Brian G.M. Durie Outstanding Achievement Award

Dr. Shaji Kumar is a consultant in the Division of Hematology and the Mark and Judy Mullins Professor of Hematological Malignancies at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is Chair of the Myeloma, Amyloidosis and Dysproteinemia Disease Group, and an Associate Chair for research in the Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.

“The myeloma community has been a second family to me, and I am deeply honored to be receiving this recognition,” said Dr. Kumar. “It has been my privilege to work with my colleagues all these years to improve the outcomes of patients with myeloma and related disorders, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be part of this journey.”

This year’s award recipient, Dr. Wee Joo Chng, is the Director of the National University Cancer Institute of Singapore at the National University Health System, Singapore. He is Group Director of Research Office at the National University Health System and Vice-Dean of Research at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.

“It is such an honor and privilege to be part of the myeloma community and contribute my part in helping improve the lives of our patients,” said Dr. Chng. “I am most happy and grateful for this award as it recognizes our contributions and the good work we are doing. It takes a village, so this is also for the whole team back home.”

Dr. María-Victoria Mateos, is Associate Professor of Hematology and Consultant Physician in the Haematology Department at the University of Salamanca and Director of the Myeloma Unit, where she is responsible for coordinating the Clinical Trials Unit in Salamanca University Hospital’s Haematology Department. She currently serves on the European Hematology Association (EHA) as the chair of Scientific Program Committee for the 2019 congress.

“It is a great honor for me to receive this prestigious award, which recognizes the clinical research we have been doing in myeloma with a key objective—to try to cure, or at least to improve, the outcome of our patients,” said Dr. Mateos. “This award belongs to every Spanish investigator in the Spanish Myeloma Group. Without their contributions, generosity and help, none of the achievements would have been possible.”

Dr. Sigurdur Yngvi Kristinsson, Professor of Hematology at the University of Iceland and specialist in internal medicine and hematology at the Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland, is the recipient of the inaugural Brian G.M. Durie Outstanding Achievement Award.  Dr. Kristinsson serves as principal investigator for Iceland Screens, Treats, or Prevents Multiple Myeloma (iStopMM®), a population-based MGUS and multiple myeloma screening study. He has led several large population-based myeloma studies in collaboration with major research centers and is a frequent speaker at international hematology conferences.

 “Myeloma patients around the world have benefited—and will continue to benefit—from the important research contributions made by Dr. Kristinsson,” said Dr. Durie. “His work brings us closer to finding the pathway to a cure.”