Jonathan Anker, MD, PhD

Dr. Sundar Jagannath is Director of the Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma and Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology) at The Tisch Cancer Institute. Dr. Jagannath is a renowned expert in the research and treatment of multiple myeloma — a relatively rare cancer of the bone marrow. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Jagannath served as chief of the multiple myeloma and transplant program at St. Vincent’s Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center from 1998 until the hospital closed in April 2010. The transplant program, with stored stem cells of more than 300 patients, and the myeloma program with ongoing clinical trials, have been integrated into The Tisch Cancer Institute.

I have worked for many years in the area of translational and clinical investigation focused on the Myelodysplastic Syndrome and leukemia. This has involved drug development for an orphan disease in a multi-institutional national Cooperative Group, The Cancer and Leukemia Group B. I served as Principal Investigator for three successive trials; two phase I/II studies which demonstrated clinical activity of azacitidine in MDS and then a randomized phase III study of azacitidine compared to supportive care demonstrating azacitidine superiority. These three trials led to the approval of azacitidine by the FDA as the first drug approved for this disease. The treatment I helped pioneer, develop and test at Mount Sinai and in the Cancer Cooperative Groups and an International Consortium has changed the face of treatment of the Myelodysplastic Syndrome. It has improved the outcomes for tens of thousands of patients and their families around the globe. Based on our studies, azacitidine has become the standard of care for patients with higher-risk MDS and represents an important treatment option for older patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. These studies have established Mount Sinai as a center of expertise for MDS, and we are currently studying new therapeutic approaches to MDS including the development of novel agents. The approach we pioneered demonstrated that epigenetic therapy, one that can reprogram cells, could be clinically effective in MDS and some forms of AML. Cell reprogramming is now being tested in other diseases to modulate gene expression and cellular behavior.

Uroosa Ibrahim, MD is a Cancer (Oncology) provider with Mount Sinai Health System, treating patients in the New York area. Dr. Ibrahim is committed to compassionate, coordinated care that supports patients throughout the diverse communities we serve.