What Is the Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Mentoring Program?

The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) has partnered with the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute’s Cobb Scholars Program to develop a mentoring program for minority medical school students.

    • Increasing the pool of minority physicians dedicated to myeloma health equity
    • Raising myeloma awareness among medical students, with a focus on its impact on African Americans
    • Supporting innovative health disparities projects in myeloma
    • Providing mentorship with myeloma experts
    • Creating a supportive community of mentors and mentees

Twelve students, several of whom are from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), are paired with 12 myeloma experts who are dedicated to health equity. Together, they conduct 12 projects in health disparities in myeloma. These projects are presented as posters yearly at the Annual Meeting of the National Medical Association.

Spearheading the scholars’ program is IMF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Mikhael, who leads the IMF’s M-Power Project. The program launched by the IMF in collaboration with the National Medical Association and the W. Montague Cobb Institute (their research arm), the Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Mentoring Program pairs medical students of minority backgrounds with myeloma experts to conduct research on health disparities for six months.

Its objectives include:

  • Educating individuals from minority communities about multiple myeloma,
  • Engaging those communities at the earliest level of their training to gain a deeper understanding of the disease, and
  • Improving sensitivities toward diagnosis, as well as disparities in myeloma and patient care.

The hope is these medical students can take this knowledge with them, whether they choose to become a myeloma expert, or to pursue a different discipline.

“We believe that increasing the workforce of those involved in the care of myeloma patients is part of the solution when it comes to long-term health equity in multiple myeloma. Right now, only less than 6 percent of physicians in the U.S. are of African American descent. Our goal is to increase that number by providing learning opportunities to those who are willing to pursue a career dedicated to multiple myeloma. It is a known fact that this type of blood cancer is twice as common among African Americans.”

Joseph Mikhael, MD

Chief Medical Officer, International Myeloma Foundation

Our Partners:

Randall C. Morgan, Jr., MD, MBA
President & CEO
Cobb/NMA Health Institute

Who Are the Program’s 2025 Mentees and Mentors?

These passionate students along with their dedicated mentors are creating a brighter future for health equity in myeloma care.  Each medical student is already working one-on-one and closely with a mentor, gaining skills in research while seeking to provide solutions to the vast health disparity in myeloma.

From over 65 applicants for the program, 12 individuals were chosen by the Selection Committee. The student-mentor pairs are as follows:

Kenyota Russell
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
South Georgia

Sikander Ailawadhi, MD
Mayo Clinic
Jacksonville, FL

Abena Prempeh
Meharry Medical College
Nashville, TN

Manisha Bhutani, MD
Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute
Charlotte, NC

Elisabeth R. White
Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA

Brandon Blue, MD
Moffitt Cancer Center
Tampa, FL

Danielle Cain
Charles R. Drew University
Los Angeles, CA

Ben Derman, MD
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

Joshua Lewis
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX

Krina Patel, MD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX

Roshana Brown
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Harlem, NY

Urvi Shah, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

Caidon Iwuagwu
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI

Joselle Cook, MD
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN

Zania Marte
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine
at Quinnipiac University

Louis Williams, MD
Taussig Cancer Center
Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Christie Okoye
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Philadelphia, PA

Jeffrey Zonder, MD
Karmanos Cancer Institute Wayne State University
Detroit, MI

Marcus Selles
Howard University College of Medicine
Washington, DC

Peter Voorhees, MD
Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute
Charlotte, NC

Jonathan Tyes
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY

Craig Cole, MD
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

What Are the Next Steps for the Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Program?

Scholars will participate in a health disparities project focused on multiple myeloma with each student working closely one-on-one with a mentor myeloma expert. Mentees will meet regularly with their mentors to complete their respective projects.

The IMF will collaborate with the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute in planning the poster and networking sessions during the Annual Meeting of the National Medical Association (NMA) in July 2025.

Students and mentors will be attending the annual meeting to present their research, with a networking reception bringing together members of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), W. Montague Cobb /NMA Institute, and the NMA.

Participants are expected to complete the Post-Program Assessment by September 2025. 

Supported by Pfizer and by an educational grant from Janssen Biotech, Inc., administered by Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC.

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