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Sharmilan Thanendrarajan, M.D., Ph.D., and Anne Williams, APRN talk with patient John Lafave Image by Evan Lewis

Myeloma Center Physician Driven by Desire to Help Patients

March 14, 2025 | In his 11th year with the Myeloma Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Sharmilan Thanendrarajan, M.D., Ph.D., knew he wanted to be a physician at a young age.

“When I was in high school, I liked biology, chemistry and physics and decided to go in that direction,” said Thanendrarajan, an associate professor of medicine who is known affectionately as “Dr. T” by colleagues and patients. “The desire to help people was a driving force.”

Thanendrarajan earned his medical degree and doctorate in medicine from the Medical College of Ruhr-University in Bochum, Germany. He completed his fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University Hospital Bonn in Bonn, Germany, and his residency in internal medicine at the University Hospital Bonn and the General Hospital Hagen in Hagen, Germany.

A patient of his in Germany prompted an interest in myeloma.

“I had this very sick multiple myeloma patient with only limited treatment options, and I had a strong desire to learn more about how to help. I was looking for the best place in the world to treat and research multiple myeloma, and all the leading myeloma experts in Germany told me to go to the UAMS Myeloma Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.”

“We apply a customized plan for each patient, taking into account the patient’s fitness and comorbidities, as well as biology and genetics of the cancer. At UAMS we do the most detailed and comprehensive diagnostics, using latest technologies — blood, urine, bone marrow tests and imaging studies. We get a 360-degree view of the patient and work together as a team to come up with a strategy and plan.”

Thanendrarajan expressed optimism about the future of myeloma treatment. “This has been the best time ever for multiple myeloma patients. Thanks to the available novel immunotherapeutic approaches, including bispecific antibodies and CAR T-cell therapy, we’re able to bring more patients into cure and improve overall survival rates.”