’s degree in nursing from Yale University School of Nursing in New Haven, Connecticut. While at Yale University, Ms. Pierre specialized in the care of adult oncology patients. Her thesis was focused on the quality of life and health behaviors of African American breast cancer survivors. At Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Ms. Pierre provided quality care as a nurse practitioner to a variety of oncology patients focused on hematology and breast medical oncology. While at Tufts Medical Center, she provided comprehensive medical and psychosocial care of hospitalized patients with life-threatening medical conditions as the lead palliative care nurse practitioner. Ms. Pierre was instrumental in the development of the palliative care program at Tufts Medical Center and served as a resource and educator for the hospital on all issues related to palliative care. At the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, Ms. Pierre became one of the nurse leaders in the myeloma division providing comprehensive care to a range of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias. At Memorial Sloan Kettering in Montvale, NJ, Ms. Pierre serves as the expert hematology nurse practitioner in caring for patients with lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In her position as a Clinical Director in the Research Oncology division at Flatiron Health, she supports the development of research products and provides clinical support for the research organization. Additionally, she is part of the race and ethnicity data working group at Flatiron Health, a project designed to solely to focus on improving research efforts in analyzing oncology health care disparities in real world data. Ms. Pierre has coauthored publications in the journals Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, Cancer, Clinical Cancer Research, Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, and Seminars in Oncology Nursing. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO), the Professional Development and Leadership Committee and also chairs the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for APSHO. Ms. Pierre is on the advisory council to the International Myeloma Foundation’s African American Initiative, an endeavor to tackle the marked racial disparities observed in multiple myeloma, and she is lead author on “African American Patients with Multiple Myeloma: Optimizing Care to Decrease Racial Disparities” in CJON, as well as a chapter entitled: “Care of Special Populations” in Multiple Myeloma: A Textbook for Nurses (3rd ed.) Ms. Pierre serves as a member of the International Myeloma Foundation’s Nurse Leadership Board (NLB), working to improve the nursing care and self-care of patients with myeloma. In her role on the NLB, Ms. Pierre has made valuable contributions to the education of both patients and nurses through educational seminars across the country.