Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) alumnus Dr Mohamed Baljevic discussed his research in multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, for the latest instalment 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 Centre, one of the leading cancer research centres 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. Symptoms of multiple myeloma include reduced resistance to infections, weakened bones that fracture easily, anaemia leading to increased bruising and bleeding, fatigue, weight loss and kidney dysfunction.
While treatments are improving all the time, the condition cannot yet be cured, with patients living for between one and 20 years after diagnosis.
Dr Baljevic said, “Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematologic malignancy and it is estimated that there will be more than 30,000 newly diagnosed cases in the US in 2016.
“The good news is that the data shows 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.”
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. The scholarship was extended as a university academic scholarship for pre-medical and medical studies at WCM-Q, where he graduated with honours in research.
Since graduation Dr Baljevic has completed residency training in internal medicine at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Centre in New York, and fellowship training in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre.
Dr Baljevic  also pursued a Master of Science degree in clinical and translational research at the university of Texas graduate school of biomedical sciences, with the aim of receiving additional training for a role as principal investigator on cancer clinical trials.
He is now looking forward to leading his first clinical trial which will investigate the efficacy of new drug combinations for treating multiple myeloma in patients who develop resistance to proteasome inhibitors.