Shaji Kumar

Shaji Kumar, MD, is a consultant in the Division of Hematology at Mayo Clinic, and professor of medicine in the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, US. A significant component of Dr Kumar’s research efforts are directed toward studying novel treatment approaches in myeloma through well-designed clinical trials. He is principal investigator on multiple phase I, II, and III trials for plasma cell malignancies, which include a combination of Mayo investigator-initiated trials, industry-sponsored trials, and cooperative group trials. From a translational research standpoint, his laboratory has focused
on development of new agents for plasma cell malignancies, with a particular focus on the tumor microenvironment.

Dr Kumar receives ongoing support for research from the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. He is a member of several professional societies, including the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Clinical Research, American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, American Medical Association, Association of Physicians of India, and the European Hematology Association. His work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Blood Cancer Journal, Leukemia, American Journal of Hematology, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Blood, and European Journal of Hematology. He received his medical degree from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. He completed an internship there, followed by a clinical residency in internal medicine and a senior residency in medical oncology.

Dr Kumar subsequently served a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. He then served as a research associate and Mayo Foundation Scholar in multiple myeloma at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute-Harvard Cancer Center.