Harvard Business School Awards MMRF Founder, CEO with Alumni Achievement Award

NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harvard Business School honored Kathy Giusti, founder and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), with its highest honor, the Alumni Achievement Award. Giusti was recognized for her leadership in breaking down barriers that impede medical research and in accelerating the development of new treatments for multiple myeloma.

“I am truly humbled to stand in the company of my extraordinary fellow alumni, whose visionary leadership and accomplishments are nothing short of remarkable.”

“Kathy Giusti has shown extraordinary vision and dedication in her efforts to transform how medical research and drug development are conducted to improve and extend the lives of patients with multiple myeloma,” said Jay O. Light, Dean of Harvard Business School. “She epitomizes the School’s mission of educating leaders who make a difference in the world. My colleagues and I are proud to honor her and her work with this award.”

Presented annually since 1968, the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award is the School’s highest recognition and honors individuals who have contributed significantly to their profession, industry and community. In accepting this prestigious award along with six other 2009 honorees, Giusti joins a select group of other distinguished recipients, including Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman & CEO of G.E. and Meg Whitman, former president & CEO, eBay Inc.

“It is a wonderful honor to receive the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award,” said Giusti, who earned her MBA from Harvard Business School in 1985. “I am truly humbled to stand in the company of my extraordinary fellow alumni, whose visionary leadership and accomplishments are nothing short of remarkable.”

About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in 1998 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization by twin sisters Karen Andrews and Kathy Giusti, soon after Kathy's diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The mission of the MMRF is to relentlessly pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure. As the world's number-one private funder of multiple myeloma research, the MMRF has raised over $120 million since its inception to fund more than 120 laboratories worldwide. An outstanding 93 percent of funds raised go toward research and related programming. The MMRF has supported 40 new compounds and approaches in clinical trials and pre- clinical studies and has facilitated 20 clinical trials through its sister organization, the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). For more information about the MMRF, visit www.themmrf.org.

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