2007-11-01

Dr. Hal Broxmeyer, Scientific Director of the Walther Oncology Center and Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, was elected vice president of ASH and will serve as vice president in 2008, becoming president-elect in 2009 and then president in 2010. Dr. Stephanie Lee, an Associate Member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Associate Professor at the University of Washington, and Dr. Thomas Bensinger, Chief of the Hematology/Oncology Department at Washington Adventist Hospital, were elected ASH councillors. Each will serve a four-year term. Dr. Bensinger holds the councillor position designated for a hematologist in clinical practice.

What is the role of a councillor? We asked Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD, an ASH councillor from 2004-2007.

Councillors serve as voting members of the Executive Committee and attend four Executive Committee meetings per year. In their fourth year of service, councillors serve with the treasurer on the Subcommittee on Program Support. In 2007, councillors approved various items by motion including a late-breaking abstract policy, the new Research Training Award for Fellows, an enhanced public relations campaign ($2 million over three years), a joint workshop with AACR, and the institution of a relationship with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO).

Serving as a councillor has given me a chance to see ASH from the inside and to have a role in determining how ASH can best serve its members. Councillors participate in planning the annual meeting program and in making all major decisions during their terms. It requires a real commitment of time and energy, but Marty Liggett and the ASH staff are superb—working with them makes this job a real pleasure.

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