Florida Myeloma Community Event: A Discussion on Bone Health
The Florida Myeloma Community welcomes Dr. Melissa Alsina for the first time as she educates us in a discussion about bone health. We will discuss what patients can do to alleviate their bone pain and prevent further ones from occurring.
Audrey introduces the agenda of the event and our featured speaker Dr. Melissa Alsina.
Dr. Melissa Alsina joins us to discuss bone health.
Type your questions in the chat and we will answer them!
Audrey Burton-Bethke
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.
Melissa Alsina, MD
Dr. Melissa Alsina is a specialist in multiple myeloma and bone marrow transplantation. Dr. Alsina focuses much of her research on the progression of bone disease in multiple myeloma, myeloma-stromal cell interactions, myeloma drug resistance and novel molecular therapies. A graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, Dr. Alsina completed her residency in medicine at San Juan Veterans Administration Hospital, followed by a fellowship in hematology at San Juan City Hospital in Puerto Rico and medical oncology/hematology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas. Before coming to Moffitt in 2000, Dr. Alsina was an assistant professor of medicine at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio. She was also co-director of the Myeloma Bone Disease Program Clinic at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, where she served on the faculty from 1995-1999. Dr. Alsina is a member of several professional organizations, including the International Society of Experimental Hematology and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. She also participates in community programs to support myeloma patients, and she is actively involved in Latinos y el Cancer, a cancer educational symposium for Hispanics. She received the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Senior Research Award in 2001.