Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma with Ashraf Badros, MD, University of Maryland

Ashraf Badros, MD, is a Professor and Director of the Multiple Myeloma Service at the Greenebaum Cancer Center of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has extensive clinical experience in the diagnosis and management of multiple myeloma. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, he was a faculty member of the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy at the University of Arkansas. He was involved in the initial trails of thalidomide and has conducted many clinical trials for treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Dr. Badros research has focused on evaluation of immunological approaches to eradicate residual myeloma cells in the high-risk setting following autologous stem cell transplantation using natural killer (NK) and interleukin -2 (IL-2) activated cells and non-myeloablative allogeneic donor grafts. Dr. Badros is involved in the development of targeted novel therapeutics. Dr. Badros’s clinical research focuses on novel agents and manipulation of the immune system to enhance antimyeloma effects of various therapies. He was involved in the initial clinical trials of thalidomide, lenalidomide and proteasome inhibitors including bortezomib and carfilzomib. He has conducted seminal trials in transplantation for patients with renal failure, several trials for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma focusing on novel agents, and defined risk factors of osteonecrosis of the jaw in multiple myeloma patients and had a NIH-funded grant to investigate its pathogenesis. Dr. Badros is a member of International Myeloma Working Group. He has written or cowritten more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, Leukemia, Nature Medicine, the British Journal of Haematology, Transfusion, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and the American Journal of Medicine as well as five chapters in medical texts. He served a fellowship in oncology at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, completed an internship and residency at Harbor Hospital, Baltimore, MD and earned his medical degree from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

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.