Thomas Witzig

Morton Coleman, MD is the Founding Chair, LL&M Congress. He has been an Attending Physician at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. He was the Director of the Center for Lymphoma and Myeloma, the chairman of the Medical Affiliates Board of the Lymphoma Research Foundation, President of the New York Cancer Society, the chairman of Clinical Research Alliance, among many prestigious appointments. He has served on numerous scientific boards. Dr Coleman has received numerous awards including those from the Cure for Lymphoma Foundation, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, The Waldenstrom's Foundation, Cornell University and Old Dominion University among others. He has authored hundreds of publications primarily in myeloma, lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Among his many seminal observations were the development of the standard of care for Hodgkin disease for over 40 years, the first use of effective novel agents in myeloma, metronomic therapy for hematologic diseases, and the use of combination monoclonal antibody therapy, among others. He founded the Lymphoma, Leukemia, and Myeloma Conference a quarter of a century ago.

John P. Leonard, M.D., is the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology and Director, Center for Blood Cancers at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
An expert in hematology and oncology, Dr. Leonard is Chair of the Lymphoma Committee of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (formerly CALGB, ACOSOG and NCCTG), a multicenter cooperative group and key component of the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network. Dr. Leonard has been an elected member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Hematology subspecialty board, and he has also been elected to membership in the American Society of Clinical Investigation. He has served as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board and Board Member of the Lymphoma Research Foundation and Board Member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society/New York City Chapter.
Dr. Leonard performed his undergraduate work at Johns Hopkins University and received his medical degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. He completed his residency in medicine at the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. He completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Cornell, and served as the chief medical resident at the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center.

Dr. Thomas Witzig earned a B.S. in Biology from Illinois State University and an M.D. from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa, followed by a hematology/oncology fellowship at Mayo Clinic, where he also conducted laboratory research in multiple myeloma and lymphoma under Drs. Philip Greipp and Robert A. Kyle. He joined the Mayo Clinic staff in 1986.

Dr. Witzig’s clinical and research interests focus on blood cancers and the biological mechanisms underlying COVID-19. His current work investigates therapies targeting DNA damage repair and signal transduction pathways in lymphoma. He has played a leading role in the development of radioimmunotherapy, mTOR inhibitors, and immunomodulatory agents such as lenalidomide. His research group was the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of rituximab for IgG4-related autoimmune diseases affecting organs including the orbit and pancreas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his laboratory identified a mechanism contributing to severe infection that is now being investigated in patients with Long COVID. His research has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, the Predolin Foundation, and other organizations.

Dr. Witzig has received numerous honors, including the Department of Medicine Outstanding Investigator Award, the Henry S. Plummer Distinguished Physician Award, and the Barbara Woodward Lips Professorship.

An accomplished educator and mentor, Dr. Witzig has delivered invited lectures at regional, national, and international meetings. He has authored or co-authored more than 500 publications—including peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters, and letters—and more than 600 scientific abstracts.

John P. Leonard, M.D., is the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology and Director, Center for Blood Cancers at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
An expert in hematology and oncology, Dr. Leonard is Chair of the Lymphoma Committee of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (formerly CALGB, ACOSOG and NCCTG), a multicenter cooperative group and key component of the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network. Dr. Leonard has been an elected member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Hematology subspecialty board, and he has also been elected to membership in the American Society of Clinical Investigation. He has served as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board and Board Member of the Lymphoma Research Foundation and Board Member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society/New York City Chapter.
Dr. Leonard performed his undergraduate work at Johns Hopkins University and received his medical degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. He completed his residency in medicine at the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. He completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Cornell, and served as the chief medical resident at the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center.

Dr. Juan Alderuccio is a clinical investigator specializing in lymphoma drug development at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he serves as Clinical Research Site Disease Group Leader of the Lymphoma Section and principal investigator on multiple clinical trials.
His research centers on designing innovative clinical trials and integrating circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) into treatment decision-making for patients with indolent and aggressive B-cell lymphomas. He has been involved in the development of multiple investigator-initiated, NCI, and industry-supported clinical trials. Dr. Alderuccio's work has been supported by the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the US Department of Defense, and the American Society of Hematology Scholar Award.

Dr. Peter Martin is a Professor of Medicine and Co-Chair of the Hematology Disease Management Group at NYU Langone, Perlmutter Cancer Center in New York City. After completing medical school at the University of Alberta and Internal Medicine and Hematology at McGill University in Canada, Dr. Martin moved to New York to pursue a career in lymphoma research.
He is active in the Lymphoma Committee at the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, and he is a member of the Lymphoma Research Foundation Scientific Advisory Board and the National Cancer Institute Lymphoma Steering Committee.
His research focuses on improving the lives of people with lymphoma.

Dr. Thomas Witzig earned a B.S. in Biology from Illinois State University and an M.D. from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa, followed by a hematology/oncology fellowship at Mayo Clinic, where he also conducted laboratory research in multiple myeloma and lymphoma under Drs. Philip Greipp and Robert A. Kyle. He joined the Mayo Clinic staff in 1986.

Dr. Witzig’s clinical and research interests focus on blood cancers and the biological mechanisms underlying COVID-19. His current work investigates therapies targeting DNA damage repair and signal transduction pathways in lymphoma. He has played a leading role in the development of radioimmunotherapy, mTOR inhibitors, and immunomodulatory agents such as lenalidomide. His research group was the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of rituximab for IgG4-related autoimmune diseases affecting organs including the orbit and pancreas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his laboratory identified a mechanism contributing to severe infection that is now being investigated in patients with Long COVID. His research has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, the Predolin Foundation, and other organizations.

Dr. Witzig has received numerous honors, including the Department of Medicine Outstanding Investigator Award, the Henry S. Plummer Distinguished Physician Award, and the Barbara Woodward Lips Professorship.

An accomplished educator and mentor, Dr. Witzig has delivered invited lectures at regional, national, and international meetings. He has authored or co-authored more than 500 publications—including peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters, and letters—and more than 600 scientific abstracts.