A Patient’s Perspective on Personalized Medicine

On December 1, Kathy Giusti, a two-time cancer survivor and relentless patient advocate, will discuss the status of health care in America with leading political columnist and recovering multiple myeloma patient Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post. Giusti, a past winner of PMC’s Leadership in Personalized Medicine Award, was named to Time magazine’s list of the Most Influential People in the World in 2011. She will join us this year as she puts the finishing touches on a new book, to be published by HarperCollins, that will outline the steps patients facing a fatal diagnosis can take to get closer to a cure.

In 1998, Giusti founded the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) to help galvanize progress in combatting the disease. Since its founding, MMRF has committed over $500 million for multiple myeloma research, launched nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring more than 15 U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies to the market, tripling the life expectancy of multiple myeloma patients, who can now expect to live 10 years on average following a diagnosis.

Kathy’s story and the Foundation’s work have brought hope and inspiration to millions of patients faced with diagnoses of multiple myeloma and other life-threatening illnesses at a moment of tremendous scientific progress that is too often characterized by access challenges and inequities for patients in clinical settings. Kathy’s discussion with Karen promises to shed light on what can be done to unlock the benefits of personalized medicine for all patients.