The International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation invites you to join us for the IWMF Global Educational Webinar series. Through this free interactive webinar series, you will learn from the best and brightest minds in WM research, and participate in a live Q&A session from the comfort of your own home.
July 22, 2020 International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation
Getting to Know WM: Basics & Beyond will benefit newly diagnosed patients and veteran WMers alike with a refresher course on the roots underneath WM and an explanation of diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment guidelines.
Jeffrey V. Matous MD is presently the Medical Director at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute, and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado . After graduating from Medical School in 1985 from the University of Washington, he completed an Internal Medicine residency and chief residency at the University of Colorado. Fellowship training in Hematology and BMT followed at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where he worked in the lab of Dr. Ken Kaushansky. Since 1994 he has worked in private practice in Denver focusing exclusively on the care of patients with blood cancers, focusing on WM, myeloma and amyloidosis. He is an enthusiastic educator and a member of committees of both ASH & ASCO. Most prominently he has been married for many years to Marie, and three children: Ben, Joe & Catherine. He enjoys cycling, languages and is a passionate fan of our nation’s pastime.
September 9, 2020 International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation
Making Sense of the Science of WM sets out a framework for patients to understand the basic genetic concepts behind the mutations that are important in WM, to appreciate the ways in which these mutations impact the signaling systems that control the behavior of WM cells, and to recognize how these mutations are changing the landscape of therapies for WM.
Zachary Hunter, PhD. is an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School working at the Bing Center for Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute under Dr. Steven Treon. There he coordinates the next generation sequencing and bioinformatic efforts for the group. He holds a B.A. in mathematics from Haverford College and a Ph.D. in Pathology from Boston University. He has co-authored over 90 papers on WM, including the initial whole genome analysis describing the MYD88 and CXCR4 mutations. His is the recipient of the Robert A. Kyle Award, the American Society of Hematology Scholar Award, and recently received an IWMF-LLS Strategic Roadmap grant to study the dysregulation of gene transcription based on mutational patterns in WM. His current research interests include familial predisposition, clonal evolution, and signaling network analysis.
October 14, 2020 International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation
Dr. Irene Ghobrial of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will explain WM precursors – their clinical and biologic features, pathogenesis, and risk stratification – and help patients understand how clarifying the processes involved in disease progression could possibly lead to the discovery or validation of treatment targets for WM. Dr. Ghobrial also will talk about The PROMISE Study. The PROMISE Study is a collaborative research project that screens individuals at higher risk for WM and multiple myeloma.
Dr. Irene Ghobrial is a Professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA and an Associate member of the Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA. She is the Director of the Clinical Investigator research program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, co-director of the Center for Prevention of Progression (CPOP) and co-leader of the Blood Cancer Research Partnership (BCRP). She is also the director of the Michele & Stephen Kirsch Laboratory. She received her medical degree from Cairo University School of Medicine, Egypt. She completed her internal medicine training at Wayne State University, MI, and her Hematology/Oncology subspecialty training at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, MN. Her research focuses on understanding mechanisms of tumor progression from early precursor conditions such as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and Smoldering disease to symptomatic Multiple Myeloma (MM) and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM). She specifically focuses on the role of the malignant bone marrow niche in regulating disease progression. She is interested in the development of new molecular/genomic markers that predict progression in precursor conditions which can identify patients who should be eligible for therapeutic interventions to prevent progression or potentially cure the disease at the early stages of the disease before clonal evolution occurs.
November 10, 2020 International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation
Understanding Your Blood and Bone Marrow Test Results will describe the blood and bone marrow tests used to help diagnose WM, as well as explain and interpret the typical tests used by healthcare providers to monitor the disease status of their WM patients.
Dr. Edward Libby attended medical school at the University of Texas in Houston. He was trained in Internal Medicine and Hematology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Although his initial interests were in diseases of clotting and bleeding, his career later evolved into that of a hematologist focused in the diagnosis and treatment of blood cancers. Dr. Libby joined the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the University of Washington in 2011 to advance his research career. His practice and research focus are in clinical trials for patients with multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia and amyloidosis.
Clinical trials are critically important to the development of new treatments, and the IWMF has always strongly supported the participation of WM patients in clinical trials. Why Clinical Trials Matter and How to Find the Right One for You will explore the different types of clinical trials and how they operate, the factors that go into making a decision about whether a trial might be right for you, and the tools that you can use to find appropriate trials for your situation.
Neena Kennedy is a Clinical Trial Nurse Navigator for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She is part of a team of specially trained nurses focusing on educating and assisting patients with Hematological malignancies navigate and find appropriate clinical trials. Prior to joining the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Ms. Kennedy was a Clinical Research Nurse at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California. In her role at City of Hope, she managed a portfolio of clinical trials and cared directly for patients with blood cancers participating on clinical trials, including Lymphoma, CLL and WM. She has co-authored several papers on Lymphoma. She received her BSN degree from Seattle University, and holds a specialty certification from the Oncology Nurse Credentialing Center. She resides in the Seattle area with her family.
Prior to attending the webinar, you may wish to take advantage of the IWMF’s many publications and other helpful resources found on our website: www.iwmf.com.
About the Presentation:
Our IWMF experts will share an update on the status of existing vaccines and others in development. This interactive LIVE question and answer session will explain side effects and recommendations for WM patients.
About the Presenters:
Stephen M. Ansell, MD, PhD, is a consultant in the Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Dr. Ansell currently serves as chair of the Mayo Clinic Lymphoma Disease-Oriented Group and chair of faculty development and recruitment for the Division of Hematology. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 1999 and holds the academic rank of professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.
Dr. Ansell earned his MB, ChB, and PhD degrees at University of Pretoria in Pretoria, South Africa, where he also completed an internship in internal medicine and surgery, a residency in internal medicine, and a fellowship in medical oncology. Dr. Ansell continued his education at University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg where he was a registrar in internal medicine. He then came to the United States and completed a residency in internal medicine and then a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Ansell’s research focuses on investigating the phenotype and activity of intratumoral T-cells and developing strategies to modulate the T-cell infiltration in B-cell lymphoma.
Jorge J. Castillo, MD, is Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Clinical Director of the Bing Center for Waldenström Macroglobulinemia at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Castillo was born in Peru and received his medical degree at the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Massachusetts and his fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at Brown University.
Dr. Castillo specializes in the treatment of Waldenström macroglobulinemia. His research focuses on the various risk factors associated with an increased risk of developing hematologic malignancies. He currently is the principal investigator in a series of innovative clinical trials evaluating highly effective non-chemotherapeutic approaches for patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia. Dr. Castillo has authored more than 220 peer-reviewed articles and has published his research in The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Blood.
Dr. Castillo is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Hematology, and the Peruvian Society of Hematology (honorary). He regularly contributes to the International Workshop on Waldenström Macroglobulinemia, serving on task forces and scientific program committees for the annual meeting. He also is an advisor to the Steering Committee for the Latin American Group for the Study of Lymphoma.
Dr. Castillo is a member of the NCCN Multiple Myeloma/Systemic Light Chain Amyloidosis/Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia Panel.
