My long term research interests involve defining the role of minimal residual disease (MRD) status in multiple myeloma by exploring the use of more sensitive methods of disease detection that may ultimately help identify patients who have achieved a (functional) cure and inform decision making in the long-term care of these patients. This includes investigating novel immunotherapy mechanisms that may assist in eradicating disease in the MRD state. My interest in multiple myeloma (MM) began in internal medicine residency, when I was struck by the disease’s predilection for African Americans. I examined the racial differences in the kinetics of renal dysfunction and recovery following initial treatment of patients with newly diagnosed MM, where I discovered that African Americans experienced greater recovery of their renal function compared to non African Americans. This study provided me with a framework for understanding many of the long-term complications and effects of MM, in addition to the toxicities of extended anti-myeloma therapies. As a hematology/oncology fellow, I have been intrigued by novel methods that may serve as a signal for functional cure.  I am currently investigating how to improve current methods of MRD detection and how to use MRD to guide treatment decision making in MM. I am also interested in understanding how novel immunotherapies – such as the use of regulatory T-cell depletion in the setting of autologous stem cell transplantation in MM – can help prolong the response to standard of care treatments.