Vincent Rajkumar, M.D., Receives 2018 Distinguished Mayo Clinic Investigator Award

By Kelley Luedke • September 18, 2018

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S. Vincent Rajkumar, M.D., has received the 2018 Distinguished Mayo Clinic Investigator Award. The Distinguished Mayo Clinic Investigator Award is presented to individuals whose research careers demonstrate evidence of great distinction, high distinguished scholarship, creative achievement, and excellence in education and administrative responsibilities. Individuals are recommended by an enterprise-wide committee, approved by the Mayo Clinic Research Committee, and subsequently endorsed by the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors.

Dr. Rajkumar is a Consultant in the Division of Hematology within the Department of Internal Medicine. He holds joint appointments in the Division of Hematopathology and the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. Dr. Rajkumar also holds a named professorship in medicine as the Edward W. and Betty Knight Scripps Professor of Medicine and is a clinician investigator.

Dr. Rajkumar chaired the Mayo Clinic Myeloma/Dysproteinemia Clinical Committee from 2006 to 2016. He is Co-Chair of the International Myeloma Working Group and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Myeloma Committee. He is an Associate Editor of Mayo Clinic Proceedings; a Section Editor of Leukemia; an Associate Editor of European Journal of Hematology; and Editor-in-Chief of Blood Cancer Journal.

Dr. Rajkumar is a recipient of the Robert A. Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor given by the International Myeloma Foundation. In addition, he is a recipient of the Janet Davison Rowley Patient Impact Research Award; the Outstanding Achievement in Research Award; the John Ultmann Award; and the Relentless for a Cure Award.

Dr. Rajkumar is recognized internationally as a leading authority in the field of plasma cell disorders. His scientific contributions include clinical trials, epidemiological studies, and laboratory research focused on myeloma and related disorders. He has led multiple clinical trials that have changed the treatment for the disease. He led the pivotal trial that led to the approval of thalidomide for the treatment of multiple myeloma in the United States. He has also led several large studies on the prevalence and progression of monoclonal gammopathies, racial disparities in the incidence of myeloma, and familial predisposition. His laboratory studies were among the first to demonstrate the importance of angiogenesis in the progression of plasma cell disorders. Dr. Rajkumar has identified several biomarkers that are used worldwide in the diagnosis and risk stratification of plasma cell disorders. In 2014, based on his findings, he led an international effort that revised the diagnostic criteria for multiple myeloma and related plasma cell disorders. Dr. Rajkumar has published more than 600 papers and book chapters, primarily in the field of myeloma and related plasma cell disorders.

Kelley Luedke

Kelley Luedke is a Marketing Channel Manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She is the principle editor and writer of Insights and leads social media and direct marketing strategy. Kelley has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2013. Outside of work, you can find Kelley running, traveling, playing with her kitty, and exploring new foods.