Dr. Saad Usmani is an International Myeloma Foundation Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) member. He currently serves as Chief of the Myeloma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York, NY. Dr. Usmani is a hematologic oncologist with more than 14 years of experience specializing in the care of patients with multiple myeloma and other disorders affecting plasma cells.

Dr. Douglas Sborov is an International Myeloma Foundation International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) member. He is an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology and Hematologic Malignancies, Department of Internal Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. 

Andrew was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2013. He began standard treatment at the time and quickly went into remission. He later underwent a stem cell transplant followed by two years of maintenance chemotherapy. He was off all treatment for almost eight years but relapsed in December 2023.

When the myeloma returned, it appeared in his central nervous system. CNS myeloma is very rare, affecting only about 1% of myeloma patients, and there is no widely accepted standard treatment. Andrew’s care team prescribed a plan that included radiation, quadruplet systemic chemotherapy, and intrathecal chemotherapy administered directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. The treatment was effective, and Andrew later chose to proceed with CAR T-cell therapy. This required Andrew and Audrey to spend six weeks about 100 miles from their home to be close to the University of Pennsylvania hospital where he received treatment. So far, he remains in remission.

For many years since his diagnosis, Andrew has mentored and coached many other myeloma patients through programs sponsored by organizations dedicated to supporting those living with the disease. He has also helped raise awareness by speaking publicly and participating in media interviews.

An avid cyclist his entire life, Andrew continues to ride between 8,000 and 12,000 miles each year despite his age and experience with cancer. He has participated in numerous multi-day cycling events to raise funds for myeloma research. Andrew is excited to be part of the IMF team for the 2026 Iceland Cycling Expedition, an event focused on advancing myeloma research.

Craig Hofmeister is a myeloma clinician based in Atlanta, GA, working at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. He previously participated in Ohio State’s Pelotonia fundraiser and values how these events build community and support novel research in a landscape where clinical research often prioritizes feasibility and profit over innovation.

"I know many of the myeloma physicians from past expeditions and this one, and I look forward to the opportunity to re-establish connections. At home, we are empty nesters, aside from our labrador-hound mix, whom we affectionately call a perpetual toddler, and this is a time for us to travel in support of the IMF’s mission."

I am based in Park City and actively participate in many outdoor activities, with cycling becoming a new favorite. My professional background is rooted in science and helping patients. In 2017, I was diagnosed with MGUS and subsequently accepted a position within the hematology community the following year. This role facilitated collaboration with physicians and multidisciplinary teams dedicated to providing optimal care for individuals affected by blood cancer.

These professional relationships became especially meaningful in 2022 when my father was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Following this, I sought re-evaluation at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and received a revised diagnosis of high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (HRSMM). Despite my father’s passing in 2023, I remain committed to honoring his memory through advocacy for blood cancer patients and caregivers. Participation in the Iceland Cycling Expedition would have made my parents proud.

My personal and professional experiences serve as an ongoing connection to myeloma, and the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) continues to play a meaningful role in both.

Research shows that diet and exercise can influence the progression from precursor conditions to active myeloma. I hope the Iceland Cycling Expedition will support my wellness journey and contribute to fundraising efforts for research.

I am optimistic about advancements that will improve early intervention and management strategies for precursor conditions, including data from the ongoing iStopMM study in Iceland.

It is an honor to join fellow patients, caregivers, and myeloma providers on this expedition, and I participate in recognition of all myeloma warriors, past, present, and future.

Eric Blackburn is a Gulf War veteran, husband, and father who was diagnosed in 2024 with smoldering multiple myeloma after years of chronic inflammation and fatigue related to Gulf War Illness. The diagnosis came as a shock, but it also helped explain many of the unexplained health issues he had lived with for decades.

He stays active through road and mountain biking, trail running, and backpacking, using time outdoors to clear his mind and stay strong, both physically and mentally. After decades in corporate finance, Eric has redirected his experience toward patient advocacy, focusing on early detection for high-risk veterans exposed to toxins. He co-leads the International Myeloma Foundation’s Veterans Support Group, completed the Patients Rising Advocacy Masterclass, and serves as a patient advocate on national myeloma research initiatives. Through the IMF community, he has found connection, purpose, and a meaningful way forward.

Why Eric Is Riding in the Iceland Cycling Expedition

"I’m riding because early detection changed my life. My smoldering myeloma and prostate cancer were caught early, while I could remain active and engaged. That experience reshaped how I think about health, balance, and giving back.

