Empowered Patient Podcast Multiple Myeloma Patient Advocates Winner of GSK Target the Future Think Tank Challenge with Jenny Ahlstrom HealthTree Foundation
Jenny Ahlstrom is the Founder and CEO of the HealthTree Fouon and a multiple myeloma patient and patient advocate. The HealthTree Foundation was the winner of the GSK Target the Future Think Tank Challenge and will receive financial support and technical expertise to extend equal access and diversity in multiple myeloma research, clinical trials, services, and education. This effort includes patient navigators who are members of the Black community as well as Spanish speakers who can provide patients access to material translated into Spanish.
Jenny explains, "I was diagnosed in 2010 and had some hypotheses about what I wanted in terms of my own therapy and my own types of support that I was looking for. And so, in 2012, we started the foundation, and we have been building up different patient programs for multiple myeloma over that long period of time. We've just gone to look and see what is available already in terms of support services. Then we identified different gaps that we saw as patients ourselves and tried to fill those gaps. And that's been the primary effort of our work, to fill those gaps for patients."
"So, we are going to apply this funding to our equity and diversity program. And specifically on this blackmyelomahealth.org website. This website will do outreach to the African American community. Like I said, they are two or three times more likely to develop multiple myeloma. And it's really essential that they learn broadly about what multiple myeloma is."
@HealthTree #HealthTreeFoundation #GSK #TargettheFuture #MultipleMyeloma #PatientAdvocate
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Interview with Dr. Tania Small GSK
Podcast and Transcript