2010-03-09
(WASHINGTON) – Alison Walker, MD, has been selected to receive the ASH-AMFDP Award,
and will begin her research in acute myeloid leukemia in July of this year. The
award, designed to help increase the number of underrepresented minority
scholars in the field of hematology, is the result of a partnership between the
American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the Harold Amos Medical Faculty
Development Program (AMFDP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It provides
four years of support, including an annual stipend of up to $75,000 and an
annual grant of $30,000 to support research activities.
“To have
been selected as the 2010 recipient of the ASH-AMFDP award is truly an honor,”
said Dr. Walker. “The opportunities for career development made possible by
this award are many, and I look forward to working with both ASH and the AMFDP
in the years to come.”
Dr. Walker
is the fourth recipient of the ASH-AMFDP award. Her research, “Targeting the
Expression of Mutated Genes Encoding Tyrosine Kinases in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
(AML),” will explore the effect of both direct and indirect inhibition of
aberrant tyrosine kinase activity as part of a phase I clinical trial in
patients with relapsed or refractory AML. The correlative science that results
from this clinical trial will allow Dr. Walker to identify mechanisms of
leukemogenesis and further her efforts in the development of experimental
therapeutics for patients with this disease.
Dr. Walker
is currently Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology
and Oncology, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH.
For more
information about this award, please visit the ASH-AMFDP page
on the ASH Web site.
To
arrange an interview with Dr. Walker, please contact Patrick C. Irelan, ASH Communications
Assistant, at 202-776-0544 or pirelan@hematology.org.
The American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org) is
the world’s largest professional society concerned with the causes and
treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding,
diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow,
and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems, by promoting research,
clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH provides Blood: The Vital Connection
(www.bloodthevitalconnection.org),
a credible online resource addressing bleeding and clotting disorders, anemia,
and cancer. The official journal of ASH is Blood
(www.bloodjournal.org),
the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available
weekly in print and online.
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