Palliative Care in Multiple Myeloma: What It Really Means for Patients and Families (https://www.myeloma.org/videos/palliative-care-multiple-myeloma-it-really-means-patients-families)
Palliative Care in Multiple Myeloma: What It Really Means for Patients and Families
What is palliative care in multiple myeloma—and why is it so important? Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, explains the role of palliative care in under a minute.
Whether you're newly diagnosed or years into treatment, understanding palliative care can empower you and your loved ones to make the best decisions for your well-being.
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Dr. Joseph Mikhael:
What is palliative care for multiple myeloma? Hi everybody. Dr. Joseph Mikhael here, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, and I'm going to break down the concept of palliative care in less than a minute.
Sometimes the word palliative care can scare people off, but really it's just a phrase that refers to the fact that we don't really treat myeloma, we treat people. And so as we care for people, we look at all of the aspects of their care, their symptoms, their emotional well-being, their spiritual well-being. All of those things are part of us, and all of those things are part of palliative care. So when we involve the concepts and the individuals who work in palliative care, it's really to look at the whole of the person to ensure that everything is cared for and not just, if you will, their specific multiple myeloma. Of course, this also incorporates aspects of hospice when people are at the end of their lives, so again, we can provide them the best care possible for them at every stage and at every step of the journey of multiple myeloma. Palliative care is a wonderful approach that gives better quality and quantity of life to our patients with multiple myeloma. For more information or if you have questions about your myeloma or a loved one's myeloma, please reach out to us at myeloma.org.
Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO
International Myeloma Foundation Medical Advisor
TGen, City of Hope Cancer Center—Phoenix, AZ, USA
Dr Mikhael is a Professor in the Clinical Genomics and Therapeutics Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center. He is also the Director of Myeloma research at the HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr Mikhael specializes clinically in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. He is the PI of many clinical trials, primarily in relapsed multiple myeloma, and his other clinical research interests include pharmaco-economics, communication skills, and media relations.
Dr. Mikhael recently served as the Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) from 2018 to 2026 – he now serves as Medical Advisor to the IMF to provide guidance and strategic input in areas such as patient education, health disparities, collaboration with partners, international research, and publications.
Dr Mikhael has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in these fields and lectures internationally on a regular basis. Dr. Mikhael is deeply committed to health disparities in myeloma and is the chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council at TGen. Dr. Mikhael is heavily involved in training future researchers and mentors junior faculty worldwide. Dr. Mikhael is an active member of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) and recently led the ASCO guidelines in myeloma. Dr. Mikhael also serves as the Treasurer on the executive of the American Society of Hematology.
Dr. Mikhael did his medical training in Canada, including a fellowship in Multiple Myeloma at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He also obtained his master’s degree in education from the University of Toronto. He then worked at the Mayo Clinic Arizona as a Hematologist from 2008-2018.
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