President and CEO International Myeloma Foundation
Patient, President, CEO International Myeloma Foundation
Studio City, California
As a 27-year myeloma survivor, Yelak has turned a personal passion into action, serving as President and CEO of the International Myeloma Foundation, and NIH’s Council of Research Advocates, NCI Myeloma Steering Committee, and others in support of patients, researchers, industry partnerships, and the core mission – Improving Lives; Finding the Cure.
In his work with the IMF, Regulatory bodies, and Industry, Yelak functions as a patient advocate, strategic advisor, key opinion leader and merchant of hope, leveraging his expertise in people and project management, strategic planning and execution, relationship building, and communication to help further the goals of improved patient care and research, collaborate with pharmaceutical companies, and elevate awareness of the disease, patient quality of life, and treatment options. To continually increase his knowledge, he regularly attends ASH Annual Meetings, IMWG Conferences, Myeloma symposiums, workshops, and other industry events.
Yelak Biru was born in Ethiopia. After earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science from the University of North Texas, he worked in advanced business analytics at PepsiCo. In 2017, he joined Walmart, where he worked in global technology. Yelak has co-authored articles published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Blood Cancer Discovery and appears frequently at international medical conferences. Biru and his wife, Loul live in Los Angeles.
Disclosure information not submitted.
Thursday, July 21, 2022
4:40 PM – 6:00 PM
Thursday, July 21, 2022
5:05 PM – 5:25 PM
Thursday, July 21, 2022
5:45 PM – 6:05 PM