GMAN is a group of multiple myeloma leaders and patient organizations from around the world whose aim is to support the needs of myeloma patients.
The International Myeloma Foundation's Global Myeloma Action Network Summit
The 2023 Global Myeloma Action Network (GMAN) Summit took place in Frankfurt, Germany, where 30 patient organization representatives from 5 continents gathered to enhance the capabilities of patient advocacy groups globally.
The International Myeloma Foundation's (IMF) Global Myeloma Action Network (GMAN) is a group of multiple myeloma leaders and patient organizations from around the world, established in 2014 by the International Myeloma Foundation. GMAN aims to support the needs of myeloma patients by convening members and partners, sharing best practices, and raising awareness of multiple myeloma globally.
GMAN's mission is to improve the lives of myeloma patients, raise awareness, enhance the capabilities of patient advocacy groups, strengthen local myeloma organizations, and increase global access to medicine and treatment. GMAN sets goals to work collaboratively, including raising the profile and capabilities of patient advocacy groups, elevating global awareness of multiple myeloma, ensuring access to effective treatments worldwide, improving patient outcomes through early diagnosis, advancing innovation in blood cancer through advocacy and policy engagement, and promoting education and information to patients, caregivers, physicians, and policymakers.
Video Transcript
Click to view the video transcript
We are in Frankfurt, Germany, attending the Global Myeloma Action Network Summit. GMAN is the global myeloma Action Network which was established in 2013 to serve the global myeloma community and has over 30 members from five different continents and has been in existence since 2013 and it's main objective is to improve outcomes for myeloma patients globally.
Over the years GMAN has worked to improve access to myeloma therapies, to increase awareness of what multiple myeloma is, and to increase the capacity of patient organizations in countries that already have myeloma organizations or start new ones in countries that don't have myeloma organizations.
And the impact has really been significant. Since it's establishment, GMAN has formed and awarded an award called the Susie Novis Durie award and 19 different myeloma patient organizations from 19 different countries have received it.
It's bringing the international force of our communities together advancing what is important for myeloma patients around the world. We see projects coming and I see us finally working together towards a better outcomes for patients no matter where they are so I think we're mature now we know each other we know how we work and we're going to do it much better working together.
We have very dedicated very educated Patient Advocates. We have very broad knowledge among ourselves and we have lots of passion the Improvement in outcome for myeloma patients globally has been outstanding more drugs and more treatments continue to be available for the treatment of multiple myeloma.
We had another wonderful Summit of the Global Myeloma Action Network. Over 30 countries from five different continents were gathered here and what we did was really imagine what the world would look like if all the constraints of today were removed in 10 years. And so we looked at what the world could look like for myeloma patients and we worked backwards to understand what the constraints are and how do we go about removing those constraints.
I feel very excited about the summit it's probably the best one I've been so far the enthusiasm the engagement is really tough in my mind we are now ready with a plan to move forward with what the GMAN is about. What we need to do and we need to go to the next level and we have the team we have the enthusiasm we have the passion be able to make that next leap and bring everybody together on the bus.
