The Myeloma Beacon is an online service provided by Light Knowledge Resources, an Internet media company based in Princeton, New Jersey. The Myeloma Beacon provides extensive news, articles, and directories related to multiple myeloma. Our mission is to be the leading Internet resource for multiple myeloma patients, their families, and others interested in multiple myeloma.
Boris Simkovich is the Chief Executive Officer of Light Knowledge Resources and Publisher of the Myeloma Beacon. Boris co-founded LKR in 2005 when the firm started developing its first web service, Zuula. Boris has a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard. In his free time, Boris enjoys watching movies and reading.
Maike joined Light Knowledge Resources in May 2009 as an associate publisher. She is responsible for the development of the Beacon websites. Before joining LKR, Maike worked in consulting for many years. She holds a linguistics degree and degree in business from two German schools. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, reading and practicing and teaching yoga.
Julie joined Light Knowledge Resources in March of 2008 after graduating from Princeton University with her Ph.D. in Chemistry. Her dissertation research involved the development of small molecule chemotherapeutics. She also has a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Moravian College. At LKR, Julie works on the development of the Beacon websites. With several family members who have battled cancer, she aspires to help patients through these sites. Julie's interests include crafts, playing piano, and spending time with her family.
Brian is a recent graduate from Cornell University, joining Light Knowledge Resources in June 2007. Prior to joining LKR, he spent two years doing biomedical research at Weill Cornell Medical College. As a member of the team at LKR, Brian works on the development of the Beacon Web sites. His many interests include tennis, triathlon, and good food.
Norell Hadzimichalis has a B.A. in Biology from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences from Rutgers University/The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Her doctoral work involved understanding the molecular mechanisms that are active during a heart attack and how antioxidants can be used to prevent damage. Norell joined the Light Knowledge Resources team as a writer and managing editor in December 2009. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing, spending time with her family, and taking her dog to the dog park.
Lisa is currently a Junior English major in the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University. She is pursuing a minor in Business in the Liberal Arts. Lisa joined The Myeloma Beacon as a writer and editor in the fall of 2009 and hopes to continue writing or editing for a print or Internet health magazine after graduation. Lisa is from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and in her spare time, she loves to run, do yoga, read, hang out with friends, and root for all Penn State teams.
Funmi Adewale graduated from Cornell University in January 2010 with a BS in Biological Sciences. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in the near future, and her long-term goal is to further the communication of scientific knowledge to non-scientists. Funmi joined The Myeloma Beacon team in November 2009. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina. Her interests include music, writing, languages, and sleep.
Francie completed her bachelor’s degree at UCLA, where she currently teaches genetics and researches genes involved in making blood cells. Her interests include reading, baking, yoga, and exploring cities solo. She joined the Myeloma Beacon as a writer in the summer of 2009. She dedicates her work here to an old friend who finished her chemotherapy regimen this past spring, and who has always prodded Francie into being a better, more generous person, a little at a time.
Jessica recently completed her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry at Princeton University. Her research focused on enzymatic activity characterization for binary-patterned de novo protein libraries. Presently, she is teaching chemistry and math at High School of the Future in the Philadelphia School District. Her interests include graphic design, cooking, music, reading, and sports.
Saniya is from Edison, New Jersey and is currently a sophomore at NYU. She plans on pursuing a psychology major and going to medical school. As a writer for The Myeloma Beacon, Saniya will be primarily focusing on expanding the myeloma treatment centers section of the site. She also volunteers for a local hospital and Heart to Heart. In her spare time, she likes to read, listen to music, watch television, work on her book, go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, explore NYC, and spend time with her friends and family.
Yuan is a fourth year graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in biology. His program is a joint program between UMDNJ (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) and Rutgers. His research focuses on bacteria and their signaling pathways. Yuan is also taking masters courses in statistics at Rutgers and is expecting his masters degree in a year. Yuan was born in Shanghai, China and graduated from Fudan University in China.