Multiple myeloma research crusader Kathy Giusti to speak at HBS Class Day

The founder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation will speak at Harvard Business School Class Day.

Kathy Giusti

Kathy Giusti | Photograph courtesy of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Kathy Giusti, M.B.A. ’85, founder and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), will address this year's imminent graduates of Harvard Business School as Class Day speaker. She founded the MMRF in 1998 after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma. This spring, Time magazine named her one of the "100 most influential people" in the world. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells—white blood cells that produce antibodies; it affects from one to four people per 100,000 and constitutes 1 percent of all cancers. Before starting MMRF, Giusti was an executive with pharmaceutical companies, and she has sought to encourage the development of drugs to treat the disease using a business model, rather than an academic model, of drug development. The MMRF is the world's top funder of myeloma research: it has raised more than $165 million to fund research.  

Related topics

You might also like

FAS Reports Financial Stability, But Rising Debt

Leaders say the cost of consultants and severance will be recouped within 18 months.  

Judge Dismisses Case Demanding Harvard Admissions Data

The government failed to meet procedural requirements before suing the University.

Harvard Graduate Workers Begin Strike

In the second walkout in six months, union leaders call for better pay and benefits and a stronger grievance process.

Most popular

As Union Protests Continue, Stephen Colbert and Yo-Yo Ma Event at Harvard Cut Short

A conversation between the comedian and the celebrated cellist was interrupted by a fire alarm in Sanders Theatre.

Cancellations, Disruptions as Harvard Graduate Student Strike Enters Second Week

Some faculty complain about the protests’ effect on students.

To Promote Healthy Habits in Patients, Start with the Doctors

Why Harvard Medical School is training physicians to think more like coaches

Explore More From Current Issue

Collage of book covers featuring various titles on a vibrant orange background.

These newly released novels, histories, and memoirs grapple with identity in all its forms.

A smiling man in a brown plaid suit stands outdoors with greenery in the background.

The professor and former Harvard College dean is the next president of Harvard Magazine’s Board of Directors

Bronze statue of a seated figure holding a book, with a campus setting in the background.

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?