The IMF’s support of the iStopMM study in Iceland reflects what I believe in most: finding disease earlier and preventing progression before lives are upended. Riding in Iceland feels like a natural extension of that mission, combining time outdoors, shared effort, and advocacy in a place that embodies resilience.

The IMF community, along with the veterans and patients I’ve met through its support networks, has become my tribe. They’ve helped me find purpose in a new reality and reminded me that none of us carry this alone. Supporting IMF-led research is personal for me. It helps keep my smoldering cancer at bay, and it’s why I’m proud to ride alongside this team in Iceland."

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in July 2006, making this ride especially meaningful as I approach my 20-year anniversary. After several years of smoldering myeloma, I’ve been in and out of active treatment over time. Today, my disease is well controlled at a very low level and does not limit my ability to live a full, active life.

I see the Iceland Cycling Expedition as a truly collaborative experience, one where we support each other, face challenges together, and share in the rewards along the way. Having bike toured extensively across the U.S. and Europe, I’ve long dreamed of exploring Iceland by bike. I believe there’s no better way to experience a place than on two wheels, where everything is unfiltered, and you connect with the landscape, culture, and people at a human pace.

Multiple myeloma has shaped Katherine’s family life for nearly two decades. She lost her mother and two uncles to the disease, and today, she faces it herself as a patient.

"At times, living with multiple myeloma has felt isolating. I took up cycling to keep moving forward and to challenge myself. I love to climb, and I have summited Haleakalā and Mount Washington on my bike, always finding satisfaction in taking on demanding ascents on my own. Last summer, however, shifted my perspective.

I had the privilege of joining the International Myeloma Foundation’s Iceland Cycling Expedition. Riding across Iceland’s remote landscapes, I experienced the strength of community, not only among the doctors, researchers, patients, and caregivers riding alongside me, but also through the support of friends and family at home.

This year, I am honored to return to Iceland with a new and inspiring team. The journey carries added meaning as I ride while undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma.

The International Myeloma Foundation is dedicated to improving patients’ quality of life while advancing the search for a cure. This ride reflects a commitment to living fully in the present while supporting the work to one day eliminate multiple myeloma.

I would be grateful for your support. Your contribution will help fund critical research and move us closer to a cure. Just as importantly, it will help me show my children that difficult challenges are best faced together."

Khatchig was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and immigrated to the United States in 1981. After graduating from college, He began working in construction as a field engineer and worked his way up to Vice President before retiring from McCarthy Building Co., Inc.

"I live in California with my wife, and we have two amazing sons, ages 19 and 23. I retired in late May 2024 after 31 years with McCarthy. I had just started to enjoy retirement when, six months later, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma on December 13, 2024.

I went through weekly treatments and radiation for almost seven months. I received my ASCT (autologous stem cell transplant) in late August and am currently on maintenance treatment.

I was very active prior to my diagnosis, playing soccer, cycling, and running. I have participated in 5K and 10K races, half-marathons, a 200-mile team relay with Ragnar, and a 100-mile ride for MS100.

I look forward to getting back to these activities and resuming travel as I had planned before my diagnosis."

Hi, I’m Mimi. I am living with multiple myeloma—an incurable blood cancer—but I’m also living well. After intensive treatment and a stem cell transplant in August 2024, I am now in remission and determined to make the most of every healthy day.

As a nurse, I understand both the science and the reality of this disease. As a patient, I live with the uncertainty it brings. That combination drives me to act.

I have a deep love for the outdoors—walking, cycling, and staying active—and an even deeper love for my family, especially my two daughters, who keep me grounded and motivated every day.

After the incredible support I received during my last fundraising effort, I’m stepping up again—this time taking on the Iceland Myeloma Cycle, a 100-mile challenge through some of the toughest terrain.

This challenge is about living life to the fullest while supporting vital research like the iStopMM study and turning gratitude into action.

My myeloma diagnosis came, as it does for most of us, unexpectedly at the age of 39. My wonderful husband and I were living temporarily in the US and enjoying raising our three young girls.

We all lose things along the way, and in that one phone call, I lost my health, my sense of the future, my home in South Africa, closeness to our family and community there, and my career as a doctor.

I don’t think many of us, if given the choice, would have the courage to choose this life, but over the years, we have found the gifts: the acceptance and equanimity it has taught us; the way we’ve learned to hold complexity and live by our values; the richness that colors the ordinary when you realize it is all temporary; and the many glimpses into the goodness and kindness of humanity. For us, it also brought a second place to call home, a new community, new adventures, and now a new challenge: learning to be a cyclist.

