The Science and Art of Creating Your Personalized Myeloma Treatment Strategy with Dr. Murali Janakiram, City of Hope

Audrey joined the HealthTree Foundation as the Myeloma Community Program Director in 2020. While not knowing much about myeloma at the start, she has since worked hard to educate herself, empathize and learn from others' experiences. She loves this job. Audrey is passionate about serving others, loves learning, and enjoys a nice mug of hot chocolate no matter the weather.

Diane has been an active and engaged care partner with Todd, her husband, since he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2017. In January 2020 they retired to devote their time and talents as patient advocates, HealthTree coaches, and myeloma community leaders. They are committed to helping improve and advance cancer care for all patients and feel a collaborative, virtual support group is an excellent way to help educate and empower patients and their families. Diane and Todd have lived in Orange County, CA for over 25 years where they raised their two sons.

Todd Kennedy was diagnosed with myeloma in 2017 and has become a tireless advocate for myeloma patients and research. His background includes over 30 years working in the pharmaceutical industry until he and his wife Diane retired from their respective first careers to devote their time and talents to strengthen the myeloma community. They collaborate with HealthTree and other trusted partners to educate and empower myeloma patients and caregivers and accelerate the arrival of cures.

Murali Janakiram, M.D., M.S., is a strong believer in City of Hope’s approach to treating the whole person, personalizing care to address each patient’s individual needs. He finds great satisfaction in helping his patients and is excited about contributing to scientific advances that will define the future of cancer care. Fluent in Tamil, Dr. Janakiram earned his medical degree from Madras Medical College in Chennai, India. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University and a fellowship in oncology/hematology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he also received a master's degree in clinical research. Before joining City of Hope, he was an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. He made significant contributions to T cell lymphoma and especially for a rare subtype adult T cell leukemia lymphoma. A clinical trialist and investigator with over 50 peer-reviewed publications, reviews and book chapters, Dr. Janakiram at City of Hope studies cellular and immune based therapies [CART, NK cell] in myeloma. His interests are in developing risk-based approaches for the treatment of multiple myeloma. “Every person is different and I believe individualizing treatment according to physical and social circumstances will result in the best outcomes.”