Reviewer Recognition
Top Reviewers
Our reviewers are essential in supporting the publication process of Blood Cancer Journal. Their knowledge and critical evaluation is key and always appreciated.
To show our thanks, we present here the profiles of those awarded our 'top reviewer' accolade over recent years.
2023
Francesco Maura - USA
Francesco Maura is an Assistant Professor, co-PI of the Myeloma Computational and Translational Laboratory, and Associate Director of the Myeloma Research Institute at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center – University of Miami. Between 2015 and 2018 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation Programme at Wellcome Sanger Institute, directed by Peter J. Campbell, gaining research skills pertinent to his work, most notably in next-generation sequencing data analysis of whole genome, whole exome, RNA, and targeted sequencing. Furthermore, he conducted several genomic investigations on cancer genome evolution and the chronological reconstruction of early and late driver events in hematological cancers. Over the past four years, initially at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and presently at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, his team has been deeply involved in modeling and integrating clinical and genomic data. Their primary objective has been to enhance the characterization of the pathogenesis and subclonal evolution of various hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma, lymphomas, and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. Additionally, they have established a collaborative multi-institutional network focused on leveraging multi-omics approaches to identify pivotal mechanisms of resistance to emerging immunotherapies, such as monoclonal antibodies, chimeric antigen receptors T-cell (CART), and bispecific T-cell engagers (TCE).
Naseema Gangat - USA
Dr. Naseema Gangat is a Professor of Medicine with the Division of Hematology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. She currently serves as the Education Chair, Division of Hematology and program director for the advanced hematology fellowship program. Her clinical and research interests are focused on myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She has authored/co-authored over a hundred papers and key contributions to the MPN field include improving prognostication, investigating the connection between mutations and clinical phenotype, and evaluating novel therapeutics. Dr Gangat served as editor in chief of the American Society of Hematology News Daily (2021-2022) and is currently an Associate editor for Blood Cancer Journal.
Saad Usmani - USA
Dr. Usmani received his medical education at Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Sinai-Grace Hospital/Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut. He joined the Myeloma Institute for Research & Therapy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, AR in 2010 as the Director of Developmental Therapeutics. He was recruited to the Levine Cancer Institute/Atrium Health in 2013 as the inaugural Division Chief of Plasma Cell Disorders and Director of Clinical Research for Hematologic Malignancies where he built an internationally renowned myeloma program. He joined Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2021 as the Chief of Myeloma Service and hold a faculty position as Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University. Dr. Usmani is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology. He holds membership and leadership roles on national/international committees, including the International Myeloma Working Group, the ALLIANCE Myeloma Committee (Chair), the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Transplant & Cellular Therapy, and the National Cancer Institute Myeloma Steering Committee. Dr. Usmani has served as the Vice-Chair of the SWOG Myeloma Committee, and has served as chair for the ASH Scientific Committee on Plasma Cell Neoplasia, and the ASCO Scientific Committee on Plasma Cell Disorders. He has received several international awards recognizing his clinical and translational research contributions to the field, including the Celgene Young Investigator Award for Clinical Research, COMY Award for Excellence in Myeloma Research, LLS Scholar in Clinical Research, the International Myeloma Society Bart Barlogie Award for Clinical and Translational Research, and the LLS CDP Achievement Award. Dr. Usmani has authored/co-authored more than 260 peer-reviewed research manuscripts (NEJM, Lancet, JCO, Cancer Cell, Blood, Leukemia, etc.). Active in clinical and translational research, Dr. Usmani has research interests focus on plasma cell disorders—in particular, high-risk multiple myeloma.
2022
Naval Daver - USA
Dr Naval Daver is an Associate Professor and Director of the Leukemia Research Alliance Program in the Department of Leukemia at MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) in Houston, TX. He is a clinical investigator with a focus on molecular and immune therapies in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myeloid disease, and is principal investigator on more than 25 ongoing institutional, national, and international clinical trials in these diseases, including multiple registration and label enabling trials. These trials focus on developing a personalized therapy approach by targeting specific mutations or immune pathways expressed by patients with AML, evaluating novel combinations of targeted, immune, and cytotoxic agents, and identifying and overcoming mechanisms of resistance. He is especially interested in developing monoclonal and bispecific antibodies, immune checkpoint, CD47, NK and T-cell based approaches, as well as combinations of targeted and apoptotic therapies in AML, and he is leading a number of these trials at MDACC. Dr Daver has published over 400 peer-reviewed pubmed indexed manuscripts and is on the editorial board of hematology journals. He also serves as Chair on numerous national and international meetings and educational platforms
Efstathios Kastritis - Greece
Efstathios Kastritis, MD is Professor of Clinical Therapeutics/Medical Oncology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUOA), School of Medicine. He graduated National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine and completed residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Medical Oncology at the Department of Clinical Therapeutics. He received his Doctorate from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and was a post-doctoral Fellow at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His research focus includes clinical and translational research in plasma cell dyscrasias, especially multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia and monoclonal gammopathies of renal and clinical significance, resulting in more than 400 published papers in peer reviewed journals.
Kebede H Begna - USA
Dr. Kebede Begna is an Associate Professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota. He is a consultant in hematology and clinical investigator focusing on myeloid neoplasm specifically on acute myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemia, myeloproliferative neoplasm including CML. He is the PI and co-PI of multiple phase one to three clinical trials focusing on acute and chronic myeloid neoplasms including acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His research focus is on translational research through multiple ongoing clinical trials. He is instrumental in establishing CML follow-up clinic at Mayo Clinic. He represents Mayo Clinic in the NCCN CML expert guideline committee. Dr. Begna has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers; and is the editorial board of hematology journals. He is vice president of education, “people to people” a nongovernmental organization which works as a bridge between African educational institutions mainly Ethiopia with other institutions of higher learning in the west.
Rahul Banerjee - USA
Dr. Banerjee, MD, FACP, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington and at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Prior to moving to Seattle, he completed his hematology/oncology fellowship and advanced fellowship in BMT/CAR-T therapy at the University of California San Francisco. His clinical interests are in multiple myeloma, AL amyloidosis, and CAR-T therapy. His research interests are in toxicity management, digital health, and the patient experience.
