The Myeloma Beacon™

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.

Christine is a rising junior at Lehigh University pursuing a degree in Journalism and Science Writing with minors in Business and Health, Medicine and Society. She joined Light Knowledge Resources as an editor in May 2010. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

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.

Melissa Cobleigh is a fifth year graduate student at Yale University pursuing her Ph.D. in molecular medicine. Her research focuses on the development of a novel vaccine for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B virus. Melissa is originally from Maine and before coming to Yale attended Smith College where she received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Melissa joined the Myeloma Beacon in June 2010. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys reading, long walks, and anything related to the ocean.

Michelle is a junior at Cornell University, and is pursuing her interests in scientific research, medical ethics, and science communication by majoring in Biology and Society with a minor in Science and Technology Studies. She joined the Myeloma Beacon team in June 2010. Besides avidly writing for the Beacon, Michelle also enjoys drinking unusual teas, reading poetry, thrift shopping, and participating in and supporting the creative and performing arts at Cornell.

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.

Lou Ganim writes a monthly column for The Myeloma Beacon. Lou’s career has spanned more than four decades in the newspaper, government, and health care fields. He moved to a small town in New York’s Saratoga County that had only one traffic light more than thirty years ago, only to watch it explode in population around him. Now, he bemoans the traffic and misses the stars he used to see from his front porch that are now blocked by light pollution. Lou was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in May 2006, and his Beacon column is titled “Birds in Spring,” which takes its name from a line in the 1970s Judy Collins' song “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” (written by Sandy Denny), which goes like this: So come the storms of winter, and then the birds in spring again.

Pat writes a weekly column for The Myeloma Beacon. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April of 2007 at age fifty-one. However, Pat initially experienced what is called a complete response (or temporary remission), achieved by using a combination of extensive radiation and chemotherapy. Although his multiple myeloma has returned, it is still under control—and it hasn't slowed him down! Pat has written a book about his experience called "Living with Multiple Myeloma," and Pat maintains two blogs, Living with Multiple Myeloma and Help with Cancer. Pat's wife, Pattie, is also a cancer survivor. She remains cancer free today. The Killingsworth's have dedicated their lives to helping other cancer patients and survivors learn to cope with their disease.

Sean writes a monthly column for The Myeloma Beacon titled "Sean's Burgundy Thread," based on the notion that all who are touched by multiple myeloma are connected together with an invisible 'burgundy thread.' For nearly thirty years, Sean has worked as a writer, entertainment producer, theatrical executive, and as a creative consultant in various industries. Diagnosed with Stage III Myeloma in November of 2008 at the age of 49, he chose to pursue an aggressive method of treatment. High-dose induction chemotherapy, tandem stem cell transplants, consolidation and extended maintenance chemotherapies have currently placed him in complete remission. Sean authors a blog, Myeloma Youreloma, through which he shares a positive, humorous, hopeful approach to battling the disease. A husband and father of two, some of Sean’s special areas of interest include international adoption, veteran’s issues, church, and raising dogs.

Sabine translates Myeloma Beacon news articles into German. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1999 at the age of 41. At the time, she had three young children (ages 3, 5, and 7) and was working as a part-time physician. She went through several therapies ending with an allogeneic transplantation in 2006. She has been in complete remission since then and decided to share her knowledge about myeloma with other myeloma patients: she translates medical articles into German and has set up a website where patients can find clinical trials for multiple myeloma in Germany. She dedicates the remainder of her time to her family and painting.