Janis L. Abkowitz, MD, is the Hematology Division Head, Clement A. Finch Professor of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington. She is also Director of the Hematology Clinic at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and an attending physician at the University of Washington Medical Center. She earned her medical degree at Harvard University before completing her Internal Medicine residency at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the University of Washington. She is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology and has received the American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Career Development Award and the American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award.

Since becoming a member of ASH in 1983, Dr. Abkowitz has held numerous positions, including Councillor, Education Program Co-Chair, Scientific Program speaker, and member of several of ASH’s scientific committees. She was elected Vice President in 2011 and will become President of ASH in 2013. Also an active advisor to NIH, Dr. Abkowitz has served as NIDDK Councilor, co-organizer of the NIDDK strategic planning meeting for hematology research, co-organizer of NIDDK conference on heme regulation during erythropoiesis, member of the NIDDK Scientific Director Review Panel, member of the NIH Hematology study section and Reviewer Reserve, and member of the NHLBI Institutional Training Mechanism study section. She has been on the editorial board of Blood, ASH’s official journal, and Leukemia, and she has published more than 100 papers. She is currently the Principal investigator on 3 R01 grants, a K12 grant, and a P30 award.

Dr. Abkowitz’s research interests include hematopoietic stem cells, the clonal evolution of hematological disorders, the molecular and cellular control of erythropoiesis, and heme physiology and trafficking. Her clinical interests include marrow failure, myelodysplastic syndrome, and myeloproliferative disorders.

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