2025 IMF Nurse Leadership Board Annual Meeting

By Diane Moran, IMF Interim Chief Executive Officer, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning

Scope / Methodology

This article summarizes key discussions, initiatives, and outcomes from the 2025 IMF Nurse Leadership Board (NLB) Annual Meeting, held in Cleveland, Ohio. Content was developed by the International Myeloma Foundation editorial team using meeting presentations, program materials, and updates shared by NLB faculty and IMF leadership. It is intended for patients, care partners, oncology nurses, advanced practice providers, and healthcare professionals involved in myeloma care. 

Key Takeaways / Highlights

• The IMF Nurse Leadership Board marked more than two decades of impact, continuing its mission to improve nursing care, patient education, and quality of life for people living with myeloma.
• NLB initiatives reached thousands of nurses and hundreds of thousands of patients and care partners through live events, virtual education, published resources, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
• Major 2024–2025 accomplishments included new Myeloma University modules, ONS Congress programming, white papers, and published nursing scholarship focused on CAR T-cell therapy, bispecific antibodies, transitions of care, and symptom management.
• Two new priority projects were launched to address evolving needs: mentoring advanced practice providers and community nurses, and developing a care partner training toolkit.
• Future NLB efforts will focus on immune therapy side-effect management, genomics, survivorship, infection prevention, and care partner support, including a new web-based clinical resource to help community practices adopt advanced myeloma therapies.

The IMF Nurse Leadership Board (NLB) gathered for its annual faculty meeting to address the needs of patients with myeloma. This year’s meeting took place in in Cleveland, OH. It was co-chaired by Dr. Beth Faiman and Dr. Mary Steinbach.

“We are delighted to gather for the 21st meeting – 19th year – of the Nurse Leadership Board,” said Diane Moran as she welcomed the NLB nurses, sponsors, and IMF staff to the meeting. “IMF’s vision is a world where every myeloma patient can live life to the fullest, unburdened by the disease. Our mission is improving the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure. Established in 2006, the NLB is a cornerstone of the IMF and a key to accomplishing the IMF’s mission.” Diane recognized the founding members of the NLB, the retiring members, and the recent additions to the board.

Diane presented Beth with the first-ever NLB Leadership & Mentorship Award, a distinguished recognition given for outstanding and innovative individuals working in the fields of nursing, clinical practice, and patient care. NLB nurses throughout the years have benefited from Beth’s encouragement and generosity, and they shared their experiences during a celebratory dinner.

“Through the NLB, we have reached thousands of nurses directly and indirectly, and educated and empowered hundreds of thousands of patients and their care partners,” said Beth. “The NLB’s unwavering mission is to enhance both the nursing care and selfcare of patients with myeloma.” Next, Beth reported on the NLB accomplishments over the past year that focused on patient and care partner education:

• Presentations at four Patient & Family Seminars and numerous Myeloma Community Workshops, and at the Annual Support Group Leaders Summit
• Virtual presentations to myeloma support groups
• Living Well Webinar on nutrition
• Facebook Live events
• Social media outreach
• Publication of the tip card Building Your Support Network, released in August 2024
• Publication of the tip card Caring for the Care Partner, released in July 2025

Beth also highlighted the NLB accomplishments over the past year that focused on educating nurses:

• The NLB symposium at the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress, Case Studies for Nurses: New Therapies and Regimens for Patients with Multiple Myeloma, was attended by 600 in-person attendees and about 3,500 virtual learners who deliver nursing care for approximately 23,000 myeloma patients each month.
• New Myeloma University Modules on bispecific antibodies and transitions of care were launched and can be viewed at university.myeloma.org
• Publication of the tip card Conversation Starters for Nurses, released in July 2025
• “Optimizing Transitions of Care in Myeloma Immunotherapy: The Nurse’s Role” published in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (CJON)
• “Understanding the Role and Clinical Management of Bridging Therapy During CAR T-Cell Therapy for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma,” published in the Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology (JADPRO)
• Article on monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) accepted for publication by JADPRO
• Article about clinical trials to be submitted for publication
• Published White Papers on CAR T-cell and Bispecific Antibody therapies
• Mentorship of nurses in Singapore
• NLB members participated on committees of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG)
• NLB members attended the International Myeloma Society (IMS) annual meeting  

Each year, NLB nurses complete a survey in advance of the annual meeting. “The survey helps us understand the changing needs of patients and care partners as well as nurses. This helps ensure that the NLB’s work aligns with the changing needs and priorities,” explained Mary. Based on the survey, two new NLB projects have been prioritized:

• Mentoring advanced practice providers and community nurses project led by Dr. Beth Faiman and Dr. Mary Steinbach
• Care partner training and toolkit project led by Samantha Shenoy and Lisa Hwa Christenson

In addition, the NLB will continue to serve as speakers for Patient & Family Seminars, Myeloma Community Workshops, webinars, virtual support group talks, and nurse education projects and events, including a Myeloma Symposium at the ONS Congress and Myeloma University modules on bispecific antibody side effects and managing BCMA-bispecific antibodies in the community.

The NLB plans to launch a web-based resource with protocols for managing side effects and toxicities for myeloma patients treated with immune therapies. This resource will help community practices adopt therapies by reducing barriers to implementation.

New scholarly articles for nurses under development:

• Immunotherapy Symptom Management
• Long-term CAR T-Cell Therapy Implications
• Genomics and Biomarkers in Myeloma
• Infection Prevention and Management
• Bone Health
• Care Partners
• Survivorship

Dr. Joseph D. Tariman, a long-time NLB member, presented on shared decision-making and outlined his vision for potential research.

Dr. Louis Williams from the Cleveland Clinic gave an informative talk on genomics in multiple myeloma. He explained how next-generation sequencing is providing new information about myeloma.

Changes that may lead to myeloma are detectable decades before a person develops myeloma. He explained his perspectives on how genomics understanding may evolve.

Visit nlb.myeloma.org to learn how the NLB is improving the nursing care and self-care of patients with myeloma via publications, symposia, multimedia, and research. 

(This article was originally published in the 2025 Fall Edition of the IMF's quarterly publication, Myeloma Today. Read the full publication here.)

This article was medically reviewed by Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO on August 16, 2025.

This article reflects medical guidance available at the time of review and is not routinely updated.