Faculty Presenters

Sara Profitt, PharmD, BCOP

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Adult Malignant Hematology

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Nashville, TN

Dr. Profitt is a clinical pharmacy specialist in malignant hematology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and completed her residency training at the University of North Carolina Medical Center. Outside of her clinical responsibilities, Dr. Profitt is an active member of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) and serves as an undergraduate mentor through the University of Tennessee.

Kathryn Kennedy, APRN 

Nurse Practitioner

Outpatient Hematology APP Team Lead

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Nashville, TN

Kate Kennedy is an acute care nurse practitioner in Nashville, TN. She has worked in several roles within hematology-oncology for the past 14 years and is currently the team lead for the outpatient hematology advanced practice providers. She works with all hematology malignancies but focuses mainly on myeloid diseases and bispecific antibodies. She developed the outpatient bispecific antibody initiation program within Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center.

Muhamed Baljevic, MD, FACP 

Associate Professor of Medicine

Director, Plasma Cell Disorders Research

Director, Vanderbilt Amyloidosis Multidisciplinary Program (VAMP)

Co-Chair, Scientific Review Committee, VICC

Disease Team Lead, Plasma Cell Dyscrasias and Lymphomas

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Nashville, TN

Muhamed Baljevic, MD, FACP, is a hematologist and medical oncologist who joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center as faculty in the Department of Medicine in 2021. He is the director of plasma cell disorders research and Vanderbilt amyloidosis multidisciplinary (VAMP) programs, and also serves as disease team lead for plasma cell dyscrasias and lymphomas. His clinical and research interests are int he filed of multiple myeloma (MM), Al Amyloidosis and other plasma cell disorders. His investigative focus is on better understanding of mechanisms of proteasome inhibitor resistance, the importance of augmented post-transplant immune reconstitution in transplant recipients, and the role genomic events such as chromosomal alterations and gene mutations play in the transformation of premalignant plasma cell conditions to plasma cell malignant states. 

As institutional cellular therapy investigator in plasma cell malignancies, he aims to explore novel mechanistic approaches in the treatment of high unmet needs in relapsed and refractory MM and AL Amyloidosis, including those patients with multi-class resistant or refractory disease. Some of his recent recognitions include 2014 Celgene Future Leaders in Hematology Award for Clinical Research, and the 2015 ASCO/AACR Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research. He is the author of several dozen publications and book chapters on various hematologic malignancies. In addition to fluent English, he is also fluent in languages of the Balkans, including his native Bosnian.

Justin LaPorte, PharmD, BCOP 

BMT/Immunotherapy Pharmacy Program Manager

Northside Hospital

Atlanta, GA

Justin LaPorte has worked for Northside Hospital in affiliation with the Blood & Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia for 18 years. He is currently the clinical pharmacy manager for the Immunotherapy program and the Blood and Marrow transplant program at Northside Hospital. Justin was instrumental in creating the PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency at Northside Hospital in 2015. He has dedicated most of his career to providing education to pharmacy students, residents, clinical staff, and patients/caregivers. Currently, Justin is involved in expanding the hospital system’s ability to administer immunotherapies including bispecific antibodies.

Program Planning Commitee

Jesus G. Berdeja, M.D. (Content Co-Chair)

Director of Multiple Myeloma Research

The Greco-Hainsworth Tennessee Oncology Centers for Research

Nashville, TN

Jesus G. Berdeja received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and medical degree from Harvard University. He completed his internship and residency in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of California in San Francisco and fellowships in medical oncology and hematology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Dr. Berdeja specializes in clinical hematology, with a focus on multiple myeloma. Additionally, he is an active member of several professional organizations, including the International Myeloma Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, the International Myeloma Working Group and the Clinical Trials Myeloma Intergroup Committee. An active researcher, Dr. Berdeja has been the principal investigator many funded clinical trials in the field of multiple myeloma. He has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature and is a frequent invited lecturer.

Charie Gleason, MSN, NP-BC, AOCNP (Content Co-Chair)

VP and Chief APP Officer

Adjunct Faculty,

Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

Emory Healthcare

Atlanta, GA

Charise Gleason, MSN, NP-BC, AOCNP®, is the VP and Chief Advanced Practice Officer for Emory Healthcare and adjunct faculty at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. She has been a nurse practitioner in the Multiple Myeloma program at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University for over twenty years. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Emory University and holds an advanced oncology certification through the ONCC. Ms. Gleason has been an active presenter and educator on the topics of multiple myeloma and has authored or co-authored many publications, including book chapters, abstracts, articles for nursing journals, and scientific publications.

Disclosures:

Those others involved in the planning of this activity disclosed no relevant financial relationships with any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients.

Other Contributors

All other non-faculty contributors and others involved in the planning, development and editing/review of the content disclosed no relevant financial relationships with any entity producing, marketing, re-selling or distributing health care goods or services consumed by or used on patients.

Sarah Profitt, PharmD, BCOP discloses that she is on an advisory board for EIi Lilly & Company, Genentech Inc. and Rigel Pharmaceuticals during the past 24 months.

Kathryn Kennedy, APRN discloses that she is a speaker for Geron as well as on advisory boards for CTI BIOp, Gero and Pfizer during the past 24 months.

Muhamed Baljević, MD, FACP discloses that he is on an advisory board for BristolMyersSquibb, Johnson & Johnson, MM Prothena, Pfizer and Sanofi during the past 24 months.

Justin LaPorte, PharmD, BCOP discloses that he is a speaker for Johnson & Johnson and Syndax during the past 24 months.

Jesús G. Berdeja, M.D. discloses contracted research with 2 Seventy Bio, Abbvie, Amgen, BMS, C4 Therapeutics, Caribou Biosciences, CARsgen, Cartesian Therapeutics, Celularity, CRISPR Therapeutics, Fate Therapeutics, Genentech, GSK, Ichnos Sciences, Incyte, Janssen, Juno Therapeutics, K36 Therapeutics. Karyopharm, Lilly, Novartis, Poseida, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, Consulting Fee's with AstraZeneca, BMS, Caribou Biosciences, Galapagos, Janssen, K36 Therapeutics, Kite Pharma, Legend Biotech, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Sebia, Takeda and Speaker's Honoria with Janssen during the past 24 months. 

Charise Gleason, MSN, NP-C, AOCNP discloses no relevant financial relationships with any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients during the past 24 months.