Doha: Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) alumnus Dr Muhamad Baljevic (pictured) returned to the college to discuss his research in multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, for the latest installment of WCM-Q’s Grand Rounds.
Dr Baljevic, who graduated from WCM-Q in 2010, is now Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, home to one of the leading cancer research centers in the US.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells that are found in the soft, sponge-like marrow in the centre of all bones. Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell that produce antibodies, which are essential for the body’s immune system to function correctly.
Dr Baljevic said: “Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematologic malignancy behind non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and it is estimated that there will be more than 30,000 newly diagnosed cases in the USA in 2016. “The good news is that the data show us that survival rates have improved a great deal but there is still room for more improvement. New and promising drugs are in the testing phase and I am excited to be involved in this research, which we hope will lead to improved patient outcomes.”
Dr. Baljevic, who is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, was offered an Emiri scholarship in 2001 to come to Doha and finish high school at Qatar Academy, a member of Qatar Foundation.
