Shaji K. Kumar

Shaji K. Kumar, MD is Professor of Medicine and Consultant in the Division of Hematology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, where he also chairs the Myeloma, Amyloidosis, and Dysproteinemia Group. He is one of the leading myeloma clinical researchers in North America, known for the CANDOR trial and for his broad contributions to carfilzomib clinical development, myeloma risk stratification, and smoldering myeloma natural history research. Dr. Kumar was a co-lead investigator on the CANDOR trial (Lancet 2020), a phase III study demonstrating that carfilzomib, daratumumab, and dexamethasone (KDd) significantly improved PFS compared with carfilzomib-dexamethasone (Kd) in relapsed/refractory myeloma, leading to FDA approval of the triplet. He is the principal architect of the mSMART (Mayo Stratification for Myeloma And Risk-adapted Therapy) guidelines — the most widely used risk-stratification algorithm in myeloma in North America — which incorporates cytogenetic, LDH, and clinical parameters to guide treatment intensity decisions. Dr. Kumar has also led seminal epidemiological studies at the Mayo Clinic defining the natural history, progression rates, and biomarkers of smoldering multiple myeloma. He has published over 600 peer-reviewed manuscripts and serves as an Associate Editor of Blood and Leukemia journals.