Mateo Mejia Saldarriaga

Dr. Mateo Mejia is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Assistant Attending Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Mejia received his medical degree (M.D.) from the Universidad CES in his hometown of Medellin, Colombia, after which he completed an internal medicine residency at the Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, where he also served as a Chief Resident. He completed his Hematology and Oncology fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and joined the Hematology and Medical Oncology Division after completing his fellowship training in 2023.

Dr. Mejia’s research has focused on the genomic drivers of aggressive forms of myeloma, for which he received the 2022 Conquer Cancer – American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Young Investigator Award, a prestigious honor only given to 100 of people each year. Additionally, Dr. Mejia was the recipient ofthe 2022 Charles, Lillian and Betty Neuwirth Foundation Fellowship in Oncology award for his project “Genomic Landscape of Multiple Myeloma with Extramedullary Disease”. Dr. Mejia’s research interest also encompasses the use biomarkers to assess response after CAR-T and other immunotherapy and as additional interventions to enhance these treatment modalities.

Dr. Victor Jimenez-Zepeda currently holds an academic position as Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) and an Assistant Attending Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP). In addition, he is the Associate Director of the Weill Cornell Myeloma Center. Dr. Jimenez-Zepeda completed medical school at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico and took Internal Medicine and Hematology training at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition in Mexico City. Dr. Jimenez-Zepeda obtained additional specialized training in myeloma research and patient care at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, Spain and at the Mayo Clinic Arizona (Scottsdale, Arizona). Further, Dr. Jimenez-Zepeda completed clinical and research fellowships in multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center (PMCC) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and later was appointed as a Junior Staff Hematologist in the Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology at PMCC from 2012-2013. In November of 2013, Dr. Jimenez-Zepeda joined the team at the Tom Baker Cancer Center in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where he was instrumental in building the Amyloidosis Program of Calgary (APC) and the Canadian Amyloidosis Society (CAS). Dr. Jimenez-Zepeda has more than 300 abstracts and journal publications to his credit with more than 120 peer-reviewed manuscripts in PubMed. He has served as a reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), Blood, American Journal of Clinical Oncology, British Journal of Hematology, Amyloid Journal, among others.

I am an Assistant Member at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where I run an independent research laboratory using computational/bioinformatic tools to analyze genomic and transcriptomic datasets from patients with plasma cell malignancies. Our goal is to leverage these techniques to identify signatures predictive of clinical outcomes in patients, understand mechanisms of resistance to therapies, and identify new drug targets. Over the past years, my team has been deeply involved in modeling and integrating clinical and genomic data to track cancer genome evolution and reconstruct the chronology of early and late driver events in hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma, lymphomas, and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. Despite major advances in treatment, a significant fraction of patients still experience disease progression and ultimately die. To understand why these patients do not benefit from recent therapeutic innovations—and to develop preventive strategies and personalized interventions—we have established a collaborative, multi-institutional network focused on leveraging multi-omics across diverse clinical contexts. My mission is to execute research that informs and moves clinical practices in oncology forward.

Dr. Mateo Mejia is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Assistant Attending Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Mejia received his medical degree (M.D.) from the Universidad CES in his hometown of Medellin, Colombia, after which he completed an internal medicine residency at the Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, where he also served as a Chief Resident. He completed his Hematology and Oncology fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and joined the Hematology and Medical Oncology Division after completing his fellowship training in 2023.

Dr. Mejia’s research has focused on the genomic drivers of aggressive forms of myeloma, for which he received the 2022 Conquer Cancer – American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Young Investigator Award, a prestigious honor only given to 100 of people each year. Additionally, Dr. Mejia was the recipient ofthe 2022 Charles, Lillian and Betty Neuwirth Foundation Fellowship in Oncology award for his project “Genomic Landscape of Multiple Myeloma with Extramedullary Disease”. Dr. Mejia’s research interest also encompasses the use biomarkers to assess response after CAR-T and other immunotherapy and as additional interventions to enhance these treatment modalities.

Dr. Mateo Mejia is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Assistant Attending Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Mejia received his medical degree (M.D.) from the Universidad CES in his hometown of Medellin, Colombia, after which he completed an internal medicine residency at the Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, where he also served as a Chief Resident. He completed his Hematology and Oncology fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and joined the Hematology and Medical Oncology Division after completing his fellowship training in 2023.

Dr. Mejia’s research has focused on the genomic drivers of aggressive forms of myeloma, for which he received the 2022 Conquer Cancer – American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Young Investigator Award, a prestigious honor only given to 100 of people each year. Additionally, Dr. Mejia was the recipient ofthe 2022 Charles, Lillian and Betty Neuwirth Foundation Fellowship in Oncology award for his project “Genomic Landscape of Multiple Myeloma with Extramedullary Disease”. Dr. Mejia’s research interest also encompasses the use biomarkers to assess response after CAR-T and other immunotherapy and as additional interventions to enhance these treatment modalities.

Dr. Mateo Mejia is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Assistant Attending Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Mejia received his medical degree (M.D.) from the Universidad CES in his hometown of Medellin, Colombia, after which he completed an internal medicine residency at the Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, where he also served as a Chief Resident. He completed his Hematology and Oncology fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and joined the Hematology and Medical Oncology Division after completing his fellowship training in 2023.

