Respected Lansing Hematologist Joins Karmanos Cancer Institute Detroit Team

Beloved physician and researcher also continues limited patient care in Lansing

DETROIT, Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute welcomes Craig Cole, M.D., a well-known malignant hematologist in the Lansing community. Dr. Cole is now seeing patients at the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit. He also sees patients at Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing. Dr. Cole is a member of the Hematology Oncology and the Multiple Myeloma and Amyloidosis Multidisciplinary Teams at Karmanos, actively participating while in Lansing.

“Empowering patients is very important to me, and I am excited to contribute to Detroit communities and help patients and community members understand blood cancers, especially multiple myeloma,” said Dr. Cole. “There have been so many advancements in treatment that allow us to treat these diseases, and we’re investigating more options for patients. Here in Detroit, I can work on these advancements in care with my colleagues and bring these treatments to the bedside for my patients to benefit.”

Dr. Cole is also a member of the Molecular Therapeutics Research Program at Karmanos and actively leads clinical trials. His research interests include the clinical application of novel biologic therapeutics in multiple myeloma, pathobiology of myelomagenesis and smoldering myeloma, measurements of psychosocial distress in malignant and non-malignant hematology disorders, and ethnic and racial disparities in multiple myeloma education, diagnosis and treatments.

He specializes in treating multiple myeloma, a disease that is more than two times more common in African Americans than White Americans. He’s been very active in the Lansing and Detroit areas in educating the community, including participating in countless community webinars, community event panels with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Karmanos’ Office of Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement educational events. He also has actively participated with many Karmanos hematologists in physician educational panels and continuing medical education events, providing insight, clinical trials, and research findings and presentations. Dr. Cole has authored hundreds of published articles, abstracts and presentations.

“Dr. Cole has a wealth of knowledge in the field of multiple myeloma and reflects the type of care our MDT teams provide to our patients,” said George Yoo, chief medical officer at Karmanos Cancer Hospital. “He has a gift of being able to speak with patients, the community and physicians about multiple myeloma and has dedicated himself to this type of advocacy work, on top of treating his patients and conducting clinical research. We are excited to have him join us in Detroit, and we’re fortunate to give him the platform through the Karmanos Cancer Network to continue to provide quality care to his patients in Lansing.”

Dr. Cole is also an associate professor in the Department of Oncology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and clinical associate professor at the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Human Medicine. He practiced at McLaren Greater Lansing for three years. During that time, he served as the director of Clinical Cancer Research at Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing and MSU’s College of Human Medicine, an assistant professor at the College of Human Medicine, and associate director of the MSU Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders.

Dr. Cole is a Michiganander at heart. He began as a Spartan, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Physiology from MSU and the Lyman Briggs College. He obtained his doctorate in medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio, but returned to the state as a Wolverine to complete his internal medicine internship, residency and fellowship at the University of Michigan. He has done post-fellowship laboratory research at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center of Medicine at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He became an attending hematologist at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, located on the western campus of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Later, he returned to the University of Michigan as a clinical assistant professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, where he focused on clinical research in multiple myeloma.

He is an active member of the American Society of Hematology, Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, International Myeloma Working Group, and International Myeloma Society. Dr. Cole has been recognized for his care, research and mentorship, including receiving the MSU-Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing’s Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program’s 2023 Educator of the Year award, ABPAFS of the University of Michigan Award for Outstanding Performance and Leadership award, Cancer Support Community Signature Program Support Award from the Gilda’s Club, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Collaborator Award, and the Top Blacks in Healthcare Award by the BlackDoctor.org and The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. He also serves as the diversity officer for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Horizon Trial. He is on the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Steering Committee and he is the organization’s co-founder of the Committee on Diversity. Dr. Cole also serves on the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortia through the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

View Dr. Cole’s physician profile here. To request an appointment, visit karmanos.org or call 1-800-KARMANOS.

About the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

Karmanos Cancer Institute is a leader in transformative cancer care, research and education through courage, commitment and compassion. The Karmanos vision is a world free of cancer. As part of McLaren Health Care, Karmanos is the largest provider of cancer care and research in Michigan. For more than 75 years, the administrative and research headquarters, along with the premier specialty cancer hospital, have been located in downtown Detroit. With 16 network sites, Karmanos delivers world-renowned care and access to clinical trials throughout Michigan and northern Ohio. The National Cancer Institute recognizes Karmanos as one of the best cancer centers in the nation with a comprehensive cancer center designation. Its academic partnership with the Wayne State University School of Medicine provides the framework for cancer research and education – defining new standards of care and improving survivorship. For more information, call 1-800-KARMANOS (800-527-6266) or visit www.karmanos.org. Follow Karmanos on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.