I love spending time in the mountains, paddle boarding, camping, and snowboarding. I’ve learned to throw pottery on a wheel. I love Cape Town, the ocean, poetry, quiet evenings at home with our teenage girls, candlelight, cozy weather, and birds chatting in the morning.

About 17 bone marrow biopsies, 9 months walking with a cane, 2 stem cell transplants, 1 bout of life-threatening pneumonia, 1 relapse, and 9 years of treatment later, I join this team because I know we can do hard things and that we are stronger together.

I ride to embrace life, to remind myself that so much is still possible, and that beauty and struggle can exist side by side. Knowing that many people with myeloma around the world cannot access the latest treatments, I ride with hope for them, gratitude for the scientific community and my care team who have given me the gift of time, and to celebrate my one extraordinary, ordinary life.

Dr. Martin is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF, where he specializes in multiple myeloma and the use of novel immunotherapies for treatment of myeloma. He serves as the Director of Hematology, Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cell Therapy at UCSF and Co-Leader of the Cancer Immunology & Immunotherapy Program at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is actively involved in myeloma research and received a 4.7 million dollar CLIN1 grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CRIM) to test a novel, non-viral, CRISPR mediated gene-transfer, CART therapy in patients with MM and the first patient has recently been treated.

Board-certified in internal medicine and hematology, Dr. Martin is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He leads the Immunotherapy Committee of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) and directs the Transplant and Cell Therapy Clinical Program at UCSF. A prominent researcher in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, Dr. Martin is involved in multiple clinical trials exploring innovative treatments like bispecific antibodies and CAR T-cell therapies. He has received the 2023 Brian G.M. Durie Outstanding Achievement Award and has published extensively while serving as a teacher and mentor in the field.

Phil Powell is a Director in US Medical Affairs at Johnson and Johnson, working specifically with CAR T therapy for multiple myeloma. Prior to joining Johnson and Johnson, he worked at Washington University in St. Louis within their clinical research group, where he helped manage the portfolio of cell therapy clinical trials offered for multiple myeloma and other hematologic malignancies. After dedicating his entire professional career to researching multiple myeloma, he is excited to join this amazing team to continue to raise awareness, build community, and fundraise to combat this disease together.

I'm a cancer researcher, and I've spent my career chasing one question: how do we turn what we learn in the lab into real treatments for patients? After roles at Genentech, Amgen, Roche, and 23andMe, I now lead Tumor Biology at Pfizer, where my team is working to bring new therapies to patients with cancer, including multiple myeloma. One area I'm especially passionate about is intervening early, in the pre-malignant stages of disease, before myeloma ever has a chance to progress. That ambition, and the patients it's for, is what brought me to this expedition.

Cycling across Iceland is a way to step outside the lab and stand alongside the community I work for every day. The science is urgent, but so is the human side- the patients, families, and advocates who give this work its meaning. I'm proud to ride with the IMF, to help fund the research that gets us closer to prevention and a cure, and to share the road with people who care about this fight as much as I do.

Christopher Campen is a Principal Medical Science Liaison in Multiple Myeloma at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. Before joining Johnson & Johnson, he served as a clinical pharmacist at the Prisma Health Cancer Institute and the University of Arizona Cancer Center. He is a founding board member and former Vice President of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO), where he has helped advance the role of oncology advanced practitioners. He is committed to volunteerism, community service, and supporting patients living with multiple myeloma. Outside of work, he has completed multiple 24-hour mountain bike races and is a four-time IRONMAN finisher.

As a cancer survivor in my early twenties, and having lost two family members fighting myeloma, I’ve both experienced and witnessed firsthand the shock and uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis and the impact that innovative treatments can have on a life.

The entirety of my professional career has been dedicated to cancer research, spanning 10 years as a brain tumor scientist and post-doctoral fellow at UCSF Medical Center, and 8 years in the oncology industry. I’m currently working to bring next-generation cell therapies to patients as a director of commercial strategy at Kite Pharma, with the goal to provide more treatment options for patients in the future.

Outside of work, I’ve turned to endurance sports as a moving meditation—particularly trail and ultra-distance running—drawn to the challenge of long, sustained efforts in nature. This ride brings both of these worlds together for me: another way to be in community with and in support of patients, families, and survivors facing this disease together.