Dr. Mejia’s research has focused on the genomic drivers of aggressive forms of myeloma, for which he received the 2022 Conquer Cancer – American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Young Investigator Award, a prestigious honor only given to 100 of people each year. Additionally, Dr. Mejia was the recipient ofthe 2022 Charles, Lillian and Betty Neuwirth Foundation Fellowship in Oncology award for his project “Genomic Landscape of Multiple Myeloma with Extramedullary Disease”. Dr. Mejia’s research interest also encompasses the use biomarkers to assess response after CAR-T and other immunotherapy and as additional interventions to enhance these treatment modalities.

Faith E. Davies is director of the Clinical Myeloma Program at Perlmutter Cancer Center and a Professor Of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of Wales College of Medicine and completed her general medical training and hematology specialty training in the UK. Prior to joining the faculty of NYU Langone, New York, Dr. Davies held positions with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas, USA and the Institute of Cancer Research / Royal Marsden Hospital, in London, UK.
Her research focus for over two decades has been on the biology and treatment of multiple myeloma, in particular the examination of potential new drugs and new genetic technologies. She is recognized internationally for her work looking at prognostic and predictive biomarkers (e.g. genetic abnormalities, imaging and minimal residual disease within the context of clinical trials. Dr. Davies laboratory work is aimed at identifying biologically based therapeutic targets in myeloma that are amenable to small molecule interventions and translating those laboratory findings into the clinical arena with a focus on individualized treatment.
Dr. Davies is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the Royal College of Physicians (UK), and the Royal College of Pathologists (UK). She is widely published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Blood, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Leukemia.

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.

After certification in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, as well as working in Cancer Pharmacology from 1994 onwards at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Dr. Paul Richardson joined the Jerome Lipper Myeloma Center in 1999, was appointed Clinical Director in 2001, and led the development of several first-generation novel drugs including bortezomib, lenalidomide and pomalidomide for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Subsequent studies have focused on next generation novel drugs including panobinostat and second-generation proteasome inhibitors including ixazomib. More recently, his clinical innovations have been in the development of the breakthrough monoclonal antibodies elotuzumab and daratumumab for the treatment of both untreated and relapsed myeloma, as well as isatuximab and more broadly, antibody drug conjugates including belantamab mafodotin, as well as other immunotherapeutic strategies. In addition to these agents, he has contributed to the development of melflufen, a novel peptide drug conjugate and the first-in-class small molecule inhibitor selinexor, which targets XPO-1, a key nuclear export protein, as well as first-in-human studies of potent cereblon E3 ligase modulators (so called CELMoDs) for the treatment of relapsed and refractory myeloma.

Over the last decade, his major effort has been focused on the development of lenalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (so-called RVD), including its incorporation as part of the Intergroup Francophone Myelome (IFM)/DFCI clinical trials in newly diagnosed patients eligible for stem cell transplant treated with RVD. This regimen has generated an unprecedented response rate, leading to its adoption in this international study, as well as others in the United States and across the globe. This particular trial incorporates genomic and proteomic evaluation to establish a future platform for tailored therapy and the optimal positioning of stem cell transplant, with results reported in 2022 as a plenary session at ASCO and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Furthermore, RVD has been established as a backbone to which next generation agents are being added, including elotuzumab, daratumumab and isatuximab, as well as panobinostat.

He has published extensively, having authored or co-authored over 460 original articles and 340 reviews, chapters, and editorials in peer-reviewed journals. In addition to holding positions on the Editorial Boards of leading journals, he is prior Chairman of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC), Clinical Trials Core, a position held for 5 years as part of a rotating tenure, and for which he continues as a member of the Steering and Project Review Committee. He was also a member of ASCO Hematologic Malignancies Subcommittee for the required one-year term, and then for one year on the ASCO Internet Cancer Information Committee during 2017. He was appointed Chair of the Alliance Myeloma Committee in 2011 and completed his 10-year tenure in this role in 2021.

Honors include the George Canellos Award for Excellence in Clinical Research and Patient Care, and The Tisch Outstanding Achievement Award for Clinical Research, as well an honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (UK), given in recognition for international contributions in multiple myeloma and stem cell transplantation. He was a co-recipient of the prestigious Warren Alpert Foundation Prize in recognition of the successful therapeutic targeting of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in 2012. He was also a co-recipient of the Accelerator Award for contributions to clinical research and patient enrollment in MMRC studies, as well as for the Research Center of the Year Award in 2009, followed by a second award for Center of the Year in 2017. He was ranked by Thomson Reuters Science Watch amongst the top 19 investigators at DFCI for the most highly cited research in 2016 and again in 2022. He was the co-recipient of the ASH Ernest Beutler Prize for clinical science and translational research in the development of proteasome inhibition as an effective treatment strategy for multiple myeloma in 2015; the COMY Award for MM research (Paris, France) in 2016, and the prestigious IMF Robert A. Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, together with the Clare and Richard Morse Research Award (DFCI) in 2019, as well as the Giants of Cancer Care Award (USA) in 2021.