Leadership:

Our Executive Committee has expertise in all aspects of drug discovery and development

Kathy Giusti

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Kathy Giusti is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). Together, the two organizations have developed innovative models that serve to rapidly break down barriers slowing multiple myeloma research and accelerate the development of next-generation treatments. Chief among these are an integrated clinical network of academic centers that collaboratively conduct early-stage clinical trials, as well as a state-of-the-art tissue bank that has advanced the science of biobanking and genomic studies and provides a foundation for the organizations’ pursuit of personalized medicine.

Prior to founding the MMRF, Giusti was a pharmaceutical executive at G.D. Searle & Co., and previously held positions at Merck & Co. and the Gillette Company. Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, was most recently named to the 2011 TIME 100 List of the world’s most influential people—a recognition she received for the progress she has made in accelerating the way research and drug development are conducted and, ultimately, dramatically improving the outlook for patients with multiple myeloma and other cancers. Giusti has also received a number of other awards for her leadership, including the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Centennial Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award, and the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association's Woman of the Year Award.

Giusti’s efforts have been featured on the Today Show, CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, CNN Money, Fox News, and NBC Nightly News. She has also been recognized by several notable media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Harvard Business Review, and The Economist.

Giusti currently serves on the Executive Management Committee to Stand Up to Cancer and the Harvard Business School Advisory Board. She has previously served on several other boards, including the President’s National Cancer Advisory Board, the Board of Directors for IMS Health, and the Institute of Medicine's National Cancer Policy Board.

Giusti received her MBA in general management from Harvard Business School and graduated from the University of Vermont magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences.

Walter M. Capone

Chief Operating Officer

Walter Capone oversees the core business operations of the MMRF and as part of the Executive Committee executes the growth initiatives outlined in the organization’s strategic plan. He has 20 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology leadership experience in the areas of Commercial Development, Operations, Finance, Marketing and Sales in the United States and internationally. Prior to joining the MMRF, he was the Vice President of Commercial Development and Operations at Progenics Pharmaceuticals. He previously worked at a number of entrepreneurial pharmaceutical and biotechnology ventures throughout the United States and Europe including Trimeris, Triangle Pharmaceuticals and Cyanamid Benelux. He started his career at leading global pharmaceutical companies including Lederle, Wyeth and Bristol-Myers Squibb. He received his BA in International Relations from Brown University and he has an MBA in Finance and International Business from Columbia University Business School.

Louise M. Perkins, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Perkins is responsible for the strategic development and execution of the MMRF's research agenda. Dr. Perkins brings to the MMRF more than 16 years of pharmaceutical research experience from two pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining the MMRF, she was the Director of Cancer Research at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Previous to this, she led a cancer research group at the Schering Plough Research Institute. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a PhD and MS in biological chemistry and conducted postdoctoral studies at Princeton University in the Department of Molecular Biology. She earned her BS in zoology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Anne Quinn Young, MPH

Vice President, Strategic Alliances

Anne Quinn Young, MPH, is Vice President of Strategic Alliances at the MMRF where she oversees all communications as well as educational programming for and outreach to healthcare professionals and patients. Ms. Young currently serves as the MMRF's representative on the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) and as principal investigator on a major grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prior to joining the MMRF, she was a consultant in the Healthcare Practice of Datamonitor, a global market research and business intelligence company. She previously worked in healthcare public relations at Burson-Marsteller and Chandler Chicco Agency, following a postgraduate internship at the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division. Ms. Young has a Master of Public Health from the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University and graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in Government.

Jim Grazick

Director of Finance

Jim Grazick is an accomplished financial leader with more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing and manufacturing operations. Prior to joining the MMRF, he served as Senior Business Controller for Nokia, USA in White Plains, N.Y. Before joining Nokia, he held various positions during his tenure at Cadbury-Schweppes in Stamford, Conn. He received his Masters in Business Administration from Syracuse University.