Bristol Myers Squibb expands standing in the Gaap to advance care in multiple myeloma as program marks 10 Years

Bristol Myers Squibb has recently announced the evolution of Standing in the Gaap which is a long-running program designed to help address persistent gaps in care for people living with multiple myeloma in medically underserved communities. Building on a decade of sustained commitment, BMS is reinforcing its focus on equitable access to multiple myeloma education, resources, and community-driven solutions by expanding the program to reach more patients and care partners.

BMS is launching one of the largest multiple myeloma surveys ever conducted in the United States. The survey is designed to help illuminate the factors behind gaps in care, capturing perspectives that are often described anecdotally but not consistently measured across the multiple myeloma care continuum. The survey will engage more than 1,000 people living with multiple myeloma, along with their caregivers and healthcare providers, including communities that experience persistent barriers to care.

“Even the most advanced treatments can fall short if patients aren’t represented in research, can’t access care or struggle to navigate the healthcare system,” said Andrew Whitehead, Vice President and Head of Population Health at Bristol Myers Squibb. “For people living with multiple myeloma, where you live, your access to information and who you trust can shape your experience as much as treatment itself. Standing in the Gaap was created to confront those realities and has helped drive meaningful progress over the past decade. The evolution of this program reflects our commitment to listen more closely and to include more voices, translating insight into strategic activations and community engagement that help strengthen how we support people experiencing gaps in multiple myeloma care and improve how we show up not only for patients, but for their care partners and the clinicians who serve them.”

Note that Bristol Myers Squibb created Standing in the Gaap in 2016 to help address challenges faced by African Americans with multiple myeloma. Over the past decade, the program has focused on strengthening and broadening understanding of multiple myeloma care pathways and supporting community engagement. Since its inception, the program has reached more than 5,000 attendees through over 50 educational programs and has built a highly engaged digital community of nearly 60,000 people.

“Too often, we talk about multiple myeloma without fully hearing from patients and care partners themselves,” said Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation. “Efforts like this, developed alongside advocacy organizations and informed directly by people impacted, create an opportunity to translate lived experience into meaningful action. By listening at scale, we can better identify where support is falling short and where focused engagement can make a real difference for communities affected by multiple myeloma.”

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Related Topics and Keywords

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), multiple myeloma, refractory multiple myeloma